Beauty – Bonita Valli

Plastic

Since the start of the year, I’ve put zero effort into my physical appearance. Make-Up routines have become a distant memory, my heels have accumulated dust of varying degrees and my hair has been somewhat neglected, neatly hidden between braids or Senegalese twists.

Between my Mum, Wura and Gbonju, I experienced an unsequenced, well articulated ‘intervention’. I didn’t make any promises, but I did resolve to ‘do better’ more consistently.

Heels would ordinarily have been my first step towards my ‘come back’ but given that I walk up four flights of stairs every morning, I passed on that struggle (thank you very much)! The other option was Make-Up.

My Make-Up is pretty basic, so this shouldn’t be much of a problem, right? Wrong! My biggest issue has been an oil defying, sweat resistant (I’m actually not kidding) PRIMER. At the end of every day, I find that a considerable amount of my oily skin disintegrates my LA Girl HD, boils through my MAC NW45 and my Make-Up in general starts to slip right off my face. Once or twice, I’ve tried to psyche myself into thinking it’s a ‘dewy look’ but it’s not. Ladies, I need your help!

I’ve read bareMinerals is pretty decent (it’s made with natural ingredients)…

Image result for bareminerals prime time primer — Source: bareMinerals.co.uk

But I had a conversation with Wura last night and she pretty much swore by Becca Ever-Matte Primer…

Image result for becca ever matte primer — Source: Sephora Australia

Any suggestions? Maybe I should take this to the Insta-polls…?

Meanwhile, I think this has been one of my best Make-Up looks all YEAR…. AND it’s a picture of myself that I actually like, so I’m just going to drop. this. right. here.

cropped-kf123-e1528444372531

xXx

Ps: Can I be Victoria Beckham for a day? LOVE that lady! Need to get my hands on a copy of October’s Vogue (my birthday month, whoop!)

Pps: A holiday is much needed. I’m still keen on seeing the world

Pps: What do you think of the heading ‘Plastic’? I kinda like it.

Much ado about Nappy

People are constantly asking me how to grow/transition/maintain their natural hair and I find myself giving the same advice over and over again (I sound like I’m complaining but I secretly love it). So recently, Gbonju was wise enough to suggest that I document it in a blog.

This one is for my nappy sisters (and maybe brothers) out there crazy enough to go natural.

Let’s get to business.

Okay, you will need:

1. A spray bottle

2. Coconut Oil/Olive Oil

3. Some Shea Butter

4. Castor Oil (optional, but really useful if you want thick hair… who doesn’t want thick hair?)

Spray Bottle Composition

You should fill your spray bottle with the following:

– Coconut Oil/Olive Oil

– Castor Oil (optional)

– Water (a lot of it)

Olive Oil should generally be double the equivalent of your Castor Oil. Water should make up the other half of your spray (Moisture! Moisture! Moisture!).

Morning Regimen

Spritz your hair with your mixture every morning when you wake up (preferably before you shower as the shower steam helps your hair absorb the mixture….. and that’s it, you’re good to go (easy peasy right?)

Evening/Night Regimen

Before you go to bed, make sure you use a satin/silk bonnet/scarf (Taiwo… I hope you’re reading this, you seem to think it’s a joke… it’s not! Yes people, Taiwo is natural now. We look like twins again). It reduces breakage because (believe it or not) kinky hair is extremely fragile.

Fortnightly Regimen

DEEP CONDITION!!!! It’s the absolute BEST thing you can do for your hair and it’s so easy.

Step 1: Put all your oils + a lump of Shea Butter in a cup/container (I don’t usually measure here, I just let them all have an organic party)

Step 2: Put in the microwave until the Shea Butter has melted (usually takes c. 10 seconds).

Step 3: Apply generously to your hair from root to tip

Step 4: Put on a shower cap/plastic bag and go about your usual Saturday routine

Step 5: After an hour or 2…. or 3 (however long you want but no less than 30 mins) wash as usual with your shampoo (don’t co wash)

Step 6: Enjoy silky soft hair (silky is an exaggeration, unless you straighten/chemically relax your hair, you will probably never enjoy silky soft hair again)

General Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t:

Don’t (ever) comb/brush your hair without spritzing it with water/your spray bottle composition first. Otherwise your hair WILL break

Try and avoid touching/manipulating your hair too often as that makes it extra frizzy and looks untidy (this one is for me; my hand is constantly in my hair).

Don’t compare your hair to anyone else’s. Your hair is unique to you, love it.

