An Inherited Asset

Tags

Beauty, hair, Hair care, Hairstyle, healthy hair, Kérastase, Kérastase Initialiste, Long hair, shiny hair

I truly believe that all women (& men!) must always take care of their hair. In my case, I think it’s my biggest asset. I come from a family that has healthy, thick and nice hair! Even at their age, my dad still retains all of his hair and my mom’s braid is super healthy and shiny!

Since my signature hair look was short stylish cuts ever since childhood, I am now trying to keep a long-hair style, and I’m loving it! I always get questions on how I maintain healthy hair, even at this length.

My secret is not only genetics though. I never dyed my hair (yet!), not even highlights. I apply sun protection spray all over it whenever I’m tanning (which is a lot during summertime). I often go for the hairdresser to trim the ends. But most importantly, I apply various masks at least thrice a week, such as here and here.

Now even though I always recommend my ‘At Home Remedies’ -and you know how amazing they are- I do tend to reside to my favorite synthetic product, whenever my hair is extra-dry due to the sun or the cold, and that is none other than Kérastase. My hair-dresser recommended the most recent new Kérastase product, called Initialiste.

Derived from the same stem-cell technology that’s used for skin-care, according to Kérastase, this serum should make your hair feel thicker, softer, and up to %93 more resistant, since breakage is unavoidable if you have long hair.

So here’s how to use it:

1. After washing your hair and gently drying it with a towel, apply Initialiste in the form of drops directly on your scalp
2. Massage your scalp with your fingertips to spread the product, increase blood circulation, and enhance its absorption
3. Apply no more than four to five pipettes if you have thick hair
4. Style as usual

It was so easy, my hair felt amazingly soft and radiated with a healthy shine afterwards! So yes, that was one of my most recent hair beauty secrets!

Tell me what are your hair secrets? I’d love to know!

Geometric Crush

Tags

Candamill, Candamill Truss Tote, Fashion, Fashion week, geometric design, New York, New York Fashion Week, Truss tote

It is always a pleasure for me to discover new brands that make luxurious and unique creations, and nothing is more fun than sharing it on my blog! After all, that’s what Cloud of Lace is originally all about! & today, I am head over heels for this beautiful geometric Truss Tote by Candamill, NY.

Browsing the web and our Instagram for beautiful fashion moments during New York’s and London’s Fashion Weeks, I gladly stumbled upon this amazing brand, which turned out to be a collaboration of everything I love too! Painting, photography, and made-to-order minimalist yet unique clothing and accessories. Here’s one of my favorite pieces of art, the Truss tote:

{Courtesy of Candamill}

Spacious enough, Candamill beautifully crafted this tote in NYC using Italian suede leather. Its elegant geometrical design makes it this season’s must-have!

What do you think?

Joud Boutique

Tags

Beirut, Cancer, Children, Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon, Joud, Joud boutique, st jude, st jude's research hospital

For over 10 years now, the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) -affiliated with St. Jude‘s Research Hospital- has been a pioneer in treating children with Cancer without any return. This could not have been possible without the continuous funding and support of the many generous donors, who are helping giving hope to hundreds of children and families affected by this merciless disease. For this purpose, the CCCL has established a specialty boutique, called Joud.

This small boutique, located at the center’s terrace, offers a range of gift ideas: gadgets, home accessories, soaps, fashion accessories, and baby-shower souvenirs, among many others, where all proceeds go to the treatment of CCCL kids. They also are planning to sell online here, with world-wide delivery!

Here’s a glimpse from the Joud boutique during their opening ceremony.

– All photos are a Courtesy of CCCL.

The Crucifix Bag

Tags

American University of Beirut, AUB, Cloud of Lace, Leather, The Crucifix Bag, The Crucifix Tour, thecrucifixtour, Vlieger Vandam

I can confidently say that my passion for lace is only combated by that of leather. Those two now dominate my closet, with pleasure. Having an edgy style all throughout my teenage-hood have only began to soften during my early college years. My -excess- use of Converse shoes, denim, and statement t-shirts suddenly were replaced by my passion to everything soft and feminine. Somehow, high school was not the medium I blossomed in as a gothic, and college worked its magic on the girl in me.

