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I like to think that I'm somewhat good at photography. I enjoy taking pictures when I'm walking across a busy street (the above picture is an example of life-risking photography...) and I also enjoy looking at good pictures. Where am I going with this rant? Lord knows.
At the moment I am sitting in a lecture at university and I feel like a total bad ass, typing away. How criminal. 

I don't know what this post is about. I don't know what to type or what to tell. Though not much has happened...I have The Husband here in Australia now which is great and I've started Uni which is slowly killing me. Blogging after so many days does create 'writer's block' but I'm still going to post something because I am not dead and I am very much willing to write...

...but what to write? That kinda kills me. I suppose all my creativity is going into Uni essays and Instagram but nevertheless, I adore this platform that is mine and I will return but with no promises. 

Until I find something worth writing for, here are a few 'updates':

- I am still mourning over Matt Smith's departure - Capaldi isn't doing it for me

- I finally went to Sephora in Sydney. It was absolutely horrible.

-  I have four essays to do. Yay.

- The weather in Sydney is bipolar.

- I am still sitting in my lecture. 

Please don't assume that this blog isn't important - it is. I would very much like to present good content, not random things, hence the long periods between each post.

Hang in there,

xo

Hello (again) !

It has been a long time, no see kinda situation! But I am back and with a new blog layout and a new and extremely stern attitude towards the blog. 

This blog means a lot t me but life got in the way...but I'm back and happy to be back.

1. It's nearly been six months of being married to this man that I adore...wow, time flies.
2. I am now in Australia (again) and here for good. Le hubby isn't here yet but no worries, he will be and then apartment tour all the way!
3. I got into University - finally!
4. And life is pretty good (:
5. ...and this blog will also become pretty good!

Thank you sticking around if you have and welcome if you're new!

Lot's of love,
Kulsoom 

Shaadi Bells ♥ Updates of the Day till the Day!

Shaadi in Urdu and Hindi mean wedding and I found that seems to fit the title of this new series perfectly. Shaadi Bells - updates about the Big Day till the Big Day. There are only seventeen days left till I become someone's wife which is just as surreal as when the Eleventh Doctor regenerated. So here's the first "update" of what's going down. 

1. In Pakistan, there are two days to the wedding - the Baraat (which involves the bride to sign the wedding papers and leave her maiden home) and the Valima (a dinner hosted by the groom's side for the bride's family and his own) - which means I needed two glammed up dresses. Typically, the Baraat dress is red but as the unconventional person I am, I opted for a coral-gold pink dress with a long shirt and skirt with heavy gold embroidery. The Valima dress is a gorgeous creme coloured dress with handwoven flowers (pictures shall be up in the next blog post!) Both dresses were handmade.

2. I am doing my own skincare and makeup. I don't trust saloons for makeup at all. I am not one for the typical cakey makeup brides tend to choose (whatever floats you boat) because in the end it's just one day in your life and I am not clogging up my pores to look like an evil, cakey snow queen.

3. The wedding is on the 5th of January, 2015.

4. I am extremely nervous and have been having panic attacks daily.

So hopefully, the next couple of posts should entail makeup for the day, pictures of the dresses and stuff like that!

And also please follow me on Blog'lovin and Instagram, it makes me oh so happy!

The good, the bad and the in-between in the TV realms.

This is a no-picture blog post. You have been warned.

Being the self-proclaimed connoisseur of TV and film, new TV shows are a highlight of my oh, so fun life. Sad, innit? And in the TV industry, new shows tend be come up in the autumnal months and last till the early days of the next season (which I can't remember at the moment, don't judge) This year was no exception to new, exciting and equally so lame and try hard TV shows, some of them being A to Z, Red Band Society, Selfie, Scorpion and the much anticipated TV shows such as The Flash.

However, as the TV industry goes, many TV shows are cancelled within there honeymoon stage because of low ratings, zero to nothing viewership of just for being plain bad. Examples being A to Z, don't get me wrong I was anticipating the show to be a good one but the beginning was kind of the best part if compared to the rest of the episodes. The plot was predictable, characters were cliche, and the script was trying way to hard #newkidontheblocksyndrome. It could have been a hit but it became a clear miss after the pilot aired.