Do:

Let your hair breath once in a while. Constant weaves, braids, etc. will make your hair weak/fragile.

Do experiment a little play with Rhassoul Clay, Benotine Clay, eggs, avocado, etc. Not only is it fun, but you are literally feeding your hair.

Want more info on Natural hair? Feel free to visit my Pinterest. I take it very seriously (probably more seriously than I should LOL).

Sorry for the epistle, I got carried away.

xXx

Ps: I know I know… I took another hiatus. Surely, you’re used to this now so don’t judge

PPs: I recently bought myself a gift. It arrives tonight. I’m SUPER excited about it!

PPs: Tags and pictures will come later… if I remember

Naked

Recently, I’ve noticed a couple of Celebrities strip right down to bare nothings with the aim of portraying “Confidence”, “Strength” or “Positive Body Image”. They often speak with an heir of regret brooding over lost times plagued with patterns of insecurities and dangerous levels of apprehension. Raising awareness over these real life issues is admirable considering how underplayed these concerns are in young people, but truth be told, we can sit round a table, put pen to paper or publish grand campaigns FULLY CLOTHED.

Love you, be you. The road to hell is plaged with good intentions so exercise caution when going to lengths “for the greater good”. Nothing compares with dignity. Confidence looks pretty damn hot covered up too! Strength lies in the words of encouragement we share with one another. Loving the skin that you’re in begins with loving yourself on the inside. Once you’ve overcome that, there’s no love handle, thunder thigh, or tyre belly that will ever leave you feeling inadequate. Confidence is a state of mind.

Source: one.org

If the dictionary had no words, only pictures, who/what would you see under “Confidence”? clearly, I see Malala.

xXx

Ps: Confidence wears make up and sometimes she doesn’t. Strength is Goliath and sometimes he’s David, Positive Self Image is thick but guess what… sometimes she’s skinny too!

PPs: I have insecurities too. We all do. It’s all about how we handle them.

ElaBrown’s Coconut Oil

I’m a self-confessed product whore. I will try (almost) every and any product as long as it boasts of being 100% natural. I guess I’m of the school of thought that if my hair is natural, so should everything that goes in it (if only I treated my body the same way). Regardless of my scandalous acts, there are two products which I’ve remained loyal to- Coconut Oil and Castor Oil. While my Castor Oil brand is unchanging (Tropic Isle Living, it’ll be hard to convince me otherwise), I’ve really struggled to find a steady Coconut Oil brand in Lagos.

ElaBrown’s Coconut Oil was introduced to me by a friend and I decided I’d give it a go. I had 4 delivered a couple of days after chatting with her- 2 100ml bottles and 2 50ml bottles of coconut goodness. Let me tell you a bit about my experience with it so far:

Packaging: The screw cap bottle cover is perfect so I can carry it around- no spillage! The plastic bottle ensures it’s light so I don’t feel like I’m carrying unnecessary weight- perfect! But the paper labels soaked up oil from my palms and left the brand colours running through. It’s a relatively new brand so I’d say it’s forgivable.

Information Corner: Considering the size of the bottle I was very impressed with all the info provided without being “in your face” or looking cramped.

Product Quality: (Disclaimer… I’m no expert!!! But that won’t stop me from sharing my thoughts….) The smell is a pure, sweet undoubted fragrance only associated with Coconut oil. The colour is clear and light with an even distribution (no particles settling at the bottom). The weight is light and absorbent as Coconut Oil should be.

Price: A 500ml bottle goes for NGN500 while a 100ml bottle goes for NGN1,000

Below are my pictures…..

Would I use it again, definitely! I just wish she had bigger bottles. Have you tried ElaBrown’s Coconut Oil (or any other brand for that matter)? Any thoughts??

Email: elabrown09@gmail.com

Phone: +2349093923923

xXx

Ps: This is not a sponsored post. Never met the owner. Only ever chatted on whatsapp but she seems super nice.

PPs: Has anyone ever tried the “Oil Cleansing Method”? Curious…..

Sweet Almond

Found this post laying fallow and ralised I never actually published it.

If anyone’s interested, it was drafted on December 2, 2015. Hope you like.

