My Aquatic Mermaid Shoot With Chiara Aprea!

I spend a lot of time on the blog talking about my love of fashion and showing you all the outfits that I have put together. When I first started this blog my aim was to show plus size women a variety of clothing styles available to them and hopefully give them some ideas and tips when styling their looks. Early on in my journey to confidence I played around with my look and it was through this experimentation that I discovered that we all have the ability to wear whatever we like and we can use fashion as a way to show our personality and have fun. As it stands I haven't shared that many beauty looks on the blog because in truth, I haven't had much of a chance to play around in that area. 

There is one woman who knows my face better than most and is able to transform my image in a variety of ways. Chiara Aprea is real visionary and such a talent! So far most of my photo shoots have been with her. As a plus size model, photographer and makeup artist her skills are second to none. I love working with her because each experience is different to the last. When Chiara and I prepare to do a shoot we usually brainstorm over different themes and MUA styles. I had told Chiara quite some time ago that I really wanted to do a beauty shoot featuring fantasy mermaid makeup. Fast forward a few months and we had set a date to transform me into an aquatic mermaid with hints of the ice queen! 

Having worked with Chiara twice before I knew I was going to be in for a fun and very creative day. Our first shoot together was a vintage boudoir theme with a series of different costume and hair changes. My makeup for this shoot remained the same but the different accessories, angles and looks made for a really varied set of photos. To see some of them check out my previous post about it here. 

Second time around was a new experience for both myself and Chiara. She had wanted to start offering beauty shoots which focused on hair and makeup set to a specific theme. This time around she had approached me to do this with her. The idea was to transform me from the Mayah you are all familiar with to a technicolor geisha and dangerous dominatrix! I loved the idea as I thought this would be a challenge and a great way to play with makeup! Chiara thought that with my hair type and complexion I would be a great candidate to showcase some of her capabilites that people weren't very familiar with. To see some of these images and hear about our day check out my previous post here.

So here we are, I'm back in the makeup chair and this time we both knew that the process of application would be quite lengthy. Firstly she started by painting my forehead in a blue and silver gradient. My eyes and hairline were perfectly lined and the plan was to have a similar finish on my lips. We then added sequins and glitter and finished off by adding tons of diamontes in a variety of sizes and shades of blue. We then straightened my hair, added extensions and sprayed the tips in white and silver hair paint. The colours we used didn't show up hugely on my hair but they gave me a slight tint which actually worked really well in the pictures.

My aim was to tap into a really quiet sombre side of my personality and do my best not to smile. As quite a smiley person this was a challenge for me. The aim was for me to showcase all of my emotion through my eyes. We switched up the lighting throughout the shoot which gave my skin and makeup a really interesting hue throughout. When bright lights hit my eyes they tend to go from their usual dark brown to a bright chestnut colour, this happens to me in the sunshine too. I really love that in these pictures my eyes constantly look different and I have a variety of expressions from dark and moody to sweet and sultry. I absolutely love how these pictures came out and love the high fashion feel that they have. Once again I am in awe of Chiara's work and her direction helped me pose for some beautiful images.

If you would like to see more of Chiara's work check out her photography page on Facebook. You can also get information on how to book your own shoot. To check it out click here.

As I mentioned before Chiara is not only an amazing photographer and makeup artist she is also a successful plus size model and a gorgeous one at that! Check out her model page here. 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

Clip It In! A Simple, Easy And Amazing Hair Accessory!

All Images Have Been Seen In Previous Outfit Posts

When it comes to my look the hardest thing for me to get right is my hair! I wish my hair was easier to style and to work with but in truth it has always been and continues to be a nightmare! I'll give you the short description of my hair traumas... All of my childhood I had dreadlocks, being that both my parents have them and my hair is so troublesome my mother decided to lock my hair when I was small because every time she tried to style it I would scream the entire house down! I know this sounds like most kids but seriously my hair is different to many people's. The texture of my hair is seriously coarse and tight curls, if you've ever felt a stiff afro in your lifetime you will know what I mean. Despite being of mixed ethnic background I most definitely have 100% afro Caribbean hair which almost none of the other members of my family have! My mother is of Irish and Trinidad decent and my father is Jamaican with Asian mix. My older brother has much softer hair than I do, as do my parents and extended family. When I reached about 13/14 years old I decided that I wanted to cut off my locks. I personally wanted to be able to play around and style my hair in more ways than my locks would allow, and so I started the process of slowly growing out my hair without twisting my re-growth back into my locks. Once I reached a length that I thought was suitable I chopped off the excess of my hair. 

