Bantu Knots

My hair is natural. Therefore it's not straightened and I don't have extensions or a weave. It's not even dyed. It's not for any particular reason. It just suits me. I'm fidgety as it is, if I had a weave I would itch the bitch out of it. It would add a certain crazy to my general disposition if I was constantly patting and scratching away at my scalp. My hair doesn't stay straight for long no matter how violently or intricately I apply chemicals and heat to it. Besides, I look my most awesome with my natural hair and I love it. When I texturised my hair in my teens it huffed and it puffed and it eventually committed suicide so in the summer of 2010 I decided- to hell with this and got my poofiness back.

I'm still not totally on top of it. I'm slowly learning to take care of my hair and discovering new ways to emphasise it's beauty.

One of my favourite things I've discovered was a twist out. And in doing so I also re-discovered Bantu knots or 'China bumps' as we St.Lucians and Antiguans and Jamai...well I think it's most of the Caribbean call them China bumps, but I can't be sure. A Bantu knot/China bump is best done with wet hair. Just washed hair is better but sometimes I cheat and use a spray bottle full of water. I would explain how to do them but I'm lazy so I'll include a link to a wonderful Youtube vlogger who inspired me instead! Here's what they look like though.

And this is what it looks like fresh out.

You kind of fiddle and separate them until you get the affect you want.

I have to say I'm at my happier with my hair now than I have ever been. Even though we fight a lot and it always wins. See diagram.

When we aren't on speaking terms I usually revert to the old vintage scarf-cum-turban look. My collection is expanding impressively.

Here are the links to the tutorial by Naptural85

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4BWt3_7WVQ

I hope it brings you the happy twisting it brought me.

Until Next Time

Yay Emmy!

Oh Emmy, you bundle of lovely!

So I'm super happy because I have loads of fun know bottles of goo to try lathering my face in. One of my absolute kindred spirits Emmy got me a plethora of new skin products to try and cannot wait to get started on them. I'm like a kid in the candy store! A kid in the candy store that cannot read. No, I am not illiterate. You see, the thing is most of what Emmy has bought me is from either South Korea or Japan. Ergo a lot of the user directions are in either Kanji or in Hangul.

I would love to get Emmy's help in all this new fun but she's about to be swept up again by the world of Business and postgraduateness. So this leaves me to seek out the divine wisdom of Google. It's a shame too because Emmy is a fantastic beauty guru, you should check her out. See her blog, how it sparkles.

http://emi-doll.blogspot.co.uk/

She writes openly and honestly about all the products she reviews. I recommend it. Of course if you are a friend you can receive her sage advice live. The great thing about Emmy besides her face is how she tells you how it is. A little brutally at times, but she gives you the truth, the whole truth and NOTHING but the truth. Whether you like it or not. So along with the present, she gave me a consultation complete with full facial critique.

Please see diagram...

Here is a grad total of all of the awesome products.

• iMyss- Natural Aloe Mask Sheet. - 

(which has English instructions, I knew I loved Jo Kwon for more than his great dancing! He's the gentleman with the charming quif and jaunty pose. And the boy can SING!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YTPva14Nms

Emmy was kind enough to give me a facial and used this mask back in the summer of 2012. For that reason and to show you the epic Jo Kwon I have included the image above. I will be including pictures of the rest of the items  individually as and when I try them...

• Skin Food- Gold Caviar Cream
• Elemis- Tranquil Touch Body Scrub
• The Face Shop Enersurge Emulsion
• The Face Shop Super Repair Moisturiser
• Missha- Super Aqua Revitalising Emulsion
• Tony Moly- Tomato Magic White Massage Pack
• Tony Moly- Red Apple Fox Honey Cream
• Innisfree Capsule recipe pack.
• Tony Moly Mini Bunny Hand Cream 
• Clarins Paris Daily Energiser Gel, Wake Up Booster Toner, Daily Energiser Cream
• Seikisho- Cool Cleansing Gel

For now though here's the whole bundle!

I cannot wait to get stuck into all of this!

Until then!

Worst Goth Ever..

I wanted to release my inner goth recently by being intense, moody and poetic. I realised however that despite my well meaning efforts I can only be moody and intense at a certain time of the month. I am also as poetic as the digestive system of a goat. I have therefore settled for attacking my face with some make up!
I really loved the dark, seductive shades of A/W 2012. So what better way of waving it a fond farewell, than to badly attempt emulating it!

