Interview with Nut& Ptah

I have been wanting to publish this interview from long long time ago, precisely from the past Amman fashion week time, Hala and Sarah or Nut are Ptah are half Jordanian half Egyptian sisters duo designers, whose work have been turning heads recently. Their pretty pieces caught my attention from Amman fashion week, and I wanted to know more about these beautiful sisters.

 
-Tell us more about yourselves ?  
Sarah: I've always been artistic and have an eye for detail.
anything inspires me. Hala: I also have an eye for detail and travelling is what keeps me motivated

- Tell us more about Nut and Ptah, and how did you start it? Nut&Ptah is a vibrant,feminine and bold Jordanian brand which is strongly influenced by the Egyptian Jordanian and Palestinian dynasties as well as the rich cultures of the world.we started it officially in 2009 when we took a in soul Jara .it was the best decision we've ever made. thanks to the encouragement of our family&friends especially Sabein, our sister.
  

- Nut and Ptah is not such a common name, what does it refer to ?

Nut & Ptah = [noot and petah] 
Nut: An ancient Egyptian guardian of daytime, in which production is at its utmost. 
Ptah: Another ancient Egyptian guardian of skilled craftsmen, artisans and creativity.

- How it feels like to be working with your twin sister? 

Well, we could easily be mistaken for twins but the truth is, we're 2 years apart! however the fact that we look and act alike is a strong indicator that we complement each other. we function best when were together and we've always made a good team.but of course, and only rarely, we want to kill each other over work..like all sisters do.

 - How do you see the fashion scene in Amman, and how it is different than in Egypt ? " I heard you are half Egyptian" 

we haven't embarked on the Egyptian market yet so we cant really compare but we can definitely say that the fashion scene in Amman is booming and is ever evolving and we love being part of this chic movement.

Which piece took you the longest time and effort to design?

 the piece that took the longest time in making is a handmade headpiece which we made especially for her Majesty Queen Raina. We wated to express our appreciation by making a piece of art. So that took a while. As for the piece that took the most effort, we'd have to say most of our dresses for MBFW. the opulent amount of details which every piece entailed meant that we had to work day and night.

- What was the public reaction to your first collection? 
It was a hit.

  
- How do you describe your own style and how it reflects to your collections? 
our collections are a finer and much more detailed representation or extension of our personal style.And our personal style is ever evolving. 

  

- You have just participated in Amman Fashion week, tell us more about the experience our participation in the first season of AMBFW was a rich learning experience. We haveenjoyed

every minute of it. From creating a collection, doing fittings and rehearsals with models
to meeting local and international persons in the the field.It all translated beautifully for us. We
also were thrilled to see Jordan taking its first step on the fashion map.

 
  
- What was the toughest moment for you during the FW ?
  making sure all the models looks were flawless right before the show starts .what people might not know is that it becomes a bit of a circus behind the runway walls. the pressure of perfecting every little detail must be the toughest moment. Sarah once said ''I wish we could clone ourselves and have more of us to ensure it is all immaculate''.
  
- Which celebrity or socialite do you wanna see rocking your designs one day ? 

  Aimee Song, Lykke Li, alexa chung, Florence Welch, Olivia Palermo

 

- How can we buy your designs?

Right now, were taking appointments so anyone who would like to purchase any of our items can call 00962 79 580099 3/2. we do have a Facebook page and an Instagram account. 

Facebook:  nut & ptah 

instagram:  nutandptah 
 
- Any future plans you wanna share with us.

We are currently working on a fashion exhibition, so stay tuned.

 

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The little device that will entirely change your life.

I think women's biggest problem, no matter from where they came from, how they look like, is hair removing. Despite having many ways to do so, nothing has worked 100% , for every methods its pro and cons. for example with the traditional ways and waxing, sometimes the pain is unbearable, and if you have sensitive skin, you can break out or suffer from redness and itchiness,  as for shaving it's very inconvenient as hair grows back immediately and seriously no one wants the coarse hair and the ingrown hairs under the skin.The hair removal creams are the worst ever, it literally damages your skin, and can cause skin pigmentation in some cases, Needless to mention the mess and the long time you take to remove the hair using all this methods.

