Brand Spotlight | Nilara Casual

The Nilara brand has cemented its roots in the local fashion industry as a top retailer of exclusively designed evening and cocktail dresses. Nilay Topal Camilleri, the designer behind it all, has now taken the brand a step further by opening a second shop in Main Street Shopping Complex just two months ago.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Nilara Casual shop last Thursday so I can share with you what this new concept for the brand is all about. There, I met two of Nilay's lovely assistants, Jeanelle and Trudy who patiently showed me around the shop and the designer's many creations.

As the name implies, Nilara Casual is focused on more smart-casual looks for the woman who wants to look polished without being overly done for her day to day activities such as work and outings which call for a more casual look.

At Nilara Casual you will also find accessories to complete your look from head to toe. I especially love the matching shoes and bags which are also designed by Nilay herself.

I do encourage you to pay a visit to Nilara's new shop whilst wishing Nilay every bit of success in her new venture!

Brand Spotlight | KIR ROYAL

When one thinks of Kir Royal, what comes to mind is a simple cocktail with the refined taste of champagne. For me, the name has now taken another meaning - when I think of Kir Royal, what comes to mind is an exclusive men's clothes shop in the very heart of Valletta, right on St. Paul's Street.

I gladly made my way to KIR ROYAL last Thursday morning where I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Ludwig and we spent a couple of hours chatting away about fashion of course! I asked Ludwig what drove him to open a men's shop and without hesitating he answered that fashion is his main interest apart from his EU-related work, so while he is back in Malta on sabbatical, he decided that opening this shop was the way to go forward. He also stated that he wanted something exclusive; something that would give shoppers an experience rather than just rushing in the shop get what they need and rush back out again.

As for choice of place, Ludwig states that each time he walked down St. Paul Street, he always saw this abandoned place and it was only natural that once he made plans to open the shop he would choose that particular place. I must say he did a very good job at renovating it and now it houses an exquisite collection of formal and some more casual male attire.

What struck me the most in KIR ROYAL's little setting, is the way Ludwig manages to exude exclusivity even in the way he displays his stock - the feel of antique with a modern, fresh touch from the décor of the shop to the garments themselves really makes you want to return over and over again.

At KIR ROYAL one finds everything a refined man could ever need - from suit jackets to shirts, pocket squares, collar stays, shoes and even skin care. It is important to note that stock is limited to maintain exclusivity and one can also find that perfect little something for the dapper man in their lives. Ludwig personally curates the stock at KIR ROYAL and imports garments mainly from Italy as well as USA and Ukraine. In stock are also some high end skin care products for men.

I urge you to pay KIR ROYAL a visit the next time you are in Valletta and who knows, maybe you can start your Christmas shopping there! It may not be on the busiest street but to me, that further contributes to making your experience there worth while!

KIR ROYAL is also on Facebook. Alternatively, you can have a look at their website for more information about their Image Consultancy Service.

Brand Spotlight | Mint Sparrow

Living in a small country drives me to support local artists in their work especially that related to fashion and beauty. Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the brains behind Mint Sparrow - one of the not-so-hidden-anymore-gems in the heart of Valletta.

Viktoria standing in the shop's entrance

Walking down to St. John Street, where the shop is located, I immediately notice the mint coloured facade of the shop and instantly fall in love with it - the look of it, the decor...everything as I expected and more!

Mint Sparrow shop display - I especially love the idea of displaying rings between rolled pages of books :)

The owner, Viktoria, greeted me with an infectious, warm smile and after she brought me a chair (which she re-upholstered herself) to sit comfortably in, I began firing questions, eager to get to know more about Mint Sparrow - the brand and the concept behind it.

Viktoria told me that she is a psychologist by profession and came to Malta a few years ago to do her Masters degree in the subject; as often happens with foreigners, she couldn't resist Malta's charm and is now living here. However, at the time, she still wasn't sure what she wanted to do and on a surfing trip to Portugal, it hit her that she loves decor, jewellery, designing and creating stuff and that's when she began brainstorming the idea behind Mint Sparrow.

I asked her how and why she chose the name Mint Sparrow and she told me that mint is her favourite colour and her surname means sparrow in another language, thus the Mint Sparrow brand has Viktoria at the very heart of it.

In the tastefully decorated shop, one not only finds Viktoria's own work, but also that of other artists who are not necessarily Maltese but still based in Malta. The idea behind this concept is inspired by shops she encountered overseas where work from different artists is displayed in the same shop. Mint Sparrow had their first shop open in St. Julian's but has moved to the new premises in Valletta on the 1st of May this year.

Different works from different artists stocked at Mint Sparrow

A case in point with Mint Sparrow exposing the work of other artists is the 'When Concrete Becomes Jewellery' collection which is only available through Mint Sparrow and which is in fact what sparked my interest the most as soon as I saw it advertised on the shop's Facebook page. It combines my boyfriend's background (he comes from a family of construction workers) and my love for jewellery and anything fashion, thus the reason why it intrigued me so much :) I think this is a very interesting collection and I love the combination of colours as well; in fact I got myself a pair of the round stud earrings - of course I choose a pair in mint :)

A small part of Bibe Jewellery's 'When Concrete Becomes Jewellery' collection - a collection of covetable, unique pieces!

As for Viktoria, she is a jewellery maker herself and she loves to work with natural materials and ropes as well as hand-paint pendants and has recently delved into making silver jewellery.

A small selection of work from Viktoria's capable hands:
Silver jewellery, hand-painted pendants, rope jewellery, tote bags and yoga mat bags

In the shop one can also find a curated collection of authentic vintage bags and jewellery and even some re-purposed clothing items.

