AFROBLUSH
"Musings of an Afropean" – Afropean culture and lifestyle blog
Posts tagged “Random”
My mind, (which is typically the best part of me) wants to the gym this evening, however, my body (typically the worst part of me) wants to say quits. Right now, I just want to nod off to bed and call it a day. Even when I think of the trauma that my right shoulder went through this morning, lugging my gym bag into work, still and unsurprisingly, I am visualising myself running to the sofa in slow motion, arms wide, waiting for its soft embrace.
Yet I can also hear in the back of my head a man saying in a deep authoritative and echoic voice “You MUUUST go gym Louisa!”
I am not on a diet or weight loss regime. In fact I have disassociated myself with the D-word, as I feel like I’ve been on one for 24 years. I’ve learnt they are just fabricated versions of the same thing; eating right and keeping active, which to be fair, still do require a D-word, discipline.
Don’t get me wrong, I have fun at the gym, I feel better about myself, and I sleep and look better. So why am I lying to myself that going home, and nibbling on some chocolate on the sofa is the better option here?
It is because I like my sofa and the devil is liar! Does he lie like this to you to?
Motivation ammunition: At times like this I have a document that sits on my work desktop called “make things as simple as possible.doc”, and in that document, I keep quotes, poems, testimonials or anything with an element of self-reflection and self guidance, for times when I just don’t have it in me to motivate myself. So I pulled out this quote: “Persistent people begin their success where others end in failures.” And that was enough to create my treadmill playlist and organise myself for a productive evening at the gym!
Lessons I have learnt in the last 20 minutes:
- So don’t believe the lies we tell ourselves or that the devil tells you. He always makes the bad things look good.
- Keep motivation ammunition at an easy to reach place (desktop, phone, iPod, diary etc). So when your down, or lacking in personal strength, you have a resource to call upon, so you can remind yourself how simple things can be and how great you really are.
I just wanted to relay, the weirdness that happened to me this afternoon!
I booked myself for an induction on some of the weight machines at the Fitness First next to my work. Although I use the weight machines at my local “home gym”, the ones at “work gym” are slightly different, so I usually just jump on a treadmill or cross trainer. However, I have been there over six months now, and I think it is about time that I introduced myself (to these said weight machines).
An hour before my intended gyming time I pop downstairs to the work gym and ask if there will be a personal trainer to show me the ropes. There is (excellent), and I then arrange to be back in an hour for the induction. I change briskly and meet my “fitness coach” as imprinted on this neon t-shirt, and then follow him into the designated weights area.
Hopefully, tomorrow afternoon I can head down to Hobbycraft and get some earring button stud things, so I can start making my own Ankara button earrings. Until then, I have spent today trying to make the most of some African material I found lying around the house, so I accessorised my blue suede 60′s style shoes and make some matching buttons, still undecided which jacket they will go on though :-)
Close friends contribute to our personal growth. They also contribute to our personal pleasure, making the music sound sweeter, the wine taste richer, the laughter ring louder because they are there. Judith Viorst
This weekend, I was invited to accompany a close friend to a wedding reception at London zoo.
U ask: A wedding at London Zoo?…U joking? (cockney accent)
I kid you not! Admittedly I did think a wedding at a zoo was quite interesting… (the kind of interesting that requires your left eye brow to rise.) However, and contrary to popular belief, the wedding was absolutely beautiful, extremely well executed, classy and intimate. Although the music was not to my taste, I had a ball dancing to it, plus everyone was warm and welcoming, and I always find that it’s amazing how good company can make the worst of ballads sound great, a standard wine taste posh nosh and a 20 minute walk to regents park station feel like only a couple of minutes.
Cheers to good company and funky wedding locations. (congrats Naomi & Ben)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Helena Christensen’s recipe for success in the Sunday Times style supplement. #Justsaying
“None of us were ever told to change anything about ourselves, that might have meant our self confidence would have been lost. “Once you start bullying beautiful people into being something that they’re not, the magic is lost”
“Maybe some girls should just stick to who they are and believe in that…”
Helena Christensen’s recipe for success
Sunday Times Style supplement 17/7/11
Please let me know if this ever happens to you?
You happen to come across a fashion publication or possibly go into a clothing retailer, your flicking through the pages or walking through the different divisions within the shop and you think
‘wow, these trends are just not me’…
At times I feel it’s like walking onto a London underground platform and seeing that your train is fully packed but the doors have not yet closed. You know that you could possibly squeeze (and I mean SQUEEZE) onto the train, but you run the risk of a very uncomfortable journey, so you just stand back and wait for the next train…hoping it will be more accommodating.
The beginning of a fashion seasons can be a lot like that. New trends come and you may want to like the new styles and textures, but you may also feel your better off just waiting for the next trend.
What do you do?
Do you try to accommodate the trend(s), knowing that they could potentially be, well, uncomfortable. Or do you sit that fashion season out…saying no to the skinny jeans, maxi dresses and rounded sunglasses and wait, hoping something better will be in next season? (comment box below).
Reason I ask is because I was reading my usual weekly dose of Stylist Magazine, where it showcased A/W 11 trends, consisting of tunics, shirt dresses and floats. As I flicked through each trend I was like ‘umm nope, umm nope, umm nope..oh, is that it?
Just out of personal preference and awareness of my body shape, tunics, shirts and especially floats are avoided where possible. However, in saying that I make it a point to enjoy my body as well fashion and not to take either of them too seriously.
Is my attitude ruling me out of possible fashion opportunities or am I being more clever than I think?
(all these QUESTIONS!)
On my travels I often see people wearing things that are clearly unflattering just because they are apparently in fashion…which begs the question. Does what’s in fashion act as a get out of jail free card for those lacking fashion sense?
Personally, I don’t think so, but then again I think you should wear whatever makes you feel good.
You can see my dilemma.
If I were to pick from ‘The Tunic’ I would chose the bottom left by Balenciaga at Matches for £315, in red.
From the Shirt Dresses, I would chose the denim shirt dress by Hobbs. £89, also voted the ‘ultimate weekend shirt dress’
Pictures courtesy of Stylist Magazine. Issue 87, 20th of July 2011.
“Is that the one thing I still need to know?”
“No”, the alchemist answered.
“What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’
“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor being severely tested.”
Taken from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
“Living up to an image you have of yourself or an image that other people have of you is inauthentic living.” Eckhart Tolle
Tonight I will be rummaging around for my clothes that are finally getting the boot…literally,
Tomorrow morning I will be up at 5.00am to get a good spot at the Denham GIANT CAR BOOT SALE. It’s hugely popular over the summer and great for buying second hand books, vintage items and random nick-nacks. What I like most is the idea of never knowing what you’re going to find, it’s like TK Max times 10, you really need patience and a good eye for quality and style. So if that’s you then you’re bound to come back with some great items.
So since tomorrow is bound to be a scorcher, I am planning to get my hustle on and pass my no longer wanted and well kept clothes, books and accessories to a better home in return for some £. If you are around the Denham area I would definitely recommend it. It’s £2 after 8 and £3.50 before that, but as with all sales…The early bird catches the best items!
Today I read this article published on the BBC website, and frankly it seemed like a rush job by the BBC. I truly sympathise with the salon owner who has been a victim of the recent hair robbery, but my problem is with the BBC’s weak background and interpretation of what they describe as a ‘hair extension craze’ in the UK. Which frankly has very little to do with the actual article.
…I think the BBC need to recognise *finger snap*
1) There is no sudden craze, hair extensions are and have been part of black culture for years. Many women both black and white use hair extensions for fashion purposes and also as a way of giving their own hair a break, especially in the harsh weather and water conditions in the UK.
2) Hair glue is not the only method used for attaching hair extension pieces, nor is it particularly praised either.
3) Yes the movie colour purple explored the relationship between black woman and their hair, but what does that have to do with the news story regarding a robbery?
4) If the writer of this article did their homework and actually watched the BBC documentary on human hair they would know that a insignificantly small number of black people are even involved in the production, distribution and retail of synthetic or human hair.
Which leads me to my last point…
5) Why is this article focusing on only black people? How much human hair do you think is consumed by the black British population in comparison to supermodels worldwide, non-black celebrities and the cast of Jersey Shore (haha sorry, had to throw that in there).
Anyways, just think the BBC should have put a better article together and focused on the story at hand, not tried to turn it into an unnecessary social science piece.
Yes, thank the Lord its Friday! Deliver us from this 5 day week and guide us safely into the weekend! ASOS are currently showcasing the vintage inspired work of ”Bird on a wire”, I absolutely adore their collection and and the blog is definitely worth following.
http://www.birdonawirevintage.com/
This collection reminds me of summer afternoons in Portobello market/ Notting Hill :- )
Bird on a wire is: “Lovingly hand picked and internationally sourced vintage. We specialize in women’s vintage from the 1960′s – 1990′s, offering shoes, accessories and retro collectibles such as records,camera’s, lamps, books, ornaments etc! Our prices range from £5 – £70 at the most as we believe in REAL prices not RIPPING off!”
Stunning Vintage Parisian Floral Dress.
£42 from ASOS
- Description: This stunner of a dress
was picked up on one of our thrifting trips to Paris and my o my does it scream
Parisian Chic! We love the varying shades of blue and the delicatcy of the lace
detailing on the decoletage. Pretty white buttons line in the front and the
ribbon tie sides and gathered waist give any shape a flattering silhouette. Its
a summers dream of a dress it really is! - Vintage Era: 1980s
- Condition: New – tags removed
- Material: Cotton
-
I am so in love with this song, it brings back all sorts of memories for me and has been on played back, pulled back and rewound all this week. ;-)
“…It’s important, we communicate
and tune the fate of this union, to the right pitch…”
Friday, Friday, Friday where have you been? TGIF to the fullest! Hope you all have had a blessed week :- ) mine has been playful yet productive, so its all good!
This is not your average #FF post; I went ALL OUT this week to bring you the mother of all fashion Friday posts… thus far. I usually have an idea about what I want to feature for fashion Friday as I collect ideas and trends from magazines, and twitter. However, this Friday my aim is to share with you some of the things I have collected for myself, and not look for inspiration but possibly be an inspiration.
#1) Sunglasses with chains!
I went into H&M in Oxford and came across these aviator type sunglasses, and I adore that they have a chain on them. I saw them and thought “yes”, where you have been all my life”. I know you can get a chain for glasses from your local opticians (but I think that is a bit OAP), and plus the chain matches the leather lining on the rim. I Love em!
#2) Big vs. Short hair
There seems to be two extremes in the world of hair this summer. Its big hair versus very short hair, and both battling it out for this summer. Mainstream media has showcased Cheryl Coles new big is beautiful hair whilst some of the most renowned make up and fashion artists are actually are saying ‘bald is beautiful’. I must say I sit on the fence with this top as in the past I have adorned big hair but deep down have always wanted to courage to just take it all off. Big hair screams glamour, glitz and character whilst at the same time there is something really jazzy and slick about a girl who can rock a very short cut, it simply ooozes confidence. Therefore I am sharing the spotlight between the two, and I would also like to give a bit thank you to Sheila (big hair), who I approached like a mad woman, but let me take a picture of her on the train all in the name of my blog & Tola (short hair) on of London’s other bloggettes in who has gone short and looks haute! ..follow her at christ-couture@blogspot.com
#3) Africa by day
Several high street retailers are incorporating ethnic and African inspired designs and styles into their collections, and I think it’s great. Having been born in Africa but raised in the UK, it’s a perfect fit of authentic but western culture. Below is a African print dress I bought in April that I have paired with a chunky green necklace and matching ring that I got from the Vitality in Earls Court. I would probably watch it with some black leggings and some navy plue platform heels. I would most likely tie my hair up to :- ) Let me know what you think!
Some celebrities who have been representing African print this spring/summer (Nia Long, Solange Knowles, Rihanna)
#4)
Sparkles by night
As much as I love the bright ethnic prints for the day, I am also feeling a lot fo the glits and sequins that is embroidering many evening party out fits for this season to! In last weeks #FF I expressed my love for sleeveless blazers, and one of my favourite I found was a black sequin sleevless blazer (click on this link if you would like a quick reminder). On a hunt for sexy sequins I managed to get a really good price on some divalicious garments, the first is a sequin blazer (not sleveless unfortunately, and a H&M sequin dress…both under £20). If you want to know how, inbox me and I will tell you my dirty little secret!
Last but never least #5) H&M Dress £9.99 reduced from £14.99
H&M’s Loose-fitting chiffon dress with flounces and hook-and-eye fasteners at the front. My friend bought this dress in (same day I got my sunglasses with straps) and I thought it was very beautiful in addition to being very affordable. In fact I didn’t even know it was on sale until I checked on the website today, so for of you who didn’t know it was on sale, now you know :- ) Here is a picture of my friend wearing it, plus some different style suggestions from H&M.
Here is the link to the H&M dressing room:
http://www.hm.com/gb/dressingroom/LADIES?lid=Look_0003265
Hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely weekend.
L x
Without getting too deep for a Monday morning, I felt I should post this for anyone who still thinks that the sky is the limit, considering that here are footprints on the moon. One way of the other we often find ourselves creating our own boundaries and limitations, and having read this verse today I thought it may be good to share. Even if it inspires one person to have a better perspective this morning it will be worth it.
Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.”
— Iyanla Vanzant
Iyanla Vanzant from the book ‘Acts of Faith’ I would recommend the book, as I have actually had to replace it three times! Have a good week people!
