Van Cleef and Arpels: ‘ORIENS’

My flight to Lagos departed last Wednesday morning and upon arrival at Heathrow, I realised I hadn’t packed any perfume whatsoever. Considering all of my life possessions were to be condensed to two measly boxes weighing no more than 23kg each, you must understand my predicament.

Post my tears of leaving everyone behind, I wondered round the bliss that is Duty Free with the hope of finding a new scent. Such a task usually takes me longer than necessary; however this time there was one bottle that was visually arresting.

It was a crowned jewel with colours that depict the sunset on a perfect day. The interesting use of silver rather than a gold tint works in a fashion I’d never have imagined and the pearl coloured box it’s enclosed in confirms its class. The scent is one of sophistication if ever such existed and without a doubt, my Heaven on Earth. Van Cleef & Arpels’ ‘ORIENS’ is my scent for the rest of the year and regardless of how I’m dressed, my state of mind, or my mood, I’m pretty sure it’ll do all the talking necessary 😉

xXx

Ps: Yesterday I went to House 38 a new fashion label in Lagos. Their pieces were amazing. Can’t wait to blog about it.

Pps: Yesterday I also went for lunch with Fifi and friends and it was fun fun FUN! Looking forward to more of those…. until next time

Sleek Sunset

Last weekend called for a mini shopping trip and seeing as I already had a ShoMya class under my belt, I decided to step-up my makeup game.

I headed to Sleek for a reasonably priced palette and soon enough settled on the Sunset i-Divine EyeShadow. Seeing as Nigeria will be my new home for the coming year, I reckon the Sunset palette is a befitting choice.

Below are pictures of my first attempt at applying eyeshadow. Go easy on me, after all I am still an amateur…..

xXx

ShoMya

It’s no secret that my knowledge on makeup is in the negatives and so when Elaine first told me about the beauty company she founded, ShoMya, I was nothing short of interested. Judging from the flawless makeup she had on that day, I knew I had to get to one of her sessions.

Three months on and I found myself seated in one of her classes, gaining first class tips on the do’s and don’ts of make-up. We were talked through everything from basic eyebrow shaping to the more complex art of contouring. Elaine even displayed the effortless transition from daytime chic to night time goddess awing us all with the beautiful transformation.

The session was very much interactive giving us the opportunity to ask every and anything and I’m sure everyone agrees that by the end of the session we left feeling like we got much more than our money’s worth. Here’s what she shared with me:

1.) Tell us a bit about ShoMya and what it represents.

ShoMya is an international, beauty and cosmetics company that offers professional makeup services to a diverse client base.

Our services cut across different sectors including Beauty, Fashion, TV, Weddings and other special events. We also offer a makeup-shopping service which means we will go to shopping for all your makeup products while you relax at home OR we will go with you and ensure that only the makeup best suited for you is purchased.

Our work has been featured in prominent International magazines such as PRIDE, BLACKHAIR, FAB, and ESSENCE Magazine amongst several others.

At ShoMya, we appreciate that every woman is unique, with distinctive makeup preferences. We don’t believe that one size fits all and so we strive to meet the individual needs of each client.

2.) How would you describe your signature look?

My own signature look will be well-defined eyes paired with nude lips or a red pout! I love my black eyeliner and always draw my liner very close to my lash line and water line. Typically, I’ll keep my lips nude but I’m quickly developing this love for very deep red lips.

When I work on other people, you can tell they’ve had the ShoMya experience from their contoured cheekbones and popping eyes. I think that’s our signature look.

3.) What is it about make up that you find so empowering?

Everything! Have you ever noticed the difference in a woman’s behaviour with and without her makeup on? With makeup, we feel beautiful on the outside and that quickly impacts on how we carry ourselves! It’s similar to the difference in a woman walking in flat shoes and a woman walking in heels – One stands tall above the other.

I love to see women walk with confidence, not arrogance. And if makeup helps you forget about all your physical imperfections for just a period of time, then slap it on I say…

4.) If you had to pick the ultimate makeup essential, what would it be?

