Monday Moods - Go Hard or Go Home

Monday Jams

Browsed - Going to the chapel

I'm in no way thinking of taking to the aisle - I'm just not about that life but with a dear pal's big day coming up my mind has been strewn with all things wedding. "You know, what do I wear, what do I gift, WHAT DO I WEAR!"

ASOS Floral Print Maxi Dress - I've not worn a dress since I was about 8 and if you could have seen the mint tinted meringue number that was forced over my head it's understandable how a girl can be put off for life. That said somethings are worth embracing past terrors for.

Givenchy High Tops - this is realistically not going to happen; I imagine HTs are not the correct wedding attire and more importantly yikes on the price. But imagine, just imagine. Clashy-clashy anyone?

What better excuse to top-up the jewellery box than an occasion of celebration and these Shaun Lean Talon Earrings add the perfect amount of hardness to my floral number.

After my dabbling with the whole loud mouth thing I figure  a strong red lip set atop bronzed skin is a sure winner and recent talks with Marian led me to Tom Ford's gorgeous little number in Cherry Red.

And with weddings, weddings, weddings being on the mind can we please take moment to relive this adorable if not slightly cheesy groom speech...

Beauty Talks - Marian Kihogo

 "My approach to beauty is really simple. I think it's all about the products that really work and using as little as possible. I think sometimes too much can be really bad for the skin. My approach really ws something I learnt from my mum. She was very simple and the products were as natural as possible. So growing up I remember and maybe it's a West African thing but she would use ingredients like Shea Butter, Coco Butter and Castor Oil, but she would also make sure the things she was using were the best quality they could be so they contained the best natural ingrdients possible. I've come to realise that my mother's skin was just wonderful but she also learnt to take care of herself from within. I think a lot of us focus on the outwardly appearance but we live lives that are stressful and we often don't eat so well and whatever you're putting on the skin will counter what's going on within; from this I realised very early on that I had to maintain a certain lifestyle that was wholesome inside in addition to the natural and organic products that I use on the outside. 

Clean skin is happy skin. I think skin needs to be nurtured; it's not just going to look amazing,  you're not going to have that immaculate skin if like me you were going to bed with your make-up on, and I'm realising my skin thrives when I look after it.

It's incredibly important that I know what works for me.  I am drawn to products that have simple ingredients and are as natural and chemical free as possible. If it can get the job done minus the harmful toxic chemicals I'm all for it. There is something contradictory about looking after one's skin or looking one's best and products with high synthesized chemicals and harmful ingredients. So although some of my products on my beauty counter are non natural, I try to have as many natural products on there as much as possible. 

I'm addicted to a brand called Sophyto and ever since I  found Sophyto I haven't been able to go back! I just love what it does for my skin; it leaves it feeling renewed. I'm using it right through from the cleanser, to the toner, to the serum, to everything. I think for whatever reason it works very well for me. My skin in general can be quite thirsty and Sophyto seems to really hydrate and leave it feeling brand new by the next morning.

If a product will do what it says on the pack but also has anti-ageing benefits, I'm all for it. I think ageing is beautiful and that wrinkles tell our story so I'm not scared to get them but I think there is nothing wrong with looking after yourself. In the paraphrased words of Iman 'The skin you look after in your twenties is the skin you in inherit in your forties'.

In the morning I never really have much time but I try to make sure I've cleansed thoroughly. The facial wash that I use but is running low is a cleanser from Morrocco that a apothecarist made for me. It contains these botanical oils and I'm gutted because it literally is close to finishing and it's something I picked up on holiday and I have no idea exactly what the product was because it was homemade but it has things like acai in it and it just really works for me. It's almost like an astringent, so cleansing and toning at the same time and I would use this first thing every morning.  Then I'll use a moisturiser from Sophyto directly after on clean skin and then I'm literally good to go.

Make-up wise I'm all about a lip; I'm a lip girl till I die! The brighter, the bolder, the more popping that lip colour is, the happier I am. I seriously think I was born with lipstick on - of course impossible but I like to believe that.