So there's the bad shows that we can move on from without any regret, but then there are the shows that touch your soul (hyperbole is on point today.) Karen Gillian wore a wig for her role as Eliza Dooley in a modern adaption of My Fair Lady aka Selfie. It was a long shot for the TV show to become one of the hits like HIMYM and so on but I love the premise of the show. Henry brought the anty things in society to light in a "poker face" manner which I applaud, loudly. Gillian's character was far too Beverly Hills-y to make it but she posed well for the few days. I'm sad to wave the red headed WiFi lover and Poker Face Henry goodbye. 

Now for the good stuff. I root for the underdogs and if there's a group Sherlock-type-geniuses running around fighting bad guys, you know I'll be watching, plus it's better if their hot too, just saying. Scorpion had me hooked from the first scene. You've got drama, a hot nerd, action, a hot nerd, mild romance, a hot nerd, and humor, and a hot nerd. The show revolves around a group of highly intellectual individuals that team up with the Government to solve crimes. Sounds redundant, but the show itself is executed with slight touched of humor at appropriate timings, action to keep us glued, good plot lines that are well connected with the outlook of the show and mild romance, enough for the audience to crate OTP's and so on.  I have to disagree with the mixed reviews and pray that they keep the show on and going, because I am #TeamScorpion. If there's a season six of TVD, surely there can be a season two of Scorpion. (Elyes Gabel aka Walter O'Brien = holy handome man)

Red Band Society also caught up in the flames of having mixed reviews and I have to say I didn't jump on the bandwagon instantaneously. The melodramatic teen show revolves around teenagers  in a fancy ass hospital and the problems they face as individuals with an illness and hormones of a teen. I don't know, but maybe the whole theme of romanticising a disease (after TFiOS), Red Band Society calls from a distant place rather than reality. However, with that said, it is a TV show and it delivers drama, romance and the odd action here and there. If only the writers could inject a bit of realism into the plot... #itcouldbeworse

There you have some of the worse, best and in-between shows of the season.

What have you been watching? 

Follow me of my magical realms, xo
♥ instagram
♥ twitter 
♥ tumblr 

Whimsically Bewitched | The Change

It's been a long time coming. I've been wanting to update my blog's name, outlook and some of the content for a while but I've struggled and struggled trying to find the perfect name that would sum up my entire blog and so on. But it came to me while I was eating turkish delights and browsing on some online shops - "whimsically bewitched". 

The change or update doesn't at all in any way mean that the blog is changing. I needed a "makeover" if you will. The content, style and everything else shall remain the same and if anything get better. My voice has not changed at all throughout my blog posts.

I hope you all understand my "makeover" and give the blog that your's as much as it is mine - all the love and respect (: 

Love,

Kulsoom xoxo 

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick & Too Faced Shadow Insurance | Haul

I need makeup. My excuse - I'm getting married. What's your's? I think Too Faced is leading up to be one of my favorite makeup brands - it's an affordable and adorable makeup brand that is available at Mecca Maxima in Australia and can be purchased through various Facebook shops in Pakistan. 

I have purchased the Boudoir Eyes Eyeshadow Palette  and I am in love! (Review shall be up as soon as I get up my lazy a**) So, my first time being so amazing *wink*, I decided to back for seconds and I ended up with two stunning products.

Too Faced La Creme Colour Drenched Lip Cream in "I Want Candy" was my pick. I recently went down to QVB in Sydney City #placeiwanttolive and I had swatched this lipstick at the glorious Myers and my lust for it has begun. I finally picked it up and it's a perfect redish pink with a brown undertone. It looks bright when swatched but on the lips it looks fresh and would be perfect with a smokey eye or just to add a pinch of colour. 

PS. The packing is basically what I would be if I were a makeup product.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance "Original" is a beauty cult favorite. I received a generous sample of this from Mecca Maxima when I had gone before and I loved how it intensified the colour of eyeshadows and gives them more longevity.  

What have you guys hauled lately?