Finally someone heard women's prayers and decided to do something about. Braun has recently another miraculous devices which can be defined better as a fist size skin spa than just an epilation device. The Braun Silk Epil is not new to the scene, but I really love the fact that Braun keeps on updating the Silk Epil functions to make it suitable for the modern life. The new Silk Epil 7 "the skin spa" has many changeable heads, the first is of course the epilator head, that can work on dry and wet, and YES you can definitely use it in the shower, it can removes the tiniest hairs ever, and it also have light to show where are some little hairs hide. the second one which is the new concept is the exfoliator head, that removes all the dead skin, 4 times more gentle than all the chemical scrubs but we the same and even better effect. the other heads are the trimmer, that trims long hair, and the other is the shaver that gives you a very close gentle shave  way better than normal razors, and also works on dry or wet.

Braun has thrown up a very beautiful feminine party and invited me to attend, the party was held on the private villas overlooking the beautiful Red Sea at the Moveinpick hotel in Jeddah, where guests were lectured by dermatologist consultant Dr. Shazia Ali, where she simply explained to us step by step how to use the Braun Silk Epil, answered our endless questions and guided us how to get the perfect skin, afterwards we were entertained  to a delicious lunch, followed by an indulging hand and foot massage, finally followed by a joyful and fun photo session for each guest.

One of the many questions that Dr. Shazia was asked, is why we get red inflamed pimples after epilation, she replied that after the hair has been removed, few days and it's start to grow again under the epidermis  so if the skin above is not so smooth that the hair can penetrate, the pore will get inflamed, making the skin red and itchy, and that what makes the hair grow under the skin and make your skin looks and feels coarse. So Braun acknowledged that fact and worked on developing the exfoliator head, that allows you to get rid of the dead skin, so when the hair regrow, you want suffer at all from the ingrown hair problem. Dr. Shazia said that we can exfoliate up to 2 times a week, the exfoliator head is very gentle yet very effective, it can be used on face as well, hearing that was music to my ears, as I was looking everywhere for the clarisonic face exfoliator, and now I am using the Braun Silk Epil exfoliator on my face, and man it never felt so soft, as it does now.

There were a significant difference, even from the first time.

Dr. Shazia used a model suffering from keratosis pilaris and showed how a person with such  a sever skin medical case, can have a noticeable smooth skin in matter of few months, if used the exfoliator and epilation frequently. Another thing the Dr. highlighted, is a step that most of us forgot " moisturizing". Always moisturize after exfoliating, it's the golden rule, exfoliating without moisturizing makes the skin even drier: it's a very important steps that can be missed.

Dr. Shazia showing us how to change the heads.

The Braun Silk Epil is such a fantastic device, it's a revolution in the derma world. I can see all the dermatologist rave about such product, it's fast, convenient  for traveling you can basically throw it inside your handbag and take it with you everywhere.

Thank You Braun for always working so hard to develop your products and make it adjustable to women's constant needs, I have always loved Braun products, and they never fail to impress and surprise me with this Skin Spa and with the Braun 7 satin hair, read my review about it HERE, and as promised I will be doing a special post showing you how to style your hair with it so soon.

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Conscious Collection from H&M

Hollywood glamour comes to H&M this spring with Conscious Exclusive – a party wear collection made from more sustainable materials. The collection features clothing and accessories for both men and women, and is part of H&M’s Conscious work to offer more sustainable fashion. Materials used in the collection include organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled polyamide and Tencel. The Conscious Exclusive collection will be available in around 140 stores worldwide as well as online from April 4, 2013. This collection is to die for, i simple can't wait, i want every piece in it.

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What's inside Nihal Zaki's Jewelery Box ?!

Nihal Zaki is one of Egypt’s prominent, most talented and most professional interior designer, Nihal or "Tsunami" (according to her friends) graduated from Inchbald School of Design, London in 1999.  She then established 'Nihal Zaki Interiors' in Cairo, Egypt.

“I confess, I am a confused decorator with a magpie’s eye for all that glitters. I love to mix Gothic and Islamic, Egyptian and Revival, while trying to preserve my sanity. I love vivid colors yet I go through color phases… I am on a mission to deliver ‘happy vivid interiors’ yet I deplore kitchens and Trompe l’oeil and would be content with nothing in my house but a disco ball and a trampoline”. Nihal Says.

