Every girl loves a princess moment. I got mine recently thanks to a collaboration with my blogger friend Kamana from Social and Style and Rent a Dress Singapore. There is a wide variety of different dresses to pick from the Rent A Dress location, and we had a great girly time trying on different outfits! While Social and Style picked an adorable strapless lippy dress, it was instant love for me with this long breezy gown with the lime green color. It certainly stands out from the usual colors that one might pick when attending a holiday party or gala event. For our shoot location, we decided on the iconic Raffles Hotel which ended up providing the perfect backdrop! Blogger photo-taking was then followed by a nice blogger brunch with Social and Style and Suhina from LuxItGirl. Check out what the other girls wore here at this link.

So if you're looking for a diverse selection of dresses, Rent a Dress SG is definitely a great option. At the moment, I'd like to share a 15% off code ‘SOCIALANDSTYLE15’ for any purchases from Rent A Dress SG over $50. With all the holiday events around the corner, you may need to pull out the inner glam goddess in you.

Dress from Rent a Dress SG | Shoes from Charles & Keith |
Bracelets from Jaipur  | Earrings from Bangkok

If there is one thing you will learn about Singapore from living here, it’s that the Singaporeans take Christmas SERIOUSLY. You only have to walk along Orchard Road, the heart of the city’s shopping district, to know what I mean. In front of each shopping mall are thematic holiday decorations with leaping reindeers, glittering Christmas trees, jolly elves, icy igloos with polar bears, and the list goes on. In fact, every year, there’s a contest where people vote on which shopping mall has put up the best decorations. You’d have to be a Grinch not to get into the holiday spirit when Christmas is staring at you in the face like that! What’s more, it’s a complete delight for children to visit this neighborhood. I would recommend one evening to walk along the festive street to admire the sights and and take pictures with family and friends.

While Orchard Road can boast about having the greatest concentration of “Christmassy-ness”, other localities are not far behind. Many places (malls and otherwise) set up Christmas carnivals geared towards children with games and rides, fake snow outdoors, and storytelling sessions with Santa (some good ones are at Tanglin Mall and City Square Mall). An awesome place to check out for both adults and kids alike is the Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay. It literally feels like you’ve entered a winter wonderland with dazzling set-ups, Christmas carolers, an ice-skating rink, games, rides, and a holiday market (just be sure to avoid the peak hours where it tends to get very crowded). For a dose of festive holiday atmosphere, you can also visit Chijmes which has a Christmas bazaar perfect for purchasing holiday gifts.

A couple weekends ago, I got together with fellow blogger Kamana from SocialandStyle. We dressed up in the holiday color (red, of course!) and had a blast capturing ourselves against the pretty installations along Orchard Road. The red lace jumpsuit I wore is from Style Theory, a recent startup that allows you to have an infinite wardrobe. For a reasonable monthly fee, you can pick 3 designer outfits which get delivered to your doorstop. It’s a great service and I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with different styles and outfits so far!

Jumpsuit by Adelyn Rae from StyleTheory | Clutch from India | Shoes from Robinson's Bangkok | Bracelet from Charles & Keith

The holiday season is fast approaching and soon the party invites will come rolling in. Whether it's a rollicking house party, an elegant meetup with friends at a lounge, or a black tie work event, Urban Mantra's got you covered! We've put together some of our favorite cocktail/party dresses from online retailers with great prices to boot. We've picked outfits with glitter, sequins, colors, lace...the works! All the bells and whistles you need to shine out in the crowd :)

Dresses Under $100
Check out these stylish dresses! The Ark & Co cream dress is perfect for a holiday party - just the right amount of sequins without being too over the top for those gossipy coworkers to comment on. The Tinley Road metallic fit flare dress provides a good dose of attitude for a friend's shindig followed by an afterparty. The Ark & Co chevron striped dress and the Dolce Vita lace dress put a new spin on the LBD with interesting details. How, you ask? The chevron striped dress will transform you into a sassy miss while the lace dress will provide just a touch of peek-a-boo sexy. We also love the C Luce coral dress, which offers a fun pop of color along with sequins - now who doesn't love that combo?