Weekly Diaries # 1

Okaaay, so I haven't been keeping up with the schedule I planned out, buuuut in my defence I have classes four days a week and it just get's pretty hectic, and this week was also Eid-Ul-Fitr, which in one of the two Islamic celebrations during the year.

I took some pictures of what happened during the last few days & thought I'd share them with you!

SUNDAY

The week started off with an Eid festival, where cake pops, clothes and cushions were sold. We reached there at like 3pm to set up my Aunt's clothes stall/booth and we're there till 10:30pm in the night - BAH! It was boring but luckily I was accompanied with a family friend for a couple of hours which were filled with catching up, hot dogs, sugar rushes and a very memorable prank call.

 MONDAY

Today was the first day of Eid (there are three days) and I went to class in the morning and came back in the train. It was a slow day but tiring...

TUESDAY

This was the day when my Aunts and Uncles came round to my Aunt's house (currently my place of residence) and gave out gifts to the kids and money to the inbetweeners...

My cousin bought me two of the BEST things ever! A Doctor Who wallet and a Doctor Who novel adaption! I actually saw the wallet in a shop when I went shopping with my Aunt a few days earlier and fell in love. She bought it but gave it to me on Eid day - I needed a new wallet and this TARDIS fit's the bill perfectly!!!

Towards the afternoon, we all went to visit my Grandpa, it was nice to meet up with him after such a long time! His fridge used to be stocked up my Chuppa Chups when I was a kid and my brother and I used to raid he's fridge every time we visited #cokechuppachupsFTW 

My Dad took me to Westfield after, because I have been on the search for a new bag but I couldn't find one, instead I came out with a 30ml bottle of Miss Dior Cherie Blooming Bouquet aka my FAVORITE perfume ever (and that's saying a lot!) We then drove out of Sydney for a BBQ at a family friend's house. I came out of there with gorgeous rings, a blackboard and the cutest Snoopy

coffee travel mug (both items are from Typo <3).

When we all got back from the awful long car ride, we made a stop at the cinema to watch the "Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes" which was amazeballs! If you haven't seen, go and watch it! A full review will be up soon (:

WEDNESDAY 

And that brings me to today. I went to class in the morning and had lunch with my Dad at Nandos #goodfood 

     So that's about it! I hope you guys enjoyed reading because I had fun writing (well, typing) this up! Be sure to follow me on Instagram (selfish promo) @hrhkulsoomhussainn 

Let me know what you've been upto in the comments - I'd love to know but not in a creepy way (; (: :D 

Jane Austen was right when she said...

... it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. 

I'm engaged to be wed. How did this happen? Well,

First off, I'm an Australian-Pakistani Muslim, which means I've had may fair share of lamingtons and somasos. But it always means that I've been in a culture shock for pretty much my entire existence but I learnt to live with the different customs and traditions. When you're a teen girl living in the South Asian continent, marriage looms over you till the day your mouth is stuffed with gulaab jamoons (sweets) and your hands are painted with henna. Some would say that marriage in your teen years is either an oppressed act that your parents force on you or that your time runs out once you get older. The latter, in my perspective, is more likely to be the case. As funny as it sounds living in the 21st century, as time goes on, women and marriage can't be put in the same sentence. 

I use to think that I'd get married when I turned 25 but as I understood life and my religion, marriage at an early age is better for both the couple and their place in society. Being eighteen, I was bound to get engaged at the least within this year and it happened. No love at first sight, no instant spark, no glass slipper, red rose, or Prince Charming's kiss of life (going to far? yeah...) My relationship arranged - I've never met him, never talked to him, just saw a picture on my Mum's crappy old phone. Talk about romantic, huh? :P

I trust my parents and the decision they've made nut nevertheless, the entire time, since they day I found out about the guy till the engagement I was like and still am

I have a ring on my finger and my suitcase in one hand. Boy, life hands me good stuff like it's Christmas, too much at once.

This is just another adventure in life and it'll be full of sunshine, rainbows and probably, hopefully, for the best! 

Think of it as an adventure

There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to close the chapter that they're currently on and move forward to the next chapter. Moving forward to tough, physically, mentally and emotionally. And personally, those people that are constantly happy every.single.moment.of.life get on my nerves.