Authentic vintage jewellery - sometimes they are revamped to give them a more appealing look

When I asked Viktoria about any plans for the future, she immediately mentioned that Mint Sparrow will soon have a web shop and that she also in the process of designing a 30-piece fashion collection and yoga mat bags as well (she has some designs for the yoga mat bags already on sale in her Valletta shop). Since people ask about the decor of the shop so much, she is also looking into developing Mint Sparrow into a design outlet that covers interior design tips and design of wedding stationery and props for wedding photoshoots. 

There are big plans ahead for this Mint Sparrow and I wish Viktoria the best of luck in succeeding with all her ambitious projects which are a breath of fresh air in Malta!

Mint Sparrow is located at 120, St. John Street Valletta (for my Maltese readers, it-Triq tal-Ganc).
Follow Mint Sparrow on Facebook and Instagram.

Brand Spotlight | 3ina

Last week, I had some free time and took the opportunity to visit the newly opened 3ina store in Qormi with my shopping partner in crime, Marija. For those who are not so familiar with the area, the shop is located right behind Pavi, next door to Kiabi and there are ample parking spaces available.

The store layout really made a good impression on me - all clean, white, bright and stands bursting with brightly coloured and more muted products alike - it is basically everything you would want a makeup store to look like. We had a thorough browse around the store and although there were a lot of products I wanted to buy, I resisted and bought only two items.

I would like to point out that the salesgirls there are very helpful and I was delighted to see that they are actually very knowledgeable about the brand. I asked if 3ina has been around for long and the salesgirl said that it is a relatively new brand with just a few stores in Italy, Germany, France and Australia and now Malta. For such a 'young' brand, I think it has very good potential from what I gathered from swatching the products at the store.

I look forward to visiting the store again soon!

Brand Spotlight | Yves Rocher

This morning saw a very excited me getting ready to head out the door for a meeting with Yves Rocher Malta Marketing Manager, Pierre. 

I was invited over at their newly opened shop in Paola which also houses the trademark Botanical Spa that Yves Rocher is acclaimed for worldwide, but more on that in another post ;) In the meantime, keep reading to find out more about the brand and feast your eyes on the pictures I managed to take of the Paola outlet.

A selection of bath and body care products

Introductions first, here is a little information about the brand!

The French skin care brand Yves Rocher dates back to 1959, when founder Yves Rocher(!) created the botanical beauty brand on the basis of offering good quality, natural products at affordable prices. His expertise in the botanical field was essential in establishing the key foundations of the brand. Mr. Rocher started producing plant-extract-based ointments and later on cosmetics which he sold through mail orders. After three years, he went on to open his first shop and he never looked back. Today, the brand is available in over 80 different countries and it is the number 1 skin care brand in France and 4th worldwide among a staggering 600 brands!

Being a botanical brand, Yves Rocher produces skin care, perfumes and cosmetic products that are plant based and paraben free. They do not test on animals and have their own labs in the Bretagne region in the north-west of France where the phytochemists discover ways of implementing the most active of plant molecules in their products for the ultimate benefit of the consumers. New active ingredients means new products and in fact, Yves Rocher introduces a 100 new products per year!

The brand philosophy is that in order to  'protect it [our skin], repair it and stimulate it, it is best to offer it active botanical ingredients that are easily and naturally assimilated.' Their belief is that both our skin and plants are alive, hence plant based skin care works in harmony with our skin.

What is really fascinating about Yves Rocher as a brand is that the company is also harvester, botanist, manufacturer and distributor of all its products, meaning they have control over the whole development process, hence the consumer knows they are getting a genuine product and ultimately, benefit from affordable price tags!

Different skin care regimes for different skin types

Yves Rocher is a very eco-friendly brand and this has led them to establish the Fondation Yves Rocher which plans to plant 50 million trees by 2015. Customers can help them reach their target by purchasing products marked 'I Love My Planet' or 'Culture Bio' as for every product sold, the company will have a tree planted.

The brand's eco-friendly conscience is also reflected in their packaging which is made of recycled plastic and they also include a note on some of their products to remind people to sort their trash and recycle where possible. Moreover, some of their products even come in refill format to reduce the amount of plastics used!

Now, a few lines about the Paola shop! The location is quite central, in Antoine de Paule Square and once you step foot in there, it feels like you have just entered a mini garden of Eden - an immaculately clean space adorned with light wooden shelves and elements of green which truly evoke the brand's botanical background.

Fragrance selection

Men's range and more fragrances for her

Makeup stand

Summer 2014 Limited Edition Collection

Testers are available for the absolute majority of the products and the layout is very customer friendly. The sales girls are fully trained and apart from being very friendly, they are very knowledgeable about the products and the main ingredients. They take their time to recommend the best products that cater for the individual's needs and they look very presentable in their impeccable uniforms.

The shop houses an extensive range of skin care, body care, hair care, fragrances and makeup products and they even have a line dedicated for men. The skin care products cater for the needs of all types of skin, even aging skin!

Anti-aging product selection

In Malta, Yves Rocher have another two stores, one at Bisazza Street in Sliema and one in Merchants Street, Valletta. The Botanical Spa is only found at the Paola outlet where a wide range of beauty services such as facials, waxing and makeup application are offered at very competitive prices.

That's it for this post, but stay tuned for Yves Rocher product reviews and my own experience at the Botanical Spa! In the meantime, why don't you go and check out one of the stores for yourselves?! I guarantee you're in for a treat!

To keep up to date with special offers and product information, you can check out the local Facebook page and the Yves Rocher website.