My Hair styles

Ever since I decided to go natural I am always looking for ways to style my hair differently. I do this especially when i am on braids. I just cannot handle having to stay with one style for 4- 6 weeks.

So here are some styles I whip out with my braids. Let me know what you think.

I do this style when i just do not have more than 30 seconds to spend on my hair. You will see me on this style when i am going casual and the weather is not too hot.

A side part with all the hair tucked in neatly behind. I use this when i am dressed up and going for a meeting or when i am busy applying make-up on a client. i would hate my hair flying around.

I weave my hair into a plait and just go. i sometimes tuck it in or i pack it with a pretty ornament behind. Great for busy days i have to just work.

My hair in a bun. I guess by now you know i am not really crazy about my hair flying around. I like to keep my hair in one place and be sure that it stays there. lol

You would see me like this when i am probably going out for leisure. i like the casual look it gives. I use hair pins on one side of the hair.

I am yet to go out with this style but i have been practicing on perfecting the look. here i start weaving my hair from the bottom instead of the top and neatly pin the hair to the side on the top. Maybe it would work for a red carpet event??? Will keep you all updated.

Reminder-to-self. If  I have to rock this look for a red carpet i should give a side pose for the cameras (click click).

All this looks take me five minutes maximum to achieve..

Feel free to drop comments and let me know what you think...........

Harmattan is in Abuja (brrrrrr)

The Harmattan is officially in Abuja. This is a cool dry wind that comes from the North in the dry season between November and January every year. It is our own version of winter but not as cold but can be very harsh on skin and hair not taken care of properly.

I have dry skin on my face (this is rare in Nigeria). I do not use primers to keep makeup on and i am religious about moisturising my face day and night or else dry patches form all over my face. During the harmattan you can imagine what happens!!.

Now that i have natural hair i have to think now of taking care of my hair and skin.

For my hair i have decided to add extensions and twist my hair for the period. i was not crazy about having to fix weaves. I still plan to clean my scalp regularly and use my water and coconut oil mix to spritz my hair to keep it moisturised. Before i did the twists i did the hot oil treatment on my hair and i intend to do that again immediately i have it loosened.

For this period on my face i will be using Black opal cream foundation in perfect bronze , because i like the sheen it gives my face. Since i have dry skin i am not a fan of matte looks on my face. i like the shine in the right places (forehead, cheeks,)lol.

I will also be religiously using my lip balm and i have noticed when i use it before i sleep i have practically no issues with cracked lips. For those of you in abuja, even if you have oily skin don't forget to moisturise, moisturise, moisturise and don't forget to get a one that has SPF 15.

Afro twist braids i used. texture is just like my hair

Ready for the harmattan. 

For those of you with oily skin enjoy the season because i know the tendency to break out is less.

Don't forget this is the best time to whip out that cream foundation when you need full coverage.


Feel free to drop comments

New Haul: Makeup products acquired for Oct/Nov

Hi everyone. just wanted to share with you my recent acquisitions in my kit.

Sleek pout paint

This comes in 11 colours and i have 7. By my calculation i am expecting the Peek a bloo and Cloud nine to be the first ones to get exhausted since they are used to darken and lighten colours of the other pout paint as well as lipstick in general. A little drop goes a long way.

Elf brushes

Starting from the top that is the ELF kabuki face brush, Stipple brush, Angled eye liner brush. A Makeup Artist can never have enough brushes (LOL).

Sephora Lash application kit

This came with a pair of scissors, tweezers(you can never have too many), a lash applicator (this is what i need to apply lashes on myself and it works!!!), 10 birchwood sticks to help set the lashes.

Threading kit

Threading kit in a bag

My recently acquired threading kit which contains two packs of threading thread (lol, how does that sound), talcum powder (to avoid sweaty hands), tweezers (never enough), eye brow stencils, one MUA eyeshadow,  a pair of magnifying glasses ( i think i like this, i look cute in them). The magnifying glasses are to be able to see what i am doing properly when threading brows or when i start my lash extension services (watch this space). The glasses will make sure i do not strain my eyes when working.

okay so i have given you a breakdown of my additions for the month. Enjoy and have a great day.

feel free to drop comments

MAKEUP - The easy way to a facelift

Makeup when properly applied gives the appearance of a facelift... (true or false?).

My answer would be TRUE and i have the pictures to prove it. I have always heard the great Makeup Artists talk about the easy face lift and after my experiment today i had no choice but to agree.

The pictures you are about to see will show one part of my face made up and the the other part completely bare.  This will show you how from a well defined brow to proper eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara application as well as blush you can have a subtle lift to your whole face.

Girls are not smiling.LOL!!

For the half that was made up i used black opal stick foundation in perfect bronze and carob, MAC mineralize skinfinish natural in dark to set my foundation.

On my eye i used Sacha 14 colour eye palette (plum on the lid and dark brown on the outer corner) as well as black eyepencil to line the inner rim of my eyes, MUD cream mascara for my lashes. Another great way to open up your eyes are with false lashes (strip or individual).

With camera flash

I hope you can tell the part of the face that was made up? So anytime you want to apply makeup on your face remember it is the fastest way to a great face lift so apply it properly..


Feel free to drop comments

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride Look for Sacred artistry competition for October

Hey everyone. The time has come again for the Sacred Artistry competition and the theme was Halloween. Immediately i saw this i knew i was going to be doing a zombie like look and i was fascinated by Tim Burton's corpse bride. After some trial and error as well as tips from you tube videos i set on my adventure.


Just in case you have not watched this cartoon here is a pic of the original corpse bride.

Th original corpse bride

I really enjoyed this movie.