Recently, I found out something that is gong to change my life, for the better, hopefully. 

I've been living in Pakistan for the past eight years and it has been - in one word- difficult. Adjusting to a completely different situation was an insane experience but I learnt a fathomable amount of things along the way. 

I found out that I'm moving back to Australia. I don't know what will happen there, or how it'll happen but I have this intense feeling that it's all going to be okay. 

I'll be living with my Dad until my Mum and younger brothers fly in at the end of the year but I'll be leaving in June. It's going to be tough to leave my Mum and baby brothers but you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm excited but at the same time, lurching with anxiety. 

In depth of anxiety or whatever this constant feeling is, I wrote a couple of things, promises to myself if you will, but nevertheless:

1. I feel a lot like Bilbo Baggins. He had an unexpected journey and so am I. I have been begging to go back since we first got here and now that I am I feel like a Hobbit. Confused, lost and hungry. But this is part of the adventure, part of the ride. So I'm going to embrace this change and make the most of it. 
2. I started to become a drone living here. I forgot how to live, be happy and enjoyt the little things. I'm now going to try to live - at least a little. Volunteer, learn new things, hang out with family members who live there. I'm going to try to go a bit higher in this hole that I've been in, that I live in. 
3. I'm going to be studying there, so this time I am not going to let my marks / grades define me as a person. 
4. Seeing as though my Mum will be here, I'm going to have to do the cooking, cleaning, shopping - all that shit. But I'm going to do them so well, that no one will know what hit them.
5. I've been quiet for a majority of my life. I've let people rule me but not now. Now I'm my own Queen. I shall stop letting people tell me what to do. I will stop being quiet and let people stamp on me and put words in my mouth.    

I honestly don't even know what's going to happen, but I hope and pray with all my heart that this new adventure is better than the last. 

MUA Haul = Lighter Wallet

Online shopping is a terrible, wonderful, horrible, whimsical adventure. Some days you find everything you could possibly want and other days it's like a barren waste land. I had a good day - a great day infact! The brush I've been lusting over was finally in stock and so were a couple of lipsticks. It was makeup galore but I ended up with a lighter wallet - before the month even begins! 

 

(fyi I don't watch Degrassi)

I went a little MUA cray cray but the prices and quality are damn good. Here's what I dropped into that tiny evil shopping cart:

1. MUA Stippling Brush (F2)

I cannot begin to express how many times I cheched for this damn brush to be "in stock" and finally, on that glorious, gloriousday IT WAS! I have yet to try it but it's soft (always a good sign) and personally I love the white bit. It's smaller than I expected but I am not one to complain.

2. MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer - Funk

Jessica-Anne  blogged about the Lime Crime Velvetine Lip Lacquers and I was lusting for one soon after. Lime Crime isn't avaliable where I live but when I found out the close dupes aka MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer was avaliable I reacted a wee bit like this:

(okay a lot like this)

I got the shade "Funk" a blue toned pink. The product is supposed to go on like gloss then set like matt and last forever...I was going to pick up another shade but decided to go with one, test it out, then purchase another.

3. MUA Luxe Precision Felt Eyeliner 

I've bought three eyeliners in the past two months and hated all of them. I bought the Maybelline MasterDrama eyeliner which I hated - sticks to your skin and the after one sharpen it broke! and an Essence Liquid eyeliner which was disappointing - it was light and streaked. Being in the market for a new eyeliner, I snatched this one up in the hopes of being redeemed from this eyeliner "drama".

4. MUA Matte Lipstick - Peachy Keen & Scarlet Siren

Intially I had placed an order for Wild Berry as well (seeing as though berry lips are my go-to lip most often) but didn't receive with my parcel... I was (still am) sorta bummed but I now own another red to add to my collection and a gorgeous peachy pink - a color which I don't own. I've read a couple of reviews and the only problem that seemed most common was that they wouldn't glide on and would dry the lips but that's anticipated from a matte lip product - so now I have to exfoliate and balm my lips up! 

Most probably after posting this I will die with the immense amount of guilt for spending money. 