A Clip-in/Draw String Ponytail

Now all mixed race/afro Caribbean girls will know that the level of maintenance required for hair our style is pretty high! I keep my hair straight and have used several methods to do so. I used to straighten my hair using sensitive no-lye relaxers. For those of you who aren't aware of what a hair relaxer is, it's a chemically produced paste that you spread into your hair, combing it through until eventually your hair starts to burn straight. I have a seriously sensitive scalp and so for me this is a really painful procedure which burns the scalp. Hair stylists recommend that you leave you hair dirty before doing this, they then base your scalp with a hair grease, similar texture to a petroleum jelly and this is to protect it from the relaxer. Even when doing this it can seriously burn. You leave the paste in your hair for the recommended time required for your hair type and then you wash it out. Washing out the relaxer is a timely process as you need to use a neutralising shampoo which deactivates the relaxer and stops it from burning the hair straight. Usually 8-10 washes are required. Oil and steam treatments are required to protect and seal the hair and then you are set to style it.

I have recently been hot combing my hair, this produces near-similar results without the use of chemicals. A metal comb is placed in a stove or heated on an oven and then you comb it through the hair, using a serum or heat protective grease and it burns your hair straight in the same way a GHD or electrical straightener would. The only difference between this and relaxing the hair is that it's a semi-permanent solution whereas relaxing only requires you to work on your roots when they grow out. 

After all this burning of the hair it can be seriously tough for me to style my hair. It's seriously layered only coming down to my shoulders and so scraping it back into a ponytail is fine but I tend to get a lot of stray ends lol. I often get extensions woven into my hair to add body and length but a more popular item I use is a clip in ponytail. This is my go-to hair accessory and one I use all the time. All you have to do is put your hair in a tight bun, grip the teeth into the hair right at the base and then pull the draw string to secure it in place. It takes literally 3 minutes to do and the end result is great. 

Clip-ins retail between £7-50 and they come in a variety of lengths and textures. I tend to go for straight with some slight curls or waves in colour 1B to match the tone of my natural hair. The funny thing is loads of people think it's my natural hair, which I guess is a cool thing lol. Anyway here are some pictures of me sporting a clip-in. As you can see there are many ways it can be worn. I have braided my natural hair, rolled it into a quiff or just kept it simple.

If you want a quick fix for your hair that can add that little bit of glam without the hours of styling and mountains or spray try one out for yourself! I wear mine with hats, hair scarves and on their own. They can be adapted to suit all styles from casual to super glam! Such a simple and easy item to use, one that is ALWAYS in my accessory drawer! 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

Sparkly Kisses - A Glitter Lips Review!

Recently I have had some enquires about which beauty products I like to use. I will be sure to share some of my tips and tricks with you all in the very near future but for now I must talk about a product I discovered whilst at a fashion event. Admittedly I'm more of a gloss and balm girl when it comes to my lips but every so often I am looking to wear some fun and fresh lipsticks. A new style of lip-wear has reached us and with it comes that added shimmer and sparkle we have been missing! What am I talking about? Glitter Lips of course!

I first discovered this product when I attended the recent Cut For Evans launch held at the Marble Arch store here in London. Initially I tried out a lilac/pink shade as it matched my dress, I think this may have been the Molly Dolly colour. I fell in love with it! First of all I was seriously impressed by how life proof this stuff is! You can eat, drink, talk, smoke, whatever and this stuff stays on! It's really simple to apply and comes with a gummy style glue which you apply just the same as you would a basic lip gloss. It appears white on your lips and when it starts to go transparent you then apply the glitter powder to your lips. I really like the end result that you get with this product.

It's really easy to remove too all you need is some oil based make-up remover, but baby oil or Vaseline would work also. Simply add some to a cotton bud, wipe and hey presto you're glitter free! 

Selfie Taken The First Time I Tried Glitter Lips

I tend to go for blood red tones when selecting lipsticks. My love of vintage pinup fashion and beauty styles tends to be the main reason, also I  like how red works against my skin tone. This of course made me gravitate towards the Ruby Slippers shade when I bought my first Glitter Lips kit. This isn't the sort of lip make up I would wear on a daily basis, but this would be a lot of fun to wear out to a club or something or to add a little edge to a simple look. I may even try this out in a photoshoot or something. 

If you feel like trying out something a little different why not pick up a shade yourself? They're only £12.50 and in even better news there is an option to get free postage on the website! To find out more about Beauty Boulevard and their amazing Glitter Lips range, click here. 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

A Run-down Of 2014

Hi everyone I hope all is well and I hope you all had an amazing time bringing in the new year! 2014 was an interesting and eventful year for me. I had a lot of interesting changes and developments on the career front, travelled a little and experimented loads with my wardrobe and style choices. Here's a run down of some of my favourite looks throughout the year, to see the original outfit posts click on the title month:

January

February

March 

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Selecting just one look for each month posed as a real challenge for me as there were so many looks I really liked. I figure that because I have raved so much about the houndstooth print I have to add in a bonus look. This was also taken in the month of November check out the post here.

2014 was also the year I took a major step to push my confidence and so I had 2 photoshoots with my friend and talented Photographer, MUA and model: Chiara Aprea. First was my boudoir shoot where I stripped down and posed for the camera in my lingerie and not much else! The second being a beauty and face shoot where I played around with 2 different themed looks. I was transformed into a modern day geisha and an angry dominatrix. 