One??? I have to pick one? I’ll say foundation then. If your skin looks clear, you can surely get by without everything else. Look at it this way, if you walk around with an amazing smoky eye but your skin looks bad, you still won’t feel fabulous! But if your skin looks great and you pop on a hot pair of shades to hide the fact that you have no eye makeup on, you’ll feel like a diva!

5.) Chalk and cheese are about as far apart as……. (two makeup items that shouldn’t be mixed)

Hmm, that’s a tricky one. It’s not 2 makeup items but please don’t let your lips mix with BLACK liner unless you’re on some creative photo shoot. Outlining your lips with black pencil on any ‘normal’ day is NOT okay!

Below are pictures from the ShoMya makeup class on Sunday

Thanks a lot for your time Elaine, and all the best with ShoMya.
For more details, visit the ShoMya website: http://www.shomya.com/

xXx

Ps: The pictures marked with Bonita Valli are obviously mine, but Elaine was kind enough to send me some more for the blog.

The Hacking Scandal: “Modern Day Mona Lisa”

I leave the house for a couple of hours only to check my Twitter account and find that somehow, a post has been uploaded on my blog. I guess such are the consequences of leaving my account open on Taiwo’s netbook (‘Kiko’). She’s cleverly named the post “The Hacking Scandal” and ironically named Wura “Modern Day Mona Lisa” Lol. I have to admit, the post is hilarious, for this reason I’ll be leaving it up. Here’s the one-liner she’s left in reminder:

“One reason you should always log out!!! :)”

Wura’s signature pose… Lol

Top:H&M

Bag: Primark

Nail Polish: Rimmel (mine)

Ring: Topshop (mine)

Shorts: Gap culottes turned up

Sandals: Asos

Alice band: Topshop

xXx

Ps: The 1st picture has a different “Bonita Valli” embossed on it as I was experimenting on photoshop; however 24hrs on I’ve forgotten how I did it, so I’ve had to find an alternative which I will be experimenting with in my next few posts.

PPs: I went for a makeup class and can’t wait to upload the pictures, it was fun, fun FUN 🙂 You’ll love it!

Spanish or Italian… it’s still Vogue

As you already know, I spent last weekend in Costa Brava and upon departure, I decided it would only make sense to buy a fashion magazine.

I decided on the typical Vogue however, upon arrival at the stand, I was torn between the Spanish and Italian versions. I must admit, such trivial issues form the basis of my daily dilemmas and for this reason I have been tagged ‘melodramatic’…. Lol.

Once I was sure I’d invested too much thought in this predicament, I was convinced (by Teju and Tele) to purchase the more stylish, more chic, Italian Vogue. Here are pictures of a few of the pages I’ve spent my time drooling over….

Front Cover(s)

These Chanel pieces are ingenious. I love accessories and these totally do it for me, not to mention the rich material.

Chanel is so elegant it’s ridiculous!

My style has always been somewhat preppy and I could totally see myself in this Antonio Croce outfit.

The ‘Valli’ in ‘Bonita Valli’ is no coincidence. It’s from the Italian label ‘Giambattista Valli’ and I’m sure you can agree that the craftsmanship of this label is insanely clever…. I’m obsessed!

Until next time…

xXx

Costa Brava: Orange Blazer

I spent last weekend getting drunk on sunshine and high on the wild atmosphere of the coastal region of Costa Brava. Everyone was so friendly and the weather was simply beautiful, I didn’t want to leave.

Dinner on Thursday night was spent at a restaurant called ‘Latino’ and at the sight of my orange blazer teamed with leather shorts, the waitress asked if I was a fashion blogger. I was so pleased that my dress sense gave away a bit of my personality and that was the moment I decided I’d upload a blog on this outfit. So shout out to the waitress at Latino, the reason behind this post.

xXx

Ps: Spanish Vocabulary:

¿Cómo estás?: How are you
Sí: Yes
la cuenta: The bill
¡Gracias! (pronounced Grathias): Thank you
Está bien: That’s fine
PPs: Now I can’t wait to blog about my Italian Vogue from Spain. Lol.