I return time and time again  to Tom Ford for lip colour. I adore Tom Ford! His view on luxury is very much how I see make-up. I want products to feel as luxurious as possible on my skin because in general I know my face is something I'm going to have for life, so I want the products that I'm using on it to feel as good a possible and products that perhaps feel too harsh are telling you something. His lipsticks are so moisturising and not as dry on the lips as I've found other brands to be. And yet again his lip colours are highly pigmented. Cherry Lush is one of my favourites. The other range that I'm loving at the moment is CK One make-up, and ever since finding it the only lip colours I wear are either Tom Ford or CK One. 

I wish I was more experimental with my eyes; all I tend to do is pretty much wear mascara and at the moment I'm infatuated with the CK One mascara . It's fantastic, it has one head, but that one head has two wands to it, and depending on how you twist it you get a different wand that does something different. Generally I'm not an eye colour kind of girl. I wish I could wear a great eye colour, or wear a great cat eye but other than making sure my brows are always groomed that's about it. I've just discovered that Blink are amazing! I go to Blink in Topshop and they're fantastic. I go to a girl there called Raki who just did my brows last week and I'm in love with her. I love their approach to shaping brows because it's not just about threading away the excess or unwanted hair, it's about finding a shape, a structure and a regime to suit the client. 

I've never been a hair girl. I've worn through different things where I've had it shaved but I've always had my hair very low, very cropped. At the moment I'm trying to grow it out and because of that recently I've turned to box braids which are the only thing I can stand on my head. I'm not a weave sort of girl or long hair sort of person and that's because I've always seen my hair as this blank canvas which I need to work with a variety of outfits and so I find sometimes hair can be restrictive and sometimes  can determine your look. Some people can have a really feminine cut and this can affect the way they dress and I don't want that to be the case. I used to have my hair very low, almost like Grace Jones low just so I could wear whatever and it would always work."

Browsed - Summer Feelin

My round-up of recent net finds that I've convinced myself I just must have.

1 - The new Mavala Chilli & Spice Collection just screams Summer, Summer, Summertime at me! I mean seriously, could it be anymore on point?

2 - Ancient Greek Sandals in Chrysso: If you're going to rock a gladiator I'm  all about making them stand outs and you can't deny these are just that. 

3 - Korres Cheek Butters: Because in my opinion make-up should

be kept to a bare minimum during the Summer month, so opting for products that work that extra bit harder are a must;with these offering colour, hydration and radiance, I say it's win, win, win. 

4 - Earth Tu Face Body Butter: Oh how I love me some virgin coconut. Almost as much as I love great looking packaging and when I stumbled across this brand created by two Cali based herbalists I knew that "Transaction complete" email was inevitable. 

5 - Sandy Hyun Personalised Necklace: I imagine if Carrie Brandshaw first hit our screens this decade she'd opt for this little gem.

6 - Malin+Goetz Mojito Candle - I've vowed that May is going to be from here on in a dry month and think this would make a pretty worthy distraction from the real tipple. 

The Stand Outs

Don't you just love those occasions where you've picked a winner? In the sense that your look of the day, be it make-up wise or sartorially speaking garners intrigue and admiration. You know that warm sort of glow and sense of somewhat accomplishment that you wouldn't dare to admit aloud for fears of vanity but you end up rambling on about the topic of conversation whilst your companion stares on with a slightly bemused and bewildered expression until you stop for a breath and they swiftly change the subject.
Well we'll refer to them for now as the stand outs and whilst  amusingly basking in my own vanity I'd like to share two stand outs that have been giving me the warm and fuzzies in a slightly romantic way of late; what can I say, I'm in love! And imagined conversations that definitely would've taken place if I wasn't surrounded by dudes who just don't seem to notice these things...

Conversation 1:

Companion A: "Those earrings are awesome. Where from?"
Me: "Yea, they're ace. Make me feel kind of Dothraki-an if you know what I mean? Found them on this site called Apache Rose. They do some sick statement style pieces. Like real adornment. Kind of ceremonious but without having you sweat your bank balance towards the end of the month.  I was looking through the site and thought about bracelets but then I was like when do I ever really wear bracelets? I've got a stack piled up but never really think they go with anything, and I figure I'm just not an arm armour sort of person. Then I was looking at the necklaces and couldn't really justify that as it felt like cheating on that gorgeous piece I got from Vietnam. Then I found these and it was like hell yea. They're delicate yet look really strong in a warrior type way. I was kinda freaking after I ordered because I was like crap, what if they're heavy strong and I can't really do weight since I mutilated my ear attempting that DIY ear gauge,you remember? But they arrived and though they're brass they're super light!
And it's funny because you know how I constantly wear my hair down, now I'm leaning towards up-dos, and doing the whole head swigging thing in a look at these, look at these way! It's stupid I know but yea, they're special like that [Laughs and looks over to see the aforementioned bemused and bewildered expression on companion's face]