Well i did change a few things since as you can see the bride has a blueish tinge to her and i could not go blue as i am dark skinned. i hope you like my own version. My version actually scares me more than the original. LOL. i would have loved to show a breakdown of the steps but as i was working on myself i was more intent on getting the finished look.

My Version of corpse bride

For the base i used Sacha liquid foundation in Perfect caramel (5 shades lighter than my own complexion) ad dusted it with MUD loose powder (white) to get the ashy tone. I also used Sacha concealer to block out my eyebrows and rub all over my lips to get the dull look you see in the picture.

For a tutorial i watched i saw the lady use UHU glue stick to get these patches that look like rotting skin but i was just too lazy to start searching for that. Instead of the glue stick i decided to mash white bar soap and just stick it on my face till it dried.

While waiting for it to dry i used a white eyeliner for the lower rim of my eyes to make them appear larger and black eye shadow all over the eye. After which i used liquid liner to make the spikes around my eyes, eye brow and stitches all over me.

The soap patches were now dry and i used a brown face paint to paint all over the soap. Then i used a red face paint to just give the appearance of dried blood and make the rotting face more realistic.

Not yet satisfied with the look i finally decided to use some black face paint on my lips to make the lips appear even more cracked.

This is my entry for the Sacred Artistry competition and i hope you like it.

YAY!!! I won...

Feel free to drop comments.

Bibi Natural Hair and Body butter ( My hair regimen)

Most of you know by now i carry my natural hair which is free of relaxer. I did this because i found out that being on relaxer was not working for my hair at all. Some people have a full head of relaxed hair and it works for them.

This product I am about to review is Bibi Natural Hair and Body butter which is all i use for my hair..... It is a combination of Shea butter, Almond oil and all essential oils that will make your hair flourish. Also available for purchase is pure unadulterated coconut oil (it smells heavenly too).

Hair and Body butter

This is not your ordinary Shea butter  to those that may scoff at this. This Shea butter has been infused with, coconut, almond and olive oil and finally whipped together to create a fluffy texture that makes application to your hair or skin much easier. If you have ever tried using raw Shea butter then you know just what i am talking about.

If you ever wondered how i could keep my natural hair frizz free and easy-to-comb then wonder no more because i use Bibi Natural.

Bibi Natural pure coconut oil

This i grabbed from the lady and friend who produces it because coconut oil has so many benefits for the hair and skin and i have searched far and wide for this. There are so many products out there claiming to be coconut oil but THIS is the real deal. Apart from the almost clear colour you can always tell by the fragrance( when you sniff this you go straight to coconut heaven). If you want to purchase this divine product it is measured in millilitres(mls).

This products are definitely a must have for any body who has natural hair out there but did i also mention that it is also a great product if you use relaxers on your hair. For relaxed hair that goes through all that heat this products will help keep your hair strong and healthy.

If you aim to have a healthy head of hair that is truly yours then this products are a must have...

To book for this products you can call Bibi Natural on 08054073992 and yes it can be shipped nationwide in Nigeria.




Disclaimer: I have not been in any way influenced to write this review as i purchased this product with my own funds.....


So feel free to drop any comments and see you at the next post...

My beauty blender is HERE!!!!!!

So i have my beauty blender finally!! YAYYYY!!!!! Thanks to Kike fellow makeup artist and friend who traveled to the UK and got it at the Guru Makeup Emporium. I can't get beauty blender in Nigeria yet but hopefully soon that will be a thing of the past..i would love to distribute this sponges here.

excerpts from the website
"Now you can look like a movie star without the pricey services of a major make up artist. Introducing Beautyblender, the ultimate make up sponge applicator. Invented by top Hollywood make up artist Rea Ann Silva, Beautyblender has been created to leave you with a professional finish and a flawless complexion. Silva knows that the key to a perfect face is simple: a perfect blend. So forget your fingers or sharp-edged triangular sponges, these application methods waste make up and can leave visible streaks.

Beautyblender’s patent-pending elliptical shape makes application foolproof by allowing you to access hard-to-reach areas with stunning ease. Its suede texture is sensual to the touch and its unique curves fit the contours of your face, leaving your make up dazzling and undetectable. Beautyblender is latex free, non-allergenic and odor free."

The beauty blender wet

I decided to use the beauty blender wet because i was using MUD cream foundation which can be too oily for our weather. To apply foundation with the beauty blender you have to use the stipple method. This means to just dab it on your face instead of swiping. That way you place the foundation exactly where you want it. 

So here i am stippling with my beauty blender and i can actually see that it does not have streaks which means that application time is much shorter than normal since i don't have to go back and blend away lines.

I also used less makeup than normal. At the end of the application i really felt like i did not have any foundation on, i just felt like my skin was flawless. All the hard to reach areas like my nose etc were just too easy.....

Let me say i am looking forward to using it on my clients and i will be ordering more....

Before

After

I was going for the natural look to showcase the beauty blender sponge.

Face

MUD cream foundation GY2

Sacha loose powder (Perfect bronze)

Sleek contour kit (Dark)

Sleek blush (Flushed)

Eyes 

Light brown and dark brown (Sacha eyeshadow)

Lashes

Lips 

LA girl lip palette in LP8 Passion

Brows

Ardell brow powder in mink

eyes lowered

my side view showing my blush

Beauty blender is a must have for all makeup artists. It cut down my application time and i love the flawless finish. Looking forward to the client i will be using this on. 

For more on beauty blender check www.beautyblender.net

Oops i almost forgot to mention the cleanser which cleans the sponge beautifully and has the best fragrance EVER!!!


Free free to drop comments