Checking Examinations - SOS!

After spending the weekend checking final exam papers I came to the realization the teaching is the most underestimated job and I'm and not getting paid enough. However, spending 11 hours non-stop checking these mystical anomalies, I have compiled a list of my reactions throughout the process. Fellow teachers, let me know what you go though and how you feel why checking exam papers.

1. The Student Who Think's It's Cool To Add Two Options For A Fill In The Blank: 

2. The Student Whose Handwriting Is Worse Then My Doctor's:

3. The Student Who Hasn't Studied And Winged The Entire Exam:

By the end of it I was dead - my soul had flown away.

 But I survived only to be plummeted with 7 more piles of exams.

I hope by the end end of it I'll still be a person breathing and just a walking corpse. 

Skincare Routine (as of right now)

 I love watching and reading the different types of skincare routine people have and I have to admit that I don’t exactly follow my routine religiously but I try my hardest. Personally, I don’t have oily skin or acne prone skin but I do have sensitive to normal skin so I tend to use products that are affiliated with dermatologists, just to be on the safe side – plus my Mum doesn’t agree with the “cocktail skincare products” concoction.

Top left corner – Neutrogena Deep Clean Makeup Remover; top right corner – Clearasil Daily Gel Wash; bottom left corner – Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask; bottom right corner – Essence My Skin Moisturizing Crème Gel.  

Step One : Take off all the makeup and face gunk. For me, this is the most annoying step. I hate the stinging eyes and the cotton buds which seem to pull apart when moist.

But however much you detest something, that pretty much means it’s good for you. Taking off you’re makeup is necessary and Neutrogena’s Deep Clean Makeup Remover does just that. It’s perfect for those days (or nights) when you don’t want to waste any more energy on removing makeup. Just pour this baby into a cotton ball or pad and wipe your face clean. This product can even take off waterproof eyeliner or mascara, but it stings a lot, so be sure that you don’t rub your eyes if it slips inside your eyeball, just wait it off.

Awesomesauce Tip (: Put the cotton ball or pad on your eye and keep it there for a couple of seconds then slide it off. It’ll take off all your makeup in a jiffy.

Step Two: Now you don’t have to use a face wash if you don’t want to but I like to use it just in case there’s something left. Face wash in whichever texture, be it gel or normal face wash, cleans out your pores and all the icky dirt that lands on our face throughout the day. If you live in a humid area or are prone to acne, face washes are a must!

     Clearasil Daily Clear’s Daily Gel Wash does just the job. Can I just say how amazing the bottle is? I love pumps just because they don’t create a mess and don’t waste the product.

Awesomesauce Tip (: When buying a face wash makes sure it’s pH balanced – that just means that there’s water added which is great for our skin.

Step Three: This is optional and should not be done daily. Face masks give your skin a little extra TLC, though they should not be applied daily because    your skin can break out.

     Clearasil Daily Clear’s Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask doesn’t just moisturize your skin but leaves it smelling like a fruity cocktail. Yum. It has avocado and pomegranate in it which obviously makes it smell so good but also has a hint of mint which you can feel when applied. Leave it on for 3 minutes then rinse it off for amazingly smooth skin.

Step Four: Moisturize. The importance of this step cannot be stressed enough. After cleaning your face you have to seal all of your skin’s goodness and moisturizing does that.

    Essence My Skin’s Moisturizing Crème Gel is super light and perfect for the heat. Greasy, oily looking skin is not attractive so again, if you live in a humid area opt for something lighter.

You’re skin needs a lot of TLC so test products before buying them. Use the back of your hand and wait a while. If your skin becomes red or feels itchy don’t buy that product. Fancy and pretty packaging may be eye candy but remember that not all products are for your skin so be cautious when buying and testing new products. Spending money on your skin is an investment in a way, so don’t worry if you’re spending a lot – your skin matters.

Getting that baby butt soft skin does take effort and time but it’s all worth it when you have skin that you’re confident in. If you have acne prone skin then keeping your face clean is necessary.  

So that's it. My skincare routine with a few tips and tricks. Hope you enjoyed reading this! 

Till next time,

Kulsoom x 

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