Even until now, leather is still a weakness I can’t -& don’t want to- get over. However, it now encompasses a rather classier approach like this outfit here. My passion for unique leather jackets that are stacked in my closet by the dozen, is now directed towards leather accessories and other goods: shoes and arm-candy! That is why I totally fell for this brand the moment I spotted their ultimately creative designs!

Just when I thought that they can’t get anymore creative after being so popular for their Gun-detailed accessories, Vlieger & Vandam have now launched their Crucifix collection, which features the most finely finished leather goods, with a large statement Cross on. Formidable!

When they selected Cloud of Lace among 8 amazing contemporary bloggers from around the world to feature this piece of art of theirs via The Crucifix Tour, we were extremely thrilled, & started working on the themes to feature it. This is only our first… Why more than one? Because we can!

I assembled this beautiful crucifix bag with my very own Cloud of Lace dress. Those two resemble the two major sides of me. Leather and lace. Edgy and astute. Dark and light. And the setting was no other than the enchanting campus of the American University of Beirut, where everything I am now was intensified.

Dress | Cloud of Lace

Bag | Vlieger Vandam

Shoes | Christian Louboutin

Watch | Roberto Cavalli

Shades | Porsche Design

Cats | Available for adoption by AUB‘s Cat Society!

Houndstooth Love

Tags

Beirut, Cloud of Lace, Dior, HariTHanD, Iris, Lebanon, Orchid flower, Zara

Taking into consideration my infatuation with houndstooth, in my opinion, this is by far the prettiest blazer ever. It is inspired by the petals of the Iris, a rare & unique kind of Orchids (my favorite flower) that’s characterized by two identical petals.

Being the most prevalent color in my closet, choosing a total black look to boost this blazer was pretty easy. The gold Dior brooch & earrings perfectly fell into place here. This combination was instantly on my mind when I spotted them at Sophie’s Closet!

I always am on the lookout for unique designs, and we’re lucky to have plenty of them here in Lebanon. That is what we aspire to show here on the blog… So stay tuned for upcoming designers talking through Cloud of Lace.

Iris Blazer | HariTHanD

Top | BCBG

Pants | Zara

Bag | Dalida’s Design

Flower Brooch & Earrings | Dior from Sophie’s Closet

Shades | Porsche Design

Pigalle | Christian Louboutin

Sun-setting at St Elmo’s Seaside Brasserie

Tags

Beirut, Brasserie, Food, Lebanon, St Elmo's, St Elmo's Seaside Brasserie, Sunset at St Elmo's, TripAdvisor, Zaitunay Bay

After visiting The Brasserie when it first opened a couple of years ago, I was totally hooked up! After all, one thing to say about the folks behind this place: they are definitely filled with positive energy! There’s always something to keep you coming back. From their most unique version of Bloody Mary, the Bloody Mess, to their food, music, atmosphere, service and even the rose-water syrup during Ramadan! Sun-setting at St Elmo’s Brasserie easily became a tradition of ours.

It is noteworthy that after I once reviewed St Elmo’s on TripAdvisor here, I was invited to one of their vibrant Champagne Sunday Brunches, celebrating the launching of their new menu. They are definitely one of the very few locales here in Lebanon that know how to make use of the digital media to optimize their reach.

This time, however, we were visiting local designers’ boutiques that were spread around Beirut’s central district, when we decided to go grab a delicious bite while enjoying the fresh air and a relaxing view on the Mediterranean. So we headed to Zaitunay Bay.

The menu includes a selection of uniquely executed items. My friend went for the Park Avenue Chicken Club, while I – ever craving hot and spicy flavors – took what the waitress recommended, and had the El Gringo Burger. The food was sensational. Both presentation and flavor wise.

Even if you’re not out for food, you can always pass by and enjoy a drink and/or a desert at their terrace, or lazily lounge indoors in the cold winter days. Any time of the year, St Elmo’s is always almost full. It is mostly loved by the trendiest crowd, the tourists and families alike!

We will let the pictures speak for themselves… Leave us a comment on how much you’d like to visit St Elmo’s, if you haven’t yet.

{This image is a courtesy of St Elmo’s}

Photos are a courtesy of Cloud of Lace, unless otherwise indicated.

