See You in a Minute

Ello ello, 

I'm almost done re-doing my website but there are a few things here and there that need to be finished up first. This means that I might be missing in action for a a couple of days as I sort things out - sorry! Just so you know, the new site will be: www.thisisess.com

I already have a few posts planned out that I believe you'll enjoy including a post on nail polish, hair, outfit and a new series I want to introduce on This Is Ess!

In the meantime, keep smiling. 

Later!

Pimp my Cam

 Look who got a makeover?! 

FAFA 2012 was the shiznit.

.

This was my second fashion event to ever attend and I must add, the best too.

Hair Journey: Length Check and New Products

 So the time has finally come for a length check.

Friendships

Mary & Marion

I’ve read (and come to see for myself) that most of us naturally inclined to speak and be heard rather than the reverse. It’s natural, human even, but it’s something that I try to be aware of every time I’m around someone and especially someone new.

Am I sharing too much with this person/friend/acquaintance? Does she/he really give a damn about my issues? Moreso, do I care about the stories that they choose to share with me?

This past Friday, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Marion, had her surprise hens night and I'm officially on a mission to attend at least one bachelorette party every month. Feel free to pass on the numbers of brides-to-be. It was my first ever hens night and between you and me, I think I was taking down notes faster than she was ;)

But this post is not even really about the hens night or the juicy secrets that were let loose that night. It’s not even about the fact that there’s a lot more you can do with a bowl of warm water than you probably realise - and I mean a lot.

This post is about a girl called Mary.

Like I said, I’ve read (and come to realise for myself) that most of us are naturally inclined to speak and be heard rather than the reverse. So when I arrived early for Marion’s bachelorette party and found Mary there, I spoke. But, and this is important, Mary listened and observed and seemed to genuinely care. I don’t know how I can explain how special and different and caring I thought she was and it’s not like I don’t have people in my life who I can speak to. It’s just that her response was truly heart-warming. It humbled me to see someone who I barely know want the best for me and my hope is to do the same for someone this week. 

Anyway, I just wanted to talk about Mary and all her awesomeness for a second. No doubt Marion chose wisely when she picked her as her maid of honour.

To Marion,

I wish you countless joyful moments and blessings in your marriage.

To Mary,

You touched a heart. May yours be filled with a thousand happy moments in return.

To You,

Get out there and make someone’s day already. 

Girl got Benched

 For some reason creating titles with the words "Girl" and "Bench" is a key part of my blogging this week. 

Same Girl, Same Bench

 Who can resist a maxi skirt with cherries on it? 

First there was a girl. Then there was a bench.

 I'm baaaaccckk!!!

I feel like I haven't blogged for weeks although in reality it's only been 3 days, 21 hours and 13 minutes. But who's counting?

Style Crush: Tifa in Office Wear

Now ain't she a cutie?

Blankets and Wine - STYLE RECAP!

 This post is brought to you proudly by my late discovery of what some of you know as The Obvious. 

My very first Video!!

I'm so excited to have been able to put together my very first video! There was lipstick on my teeth, several interruptions and noisy production assistants but what's a first video without all the little hiccups?

I filmed it from my room and got the fairy lights idea from one of my favourite YouTube gurus (Dulce Candy) and thought it was quite fitting seeing as Christmas is just round the corner! 

Hope you had a lovely Monday people
:)

Let me Love you

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to put as the title of this post so I did the next best thing: went to my iTunes and chose one of the first songs I landed on (which also happens to be one of my current favs). Let me love you by Ne-Yo.

October was the bomb dot com

If October were a human, I would wrap my arms around her and squeeze. 

Tight.

Hearts, Flowers and a lovely French Restaurant

As dead as a __________ .

Hair Journey: Treatments and Essential oils

Hey you!

Mixing Textures and Cute Bows

 Happy Saturday boys and girls!

New In: Otenge Studs and The Candle House Soap

About two weeks ago I got an email from Pauline, a lovely reader and jewellery designer who'd landed on my blog upon seeing it on Nkirote's blog - Revealed - (thanks Nkirote!), and noted that I was wearing one of her earrings here. I had bought these studs earlier this year from Daisy who'd actually sourced them from Pauline.. 

Hair Journey - Moisturisers Review plus a cool measuring t-shirt!

 Happy Monday hair lovers!

Breaking Rules - