Post 32: Your inner pretty x

Channel your inner pretty.

In today's generation, it is so easy to feel down about your image or certain things you may like or not like.. Due to the way media portrays things.
As you are growing up, it is important to find yourself and try to spend time doing things that you enjoy doing. Until you learn to love and accept yourself for who you are, you will always allow and depend on the views of others to dictate your life.

Remember, there will always be things that we do that are not appreciated or accepted by others but as long as it makes you happy and you know that it makes you happy, do not stop. (Don't get me wrong, of course this depends on what it is that you are doing lol!)

Rock that hairstyle you've always wanted to try out. 

Wear that outfit that you've always wanted to flaunt but never had the confidence to. 

Wear that lipstick that really suits you but society or other people around you have made you think that it is not for you.

Just be. You.
Because, if you haven't got yourself.. How long are you planning to rely on everyone else for?

@SheyReece and I went to explore Oxford Circus last week (read previous post for more details and pictures). She captured some amazing shots of me and vice versa which can be found on her blog and instagram

createdbyshey.com
@sheyreece

All photos were captured by @Sheyreece, I would like to say thank you. They came out great! x

Post 31: Shooting with @SheyReece x

Hey guys,

I have been away from blogging for such a long time. I actually have many things to blog about, so I must start up once again.

My first returning blogpost is about a shoot the other day. I had a lovely, fun and over-due meet up with friend, photographer & blogger @Sheyreece.

I met the lovely Sheyna in youth camp at church back in 2011, and here we are in 2015. 'Shooting together. She is such an amazing photographer with a great big, natural afro. 

We both have a thing for natural hair, so we passed by the ORS Product Launch hair event at Boots, Regents Street before heading off to take some amazing shots of eachother. 

Shooting with Sheyna was a new experience for me, as since buying my Canon, I'm used to being the one capturing the moments rather than being in front of the camera. I grew to enjoy being the one taking the pictures, I think I prefer it that way but when we were shooting I just felt so free. The day was full of laughter, smiles and jokes, meaning time flew by extremely quickly. I wanted the day to be chilled and relaxed, which is evident with my outfit. Shey said we should dress according to our mood, and the way I dressed somewhat determined how my day turned out. After taking the shots, I went to spend the evening with some of my friends before we all go back to University.

 

I am happy with the shots she captured, she even happened to capture a few moments where I was off-guard lol! Read the blogpost after this to see the shots Sheyna took of me! 

 All pictures were taken by Fiona Williams and must not be claimed elsewhere. All credit must be given to Fiona Williams if used.

You guys must check out her new website and Instagram where you can find pictures from her adventures, previous photoshoots and two blogposts which she uploaded ('REALITY' and 'DREAMS')  with a few shots from the other day.

Createdbyshey.com

Instagram.com/sheyreece

I guarantee you will love her photography and her massive 'fro as much as I do. 

Thank you for such a fun day girlie, catch up soon when we get the time again! x

Post 29: Tee chops it off

My friend Tiffany, (who I've known since year 7) took a giant leap last month, and instead of transitioning from relaxed to natural.. she just turned up to my house one day with level 2 hair (guys, you already know how short that is).

To be honest, I was quite shocked but very happy for her at the same time as it wasn't something I expected however I was happy that she had bravely done the big chop and how she confidently rocks her natural hair.

I know you will all agree that she looks gorgeous with short hair, keep rocking it girl!

I know how I felt when I did the big chop (nauseous, panicked, anxious and so on and so on), and I was very interested to find out exactly how she felt with such a drastic change.

Tiff says:

At first, I felt like "what am I doing?".. Then I just decided to suck it up & let all my hair go.
As my hairdresser was cutting it I thought "My God, I'm crazy", considering people were paying for my type of hair. Once it was all done, I was confused and realised that the reason I had made that crazy decision was to teach young ladies that your hair does not define who you are ... 

A picture taken a couple months ago of my mother relaxing Tiff's hair.

I couldn't find any recent pics Tiff, I had no choice but to look through pics 3+ year old!

Brand new Tiff..

Follow her on Instagram: @ashia_t_officially

Tip of the Post:

You are beautiful the way You are, with or without any hair.

Post 28: Thin hair - light oils | Levine

Second #ProjectAuNaturale post;

I met the lovely Levine at Natural Hair Week a few days ago and she is now featuring on my blog!

I asked her about the products she uses:

I don’t use many products in my hair, I shampoo with any non-sulphate shampoo (right now I'm testing out Cantu naturals creamy shampoo), and then I do the LOC method for moisture.

This is a texture shot of her hair when it's completely dry.

I work on damp hair and I use Shea Moistures raw Shea butter restorative conditioner, then seal that with coconut oil,  then I add a bit of Shea butter for softness and style!

I know that it's really expensive to get Shea Moisture products in the UK (I/my friends buy a ton load when we’re in America lol) so an alternative is the Cantu leave in repair cream or the Dark and Lovely Amla conditioner.

Also, I would not recommend anyone with thick hair ( mine is quite thin, although I'm a master at disguising it!) to use coconut oil, its way too light!  In the same way, those with thin hair like mine should stick to lighter oils, only heavy oils , e.g olive oil in the winter.

The picture on the right is a twist-out, her #1 fave style!

Levine (left) at Natural Hair Week.. shrinkage!

Tip of the Post:
"Don't over manipulate your hair."

Post 27: Your curls can pop too | Amanda

Keeping #PROJECTAUNATURALE alive..

This is something new I'm introducing to my blog, to keep my February project (#ProjectAuNaturale) alive, I want to regularly feature lovely ladies and have them give product reviews to advise my readers on what may be useful for their hair. If you would like to feature, #ProjectAuNaturale on Instagram or Twitter with a review or simply send me an email: fiona.williams96@gmail.com

Welcome to the first of many..

Want your curls to pop like Amanda's? 
Amanda is a student and was also the Vice of The Hair Society. She regularly uses Cantu leave-in conditioner, African pride bouncy curls pudding and coconut oil and I've asked her to review them.

Here's what she said:
Cantu: This is a great leave in conditioner - it smells great and leaves my hair feeling very moisturised. I've only recently started using this after switching from the Cantu Coconut Curling Cream but it's doing a great job so far. Bouncy curls: I love this because it's so thick and gives my curls extra definition without making them hard and crunchy. I use this after my leave in and it doesn't make my hair greasy like most thick products. Coconut oil: I always finish off by adding coconut oil. This is unrefined and comes as a solid that melts in your fingers. I use it to seal in moisture and add shine.

Well clearly, these products are just doing wonders for her hair!

Amanda's TIP OF THE POST:

"You don't have to apply products to your hair everyday. Sometimes just spritz with water and use the products that are already in your hair from the day before, so you don't weigh the hair down and also save some money"

Post 26: Alumni Fest.

It's the first festival on campus with different societies doing workshops for students.

Yesterday, 2nd May the hair society took part with product sampling, braid tutorials and nail painting. Products ranged from Shea butters, Leave-in conditioners, to Castor Oil and the Cantu range. We also had the lovely Amanda, who works with Bodyshop, come down with loads of products (bodycreams, bath tea, nail creams and so much more).
She's really friendly and does free pamper parties so if that's something you and your friends would be interested in or if you want great bodyshop offers, feel free to get in touch with her : ammis942@gmail.com// Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/330300160505416/

My team and I. Thank you to everyone that helped out yesterday! I really appreciate it. x

Post 25: Hair Society - What's that?

Hey guys,

As some of you may know, I have a passion for natural hair and enjoy seeing people be confident and embrace their own so..

I created a ‘Hair Society’ in January at Uni, a platform for people to help eachother out by giving eachother hair tips/advice, product advice and helping people to connect to others on campus that know how to style or braid hair and do weaves. The facebook page is mainly used for that and it is going so well so far.

We’re on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram:  UoeNaturalistas

Events so far:-

#ProjectAuNaturale – I created a photoshoot in January with a few lovely ladies, embracing the beauty and diversity of their natural hair. Thank you to @BeyondEssex (Instagram) and my friend, Ese, for the excellent photography. More pictures are on Facebook and Instagram.

#OperationBlessTheBarber – I organised a one-off event for a barber to come down from London in Febuary to do ‘Pay as you feel’ trims where guys get a trim and pay him depending on what they felt it was worth. I've only put up a few pictures but let's just take the time to look at these trims please.. Lads, believe in your trim. 

(More pictures are on Facebook and Instagram.)

Next blogposts:

Alumni Festival on Squares
Your curls can pop too | Amanda

Post 24: Spring Faves

From being someone that lived the simple life and only used vaseline, I've become such a lippy lover. Lipsticks can change up your image and whole outfit, one colour can decide your whole look for you.

My current favourite lipstick has to be this beautiful nude colour, by Revlon. It can be worn daily as it looks really calm and natural. I love it.

My other favourites are Ruby Woo and All Fired Up by Mac. 

I'm literally so in love with the look Ruby gives me. It's a matte, bold, sexy red colour. I remember trying it on one time in-store and not liking it at all because I thought the colour didn't suit me and stood out too much. A few weeks later, I tried on a friends Ruby Woo & really had to ask her if it was the same lipstick by Mac because it didn't look the way I thought it did before. This time it looked, better. So I HAD to have it. My friends knew this and gave it to me as a birthday present. I was so happy.

All Fired Up is a bold pink that stands out and is exactly what the name says.. Firey. When I was looking around in Mac, I was so stuck between getting it or Ruby Woo. (This was before I was given it). I decided to get All Fired Up because it's different from any of my other lipsticks. I wear it every now and then.