Her work has been published twice (2007 & 2010) in Andrew Martin International Interior Design Review, a yearly catalogue that picks and features the best 50 international designers.  She is famed for her cool and contemporary interiors with critically acclaimed residential and commercial projects including Helene Boutique in Cairo’s First Mall, Kyoto Restaurant Sharm el Sheikh, Wabi Sabi, amongst others. She has recently forayed into the world of event design with her stylings to add more glitz to ByGanz’s  ‘El Shagara’ Lounge in Ramadan, 'Eden Garden' party and the naughty Nostalgia series of events at Cairo’s most exclusive hot spot Tamarai and last by not least, TURQUAZ beach club at Marassi North Coast, Egypt.

‘Nihal Zaki Interiors’ has recently launched its own furniture line, a tailored – custom made mixture of classic-reproduction and modern, which debuted at Cairo’s trendy fashion boutique ‘Villa Baboushka’.

 I got introduced to Nihal Zaki, few years ago through her pretty published photo in Enigma magazine, where they had a very lovely interview with her, as she guided them through her incredibly beautiful- Venetian style- house. What caught my attention the most was an antique looking statement necklace she was wearing, I fall in love with that necklace, and I tried to know its designer but I couldn’t. But today I get to go inside the personal jewelry box of Nihal, go through her beautiful statement pieces, and know the story behind each piece.  

follow her on FACEBOOK

Bracelets: I am all about colours and different shapes, lines and textures. I believe a woman's bracelet should be over sized and catchy, this is a glimpse of some of the bracelets i have, as u can see i have a mixture of art-deco vintage, tribal, shiny beads and basic fabric colourful summery bracelets.

  Brooches: I never leave home without a brooch, I am a freak for pop art as u can see in my Gaga and David Bowie series of pop art brooches (sold in Colette Paris). I also love anything Sonia Rykiel and Gaultier (the cool black Mosquito brooch). Again, vivid colours are a must in summertime for me hence the cool neon butterfly brooches by Patrizia Pepe!

Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld:  This is a picture of my 'Special' drawer :) it’s all vintage! vintage Chanel, vintage Karl Lagerfeld, vintage porcelain dog brooches I purchased from a 'Christie's' auction, a vintage art deco ivory face pendant that i found at Portobello market and last but not least my shades: I am mostly proud of my Alexander Wang gold shades a very special limited edition.

Lacroix: Now Christian Lacroix has always been my favourite designer, he designed the most exquisite accessories of all time with impeccable details and materials. Here's a glimpse of 2 of my very special Lacroix brooches.

Lebanese artisanal: I am a freak for up and coming Lebanese designers! Especially the ones you find around 'Saifi village'..  My favourite piece is this hand woven shoulder necklace made out of zippers, glamorizes any basic dress I wear.

Mawi necklace: MAWI need I say more? This piece stands out on a basic white shirt and you are good to go!

Rings: Again, I am very much into over sized rings that make a statement. My skull ring by Alexander Mcqueen is the closest to my heart.. I also love my vintage Gothic middle finger ring I found at Portobello market, my Mawi parrot ring and my vintage sapphire stone one.. As for my bracelets, vintage vintage and more vintage! Came across this gorgeous white plexy one at Le Marais in Paris and my other crystal cuff bracelet was a special piece i found at a vintage shop in Soho New York.

 Satellite necklace: Satellite is one of the most stylish French accessories brands, this piece kinda reminded me of tribal/neo-grec/Roman style... It looks marvelous on empire style evening gowns, and of  course a la greque up hairdo!

Victorian sleeves: I am a freak for anything medieval, I wear capes not jackets and i love wearing short sleeves or gloves that match! I came across this hand made pair at the Stylish Marais district in Paris and it was love at first sight!

Vintage Belt: This feather belt makes anything look wonderful! Found it at a small Boutique in Bond street London.. Its very renaissance and always makes a statement especially on a white T-shirt and Jeans.

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Nada Akram's Summer Collection

Finally designer Nada Akram has released her newest summer collection, take a look at what Nada has been working on lately.

DON"T FORGET: you can win an amazing Nada Akram piece presented from the blog, know more by pressing on this link

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