Peach Beirut

Tags

Beirut, Cassandre Bag, christian louboutin, Christian Louboutin Pigalle, Cloud of Lace, Lace, Maje, Peach, Pigalle, Roberto Cavalli watch, SL bag, SL Cassandre, slouchy pants

When it comes to my wardrobe, there are just too many black pieces in my closet. Somehow in the past few years, I used to mercilessly stack those items, as I always would go for black when I compared different colors of the same design. I now made it a point -both while shopping and while creating my own pieces- to use some brights, plenty of pastels, in addition to adding my very own signature, the lace details. This is how today’s outfit, Peach Beirut, was assembled.

A peach colored slouchy pants with my Cloud of Lace top were just perfect for a stroll around my favorite part of the city. Even the colors of the buildings around conspired to make us easily take simple, yet beautiful, shots to better showcase the outfit.

 

Top | Cloud of Lace

Pants | Maje

Cassandre Bag | Saint Laurent

Pigalle | Christian Louboutin

Watch | Roberto Cavalli

 

 

 

 

Who Gives a Vogue?

Tags

Beirut, Converse, givenchy, givenchy necklace, HariTHanD, organza, porsche, porsche design, red, red shoes, saint laurent, saint laurent bag, saint laurent cassandre, Shoes, silk organza, Skirt, tshirt, Vogue, ysl

Statement t-shirts are a well-documented obsession of mine during my early teenage-hood years, where I would pair them with a denim and a Converse. Later on in life, during college years specifically, my girly genes resurfaced, and I would suddenly would never pass a day without sporting a skirt. So today’s outfit was an eccentric blend of those two extremely different styles in a Who Gives a Vogue kinda way!

Wanting to add a twist to our next outfit post, we created this t-shirt at a local printing-house here in Beirut, with the famous “You Got More Issues Than Vogue” on it, that was illustrated by a friend of mine. We then combined this edgy top with a very fancy powder pink, and highly feminine silk organza skirt.

Top | Custome-made

Skirt | HariTHanD

Shoes & Bag | Saint Laurent

Necklace | Givenchy

Sunnies | Porsche Design

Shades of Burgundy

Tags

Beirut, burgundy, christian louboutin, Dior, Dior earrings, HariTHanD, Maje, Maje leather top, porsche design, Roberto Cavalli, Saifi Village, Zara pants

This afternoon’s weather was perfect for a stroll around in Beirut. The stroll, however, was not that easy; It would be an understatement to say it was hot and humid, but the color palette of the buildings around constituted the perfect background for the shades of burgundy I’m wearing.

We enjoyed our time taking shots around the beautiful tiles streets of Saifi Village. This area is lined with lots of amazing high-end boutiques that feature Lebanese designers, art galleries, and side-walk cafe’s that I can’t wait to feature for you all to see in my next blog posts.

I loved the combination of the Maje leather top with the burgundy Zara pants. This was a bold, sharp look that was softened by the Louboutin shoes, whereas HariTHanD’s Orchis bag, and Dior’s gold flower earrings took care of adding the right level of femininity to it.

Leather Top | Maje

Pants | Zara

The Orchis Bag | HariTHanD

Lady Peep Shoes | Christian Louboutin

Gold Flower Earrings | Dior

Watch | Roberto Cavalli

Shades | Porsche Design

Crepe Waves

Tags

blazer, Clothing, Cloud of Lace, crepe, Dalida's Design, Dress, HariTHanD, Maxi dress, Pinterest, porsche design sunglasses, Sophies Closet

Fact: I love maxi dresses & skirts. You can easily notice this from my Wear I Like board on Pinterest. Simple maxi dresses, of all kinds, add just the right feminine touch to a female’s silhouette. That’s why it wasn’t hard for me to design a simple range of maxi dresses, which I can’t wait to show you soon!

My passion for blazers is also very prevalent in my everyday style. Just as much as I wear maxi’s on a daily basis in summer, the blazer is also a must whether at the office or on an evening outing. Thus, the outfit was nicely complemented by this sharply styled royal blue blazer.

Early morning sunshine, fresh breeze and coffee in hand were just perfect to successfully conduct our photo-shoot.

Dress | Cloud of Lace

Laelia Blazer | HariTHanD

Bag | Dalida’s Design

Dior Earrings | Sophies’ Closet

Shoes | Bruni

Shades | Porsche Design