All in all it was a fun and exciting year and I look forward to seeing what 2015 has in store. I have some new developments happening with the blog and of course loads of new looks and tips to share with you so stay tuned.

I'd like to take the time out to thank you all for reading my blog this past year and I wish you all an amazing new year filled with fun, adventures, travel and many fun times with both old and new friends. 

As I always say,  remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

My Boudoir Shoot With Chiara Aprea

One of the hardest things for any women out there to do is to look in the mirror and absolutely love what she sees! About a year and a half ago I pretty much hated myself physically. I would poke holes in my appearance, jump in with insults before others could and like many plus size people, I would hide away in black clothing hoping to blend into the background. I would do things to make myself feel better like get my hair done or my nails but I would still find fault with myself. Those who have known me for quite some time will know that I may be confident in my personality and with my talents but my image was the one area that had always taken a beating leaving me with limited self confidence. 

When you spend years of you life listening to the comments of others and telling yourself that being big makes you ugly it can be hard to have any real level of self esteem. What changed for me was when I reached my mid twenties. I decided that I had spent more than enough time hating myself and that if I didn't "pull myself together" I would spend way too much of my time beating my own confidence into the ground. I experimented with different styles of dress, playing around with fashion and make up and have now reached a place where I can look in the mirror and actually like what I see!

When I was at Plus London last year I met an amazing girl who not only is a stunning plus size model but amazing photographer! Chiara Aprea is fast making a name for herself specializing in plus size photography with an aim of building confidence in her clients. When I saw the gorgeous photoshoots she had done of some of my friends I thought you know what i'm gonna call her and try this out. I dropped her a message and we made plans to do a boudoir themed shoot...

I arrived at her home with a suitcase full of vintage inspired clothes and some lingerie. I was full of nerves but excited to get all dolled up for the shoot. Chiara worked on my hair and make-up and transformed me into a vintage sex kitten! We were soon ready to get snapping away and I went in with a mind set that even if I don't like how I look in some of the shots, the experience would do me some good... 

Just some of the pictures taken with Chiara. 

Hair and MUA and photography by Aprea Chiara
Styling by Chiara and myself.
Please do not copy or edit any images without permission from model and photographer.

As we first got started I was really nervous and self concious and Chiara convinced me that I looked good and that I had nothing to worry about. She directed the shoot giving me hints and tips on how to pose. We played around with different hair styles, clothes and backdrops, always fun for any girl who likes playing dress up! For me I found this experience extremely daring! I had posed in as little attire as a sheer sheet and my underwear, right the way up to a corset and cape with petticoats on. I started out as a shy woman doing something for a little fun and ended the day feeling revived, confident and fabulous! From start to finish Chiara made me feel comfortable, in control and beautiful. She would give me sneak peaks of some of the frames and in truth I looked one hundred percent better than I could possibly have anticipated! 

Not only did it feel good to have a friend on the other side of the camera, I felt confident that she would be able to get the best out of me. As a plus size model herself with some beautiful photos I knew that she was able to capture me how I wanted. Looking back in hindsight I really believe that what had me nervous in the beginning were my former doubts trying to creep in! 

When the shoot was done and we went to review the pictures I expected to pick out maybe 5 or 6 that I liked and I ended up wanting to purchase almost every single frame taken in the shoot! I had never thought I could look so good and I am so glad I did it! Putting myself in a new situation that was totally out of my comfort zone and pushing myself to try something new has given me new insight. You have to be willing to take more risks, you may love the end result!

Myself and the gorgeous Chiara after a fun day of shooting

If any of you have considered doing a shoot of this kind and you live in the UK you really should drop Chiara a message and book in your shoot! You will not be disappointed! 

You can find her on facebook here.

Bloggers Love Fashion Week

A couple of weeks ago there was a 3 day long extravaganza for all bloggers. Being in attendance at an event that heavily featured fashion and beauty was not something me and the girls were going to miss out on! The theme of the night was "Black City Chic" and everyone was ready and dressed to impress for the evening.

A fashion show was taking place which included new collections and fun pieces, hair, make up and beauty stands filled the penthouse floor and we were given the opportunity to try out many new and interesting products. As a HUGE fan of fantasy make-up, I couldn't resist the chance to try out the amazing sparkle and glitter styles by The Parlour. Blue, purple and silver glitter and sequins framed my eye (my favourite colours) and gave me a very different look.

It's always fun to see my girls and I have to admit. When you put 3 bloggers in a photobooth, wild things happen..............................

Anne-Lise, Helen and I definitely went a little wild lol.

All in all the girls and I had a fantastic night and it was a shame for it to be over so fast. It's always great to meet with other bloggers and see what amazing products are out there for us to buy. 

Here we are towards the end of the night:

From left to right: Helen, Myself, Hollie, Leighanne and Anne-Lise

I look forward to future events by Bloggers Love as this one was great fun!