Leia's Delights was created on May 27, 2010.
I started my blogging journey in January 2009 with my friend Sherin, at thehifashionsite.com. We had a lot of fun writing together, but I decided to branch out on my own so I could write a more personal blog. (My archives date further back than May 2010 because I carried over some of my posts from HiFashion!)
I'm 23 and currently working as a Western classical music teacher in India. My Masters was in Globalisation & Development in London & and I studied International Relations with French for my Bachelors (diverse interests, right?). I love blogging about fashion, beauty, nails, hair, flowers, food, and all things pretty and feminine!
Note: If you would like to use any of my recipes, nail art, or anything else on your blog, that's absolutely fine with me, but I ask that you attribute me and link to my blog, and please let me know via e-mail/tweet/comment so I can come check it out.
Note: If you would like to use any of my recipes, nail art, or anything else on your blog, that's absolutely fine with me, but I ask that you attribute me and link to my blog, and please let me know via e-mail/tweet/comment so I can come check it out.
Where can I buy the sparkly crystals you use for your nail art? Check craft stores. They normally sell glue-on or iron-on crystals in different shapes and colors that you can use on your nails - just make sure they've got a flat back!
What are your favorite nailpolish brands? Revlon, Essie, and Mavala.
Where did you learn how to create nail art? My mother has been doing nail art on her own nails for about 35 years, so I learned from her! I started experimenting on my own nails a few years ago, but I still ask her for help quite often.
Doesn't it interfere with your piano playing? I keep my nails short for that very reason. I try to place stones strategically so that they don't come in the way!
How long does each design take? After the nails have been trimmed/filed/painted etc (which takes 10-15 minutes), the nail designs usually take about 5 minutes. It's really not a huge time investment, or else I wouldn't do it!
Do I do nail art for others? Not professionally. Once in a while we get requests from family members/friends, but other than that, it's just something we enjoy for ourselves!
Do you apply the nail art on your own hands? Sometimes. More complicated designs (like Pink Lattice) require help. And sometimes it's difficult to use the left hand to design on the right hand!
How long do the designs last? Normally one week.
HairWhat are your hair tips? Check out this post on long hair care and this post on natural hair care.
Food
Where are your these recipes from? All over the place! They've been collected from books, magazines, websites, friends, etc. Mum and I have been baking together since I was barely old enough to read, and we type up the tried and true, foolproof, delicious recipes and put them into binders, which is why I normally don't know where a specific recipe is from (sorry!) We normally modify it to our own taste, though, so I hope I'm not violating any sort of copyright laws!
What is golden syrup and is it available in the US? Golden syrup is a sugary-syrup with a honey-like consistency and nutty taste, and I'm afraid there's no exact alternative for it (some people suggest using corn syrup but apparently it's not quite the same!) However, I found out that golden syrup IS available in the US - and if you can't find it in your local grocery store, I've found some on Amazon
. Flowers
Are you a professional florist? Goodness, no! I only started playing with flower arrangements recently, and the few that I've done have been used to decorate my own house.
Misc
Are you vegetarian? Yes, since age 12. It wasn't for environmental or health reasons - although of course those are both bonuses - it was because I suddenly (graphically) became aware of how sweet little animals were turned into food, and I realised I loved animals far too much to eat them!
What's your national
background? I was born in London and grew up in Bangladesh. My first language is English.
What's that accent? I went to an American International school, which accounts for my somewhat hard-to-place accent! I call it an international accent and you'll probably find that people who studied at schools similar to mine will speak in the same way.