Ark Co cream polka dot dress / Tinley Road fit flare dress / Ark Co chevron striped dress /  
C Luce coral dress / Dolce Vita eyelash lace dress

Dresses Under $50

If you have a slightly smaller budget, don't despair. There are tons of lovely dresses you can find for under $50. Take a look at the ones we selected below. Stores like ModCloth, Zara, Forever 21, and ASOS offer a wide variety of options. Other stores not mentioned here that you can look into for reasonably priced shopping include Lulu's, Sosies, Dorothy Perkins, Ruche, Piperlime, and Miss Selfridge. Many offer free shipping and returns too. 

ModCloth mulberry dress / Zara printed dress / ASOS pearl high neck lace skater dress / ASOS scallop lace skater dress/ F21 lace dress

Hopefully this will help you get started on your shopping for holiday dresses. And if you don't land several phone numbers by the end of your night out, we'll be shocked!

Hi everyone! Guess it’s been a while since you heard from us. Admittedly, we’ve been a bit sporadic with blogging lately. With a hectic work schedule, busy holiday season, and our recent travels, blogging has taken a backseat. No worries, right? These are all part of the blogging ups and downs. Sometimes life gets in the way, sometimes you worry about not posting often enough, sometimes you want a break from it, and sometimes you wonder what the point of your blog is at all. But at the end of the day, we started this blog not for anyone else but for us. So even if the blog has no point, no theme, or no consistency, we’re okay with it…or learning to be okay with it. Do any of you feel that way?

Well, after that random rant...here’s a review of a play I attended last weekend: On a gloomy and rainy Sunday afternoon, my husband and I made our way into Clurman Theatre where “Bumbug: The Musical” was set to play. We weren’t sure what to expect – we’d only heard that this was a holiday-themed musical produced by Indians with mainly Indian actors. Once the show got going, it took little time to realize that this is a “desi” version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol". In this story, the central character is an Indian immigrant aptly named Scroogewala who runs a convenience store in New York City, all lonely and jaded. There’s the love interest of Scroogewala, Sunita, who opens her heart to him despite her own fears and misgivings. And finally, there’s the ghost who shows Scroogewala his past, present, and future and teaches him to let go of his hang-ups and freakin’ accept love in his life already! The storyline was familiar, of course, but there was a parallel narrative about the homesickness, isolationism, and loneliness faced by immigrants in the United States and how they learn to deal with these difficulties. While there were no surprises with how the story ended, the 1.5 hour-long show was certainly entertaining with a cast of talented actors/singers and musicians. My absolute favorite part of the show? A hilarious performance by Sunita's mother on how to seduce a boy! I thought the whole musical was a good mix of comedy and emotional depth. Go watch it while the show is still running!

The stage setup...notice the many, many boxes of Indian Kingfisher beer!

It’s always hard getting back to routine after vacations, especially when that vacation happens to be in Bangkok! As it always happens, we suffered from vacation withdrawal and homesickness for a few days after getting back from a whirlwind trip filled with amazing food, family time, relaxation, and shopping. What did make it easier, though, is the holiday spirit back here in the States. Stores are decorated with Christmas trees, holiday markets abound, and good cheer is in the air!

Left: Festive decorations; Top right: Ornate Christmas displays on Saks Fifth; Bottom right: Rockefeller Center skating rink

We were also honored and delighted to receive the Lovely Blog Award from Ashy at the Zing of My Life. We love Ashy’s style and sweet nature, which is reflected on her blog, and so appreciate her support!  Please visit her blog to read more about her fashion, food, and travel adventures!

As part of the Lovely Blog, we have to share 7 things about ourselves. So here goes!

To pass on the holiday spirit, we nominate the following for the Lovely Blog Awards.

1) Stilettos & Sequins

2) Style. OK. Please

3) A Little Bit Etc
4) The Fabulous Life of Not-So Rich and Infamous
5) Style Delights
6) Don't Shoe Me
7) Pink Chai Style
8) Love Laugh Mirch
9) Fairy Filmi Ending
10) Make-up Your Life

The rules for the nominated blogs are the following:
1) Thank the person who nominated you.
2) Add the One Lovely Blog Award to your post.
3) Share 7 things about yourself.
4) Pass the award onto 15 nominees and let them know.

Thanks so much for your support and hope everyone else is also getting excited about the holidays!