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Everybody knows I’m a huge fan of all things Nigerian so there’s no point re-emphasizing (then again, I just did ). For the past month or so, I’ve put aside my Coconut oil, Castor oil and Olive oil. The focus has been on Natural Nigerian’s Sweet Almond Oil. I’ve used it for pretty much everything- my hair, my body and my face and I’ve totally fallen for it. “Why?” I hear you ask! Quite frankly, because it “does what it says on the tin”:

It’s not greasy (at all)!
It’s light
It’s easily absorbed

A few benefits of Almond Oil include:

It controls hair loss
It is an amazing makeup remover
It is an anti-dandruff oil
It delays ageing

Is it my new “Holy Grail”? Maybe…. potentially…. clearly, I haven’t decided.

Have you tried Almond Oil? What are your thoughts?

xXx

Ps: OLAITAN IS IN TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I’m off this week. It’s a blessed week.

Perfectly Manicured

“Never say never” is a phrase I have increasingly found myself saying.

There are a dozen or so beauty trends I swore I’d never try, yet lo and behold, I have gone against my very own words and found myself neck deep in my bottomless pit of “Never Evers”.

At the top of my list of endless Don’ts was acrylic nails (right after false eyelashes of course) yet, for the first time, I found myself being convinced to get them done at B Natural, VI. After (not so much) convincing, I gave in for the following reasons:

The nail polish lasts a lot longer… no chipping…. (somebody shout Hellelujah)!
They are good for brittle nails which is fantastic given that I’ve always thought my nails were weak!

After a fortnight and a bit with my perfectly manicured acrylic nails, I started getting irritable. My nails weren’t breathing, I couldn’t slip anything between my nail bed and my skin like I usually do when washing my hands and worst of all, I could feel the nails coming loose around my cuticles. Eventually, like some of the best written love stories, our short lived love affair came to a dramatic end (yes, where I could, I ripped some off myself).

Below are pictures of my September fling…

Day One: Love at first sight. Like Aunty Solape (from Church) said to me, “short nails are sexy”

Two Weeks In: Garance Dore iPhone case arrives. It was a 7 month late birthday gift to Solape (colleague and friend). EVERYONE knows I constantly slack with birthday gifts, but they do come… eventually. Notice how the nails match the case? I had to take pictures. By the way, that phone case is the depiction of Solape and I at work. I’m the one with the red lips (of course).

What is your take on acrylic nails? Love them? Hate them? Do tell.

xXx

Ps: I LOVE Garance Dore. I could read her blog all day everyday.

PPs: Perfectly Manicured……. LOL

Lipstick Love

I’m not big on makeup. Never really have been, but recently, I’ve taken a real liking to the art and would like to believe that I’ve significantly upped my game!! My first love will always be deep, dark, sultry eyeliner but recently I’ve been adulterous and toyed with lipstick and even flirted with foundation. My love affair with the latter is very new and still requires a lot of work, but the real focus of this post is centered on the dynamic and seductive results achieved with lipstick.

My collection of lipsticks is pretty basic and easily broken down into 3 categories:

1. The Neutrals;

2. The Reds; and

3. The Berries.

The Neutrals: This includes MAC’s Modesty and MAC’s Shy Girl. Both are cremesheen and glide on to moisutrised lips with an effortless stroke. As the names suggest, these classic shades are incredibly humble. The kind of nudes that allow you to slip away just as Prince Charming catches a glimpse of that smile. The Cinderella effect if you like!

L-R: Cremesheen Modesty and Cremesheen Shy Girl

The Reds: Ever making a statement MAC’s Ruby Woo and Russian Red need no introduction. They are who they are, persuasive, intense and rich…. Fiery by nature! I must admit, the matte nature of these reds could be as detrimental as they are passionate and although both last for unimaginable hours, they dry out my lips leaving a chapped and hideous residue. I find that an intense exfoliation exercise needs to be carried out ahead of application.

L-R Matte Ruby Woo and Matte Russian Red

The Berries: These are my Prima Donnas! Need I say more? Diva is a matte finish but my all time favourite, Rebel is the perfect satin finish. She’s the right amount of edgy and announces herself upon arrival. Best of all, Rebel’s satin finish makes it easy to re-apply and goes with almost any skintone!

L-R: Matte Diva and Satin Rebel

You might have noticed that I was silent on my Topshop ‘Partition’ right at the back of my lipstick line. That’s because I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m not sure how long it lasts but I must say it’s an easy application.

Addicted to (MAC) lipsticks? Do tell!!!

xXx

Ps: Shout Out to Oyinkan (office intern aka APC!!!) for inspiring this post and stealing my Shy Girl!

Pps: Music Update!!! Currently addicted to Ellie Gouldings “Love Me Like You Do”, Ariana Grande’s “One Last Time” and MI’s “Mine” ft. WizKid.