Rock and roll! *ahem*

Here is my face, enjoy or at lease try to get through it as best you can.

Oh, as you can see here I am a cross eyed alien baby.

This blur was artistically done. I swear!

The lipstick used is MAC's Cyber and I swear it looks awesome. Do NOT let it put you off.

HAH anyhoo!

This is how my sister tells my Mum that she left her phone downstairs.

I freaking love my family!

Also this is so cool, I want it right now.

RIGHT NOW.

Om nom topshop!


Until next time!

Flattery

I am a little free with my compliments. If I see someone in the street with a jacket I like I will tell them, stranger or no. I think sometimes though, it can make things a bit awkward. Like this poor East Asian girl I met briefly while working. Firstly I remarked how cute her jumper was, then I started gushing about her eyes (I have a thing for eyes).

She left with one of those 'please-don't-follow-me' smiles that you wear when you pass someone on a tube platform screaming into their tote bag of eggs-crazy cat ladies. You know what I mean.

 I was livid when I realised how I must have come across to her. Usually I am quite secure, not at all a 'no homo' type of girl but I could help for her and even more so for myself.

The reasons why I give compliments are numerous. Mainly though, I like when someone looks good and enjoy the fact that by acknowledging that I can make them feel good too. When someone compliments my hair or my shoes it gives me a spring in my step. I like passing that spring on to as many people as I can.

Of course I sometimes pass people who are dressed in a way that doesn't appeal to my tastes. But so what? If my opinion is negative, I should keep my mouth shut. Nothing positive or helpful is going to come of my expressing it. Who the hell am I to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't wear? That's what guru's are for, I'm just a humble appreciator.

I used to see people all the time who were well put together, quirky or cute but not say anything even though I was foaming at the bits to tell them the goodness I saw. It's part of my shyness that can sometimes be crippling. Frankly, it sucks. Talking to strangers can e pretty daunting at times. But complimenting strangers or saying good morning to arbitrary locals has taught me that most people are nice and wear the same mask of apathetic indifference and borderline aggression.

A positive reaction helps boost my confidence in people, as fundamentally as kind hearted and social as me. A negative reaction like you standard blank stare or worse the old 'cross to the other side of the road' thing, can easily be brushed. After all, they don't know me personally, so why take things personally?

All it takes to peel away the negative 'f*** off' persona of your average Londoner is a compliment, a greeting or even a nod and a smile.

Try it, give someone a boost and in the process boost yourself! Most of us city folk aren't as bad as you think!

Until Next Time!

In need of a shot of Shabby Chic!

I believe everything should be pretty...

That was a line from one of my favourite films, Park Chan Wook’s ‘Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’. I think that film is beautiful, touching, profound but this isn’t about that film. This is about something that’s been bothering me for ages!

I’m so sick of my room being so very full of potential but still being bland as hell. There is no color scheme, no decor theme. I think a girl’s room should be her sanctuary; her own personal paradise. Mine is my own personal preferred space. That’s okay I suppose but I’m not proud of it. By having a clean room, it improves my mood. If I had pretty room as well, that would improve my mood tenfold.

I have images of Cath Kidson prints, shabby chic motifs and Laura Ashley flying all over my dreams, taunting me, enticing me. I really want a pretty girly room. This craving began way, way back when I was watching ‘It Started With a Kiss’ a Taiwanese Drama. Xiang Qin walked into this dream room that Mrs Jiang prepares for her and it’s a dream world of Chiffon and floral print. It hit me like a wall. Since when do I like this kind of stuff? My last room was blood red with kanji on the walls and a massive Shakugan no Shana wall scroll I’d bought from the London Expo.

I decorated it when I was 16 and at the height of my borderline weeaboo phase. I can’t be blamed. I was young. I was reckless. And I maintain it looked more distinctive than my new room. The last room bares the last remnants of this effort to capture the anime side of me. Like the dregs of tea in an abandoned cup, the gunk remains. I need to breathe some life into this room.

It has a lovely fireplace, high ceilings and crème wall paper which makes it a blank canvas. It shouldn’t be too expensive either.

What I know I want now is bedspreads like this...

I think this is adorable. It reminds me of a Doris Day film. I don’t know why.

I want one of these

I want some of these

I want to do the wall art myself so I guess I’ll decide that when I get there...

I hope this works.