Conversation 2:

Companion B: "See you've veered away from your usual [waves hand around my eye area].
Me: "Do you like it?"
Companion B: "Yea, it's really just different. But in a cool way. I guess when you're used to a noir eye a bit of colour just stands out"
Me: "It is the colour of the season don't y'know? [Laughs] In all honesty I just wanted to try something less safe. I clocked this navy eyeliner from Lord & Berry in the showroom at work and rocked that for a few days with just a winged line; sometimes really large and then sometimes really close to the lash line. It does not budge, I mean reapplying wasn't an issue. It's crazy how, even though it's still pretty dark, knowing that I'm wearing a bit of colour makes me feel a bit more daring and left of field. Like I'm finally learning how to experiment with make-up. Then I was in that new store & Other Stories and I saw this eye shadow. It's called 'Sarsenet Petrol'. It reminds me of Peacock feathers and you know when you see a colour and you just gravitate towards it. It's like some mystical force has forced you to pick it up, take it to the counter, whack out the card and the next thing you know you're at home trying to figure out how am I really going to wear this.
So I kept it on my desk for a few days trying to ignore it, just kind of relegating it to that impulse buy bin and then on Friday I was doing the whole navy eyeliner and thought why heck let's give it a go. So I dabbed a bit in the corners of the eye and then kept on smudging more and more in, because it just worked in a mesmerising sort of way. Then on Saturday I was using it as a base hue for the the navy liner because the colours really complement each other. I know it may seem like quite an in-ya-face type of look for day but I figure why the heck not"

Malin+Goetz Mojito Soap Set

There are not many things worth looking forward to on a Monday night. Actually scrap that, there are; Revenge, Made in Chelsea, and Game of Thrones of course! But this particular Monday evening comes with a little suttin, suttin else in the form of my pending lathering up of the  Malin+Goetz Mojito Soap Set.

I could show resistance and stick to single shots but I'm thinking layering is the key here!

Monday Moods - Adorned

Monday Jam

Monday Moods - Elegance

Monday Jam

Gushed and blushed with & Other Stories Cire Red

Did you know that blushing like sneezing is an involuntary physical reaction that once started cannot be stopped?

Whilst one can immediately lift the complexion, the other can result in you looking  a bit freakish to say the least so you can imagine which of the two this post is in honour of.

Being of a darker skin tone I'd always thought it was not within my physiology to naturally blush and a quick Google searched proved to be fruitless in delivering a definitive answer (if you have one please send it my way). I'm not hating,  hey, it gives me a chance to experiment with the great selection of blushers out there, and what better time to get experimenting than Spring! Well, ok, we're not quite experiencing the joys of Spring just yet, but ever the optimist right?

With this in mind I made a beeline for the make-up counter at a recent visit to the newly launched & Other Stories store  and was instantly drawn to Cire Red. I had this idea in my mind of the kind of finish I wanted; it wasn't a stark flush but the subtle and healthy kind that the DVF girls had and knew this would be the tool to give it to me. It's a coral based red that elevates darker complexions and is heavily pigmented enough to actually make a difference. As in I can actually see it on my skin without that much loathed ashy finish. Plus it doesn't leave me feeling a at all drag queen like. If like me you find pure joy in the art of finger blending then may I introduce you to happiness. The silk like texture of the powder is dissimilar to any I've tried before, and trust I've used a ton. It works in as opposed to sitting on the cheeks and seemingly becomes a part of the skin, leaving no trace or streaking from application. Plus, this ish doesn't move, maybe it's some kind of stain blush hybrid, but I can go an entire day with all my face touching and have no need to reapply. In fact I think like most things in life it gets better with age. 

Vietnam

*Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out* I"VE JUST RETURNED FROM THE GREATEST TWO WEEKS OF MY LIFE.
I'm still trying to process everything.  Right now it's a mental whir but I wanted to share a few of my favourite pics from our Vietnam adventure. 

We met this little dude on the beach and was half tempted to sneak him in my bag and ferrying him back to London with me.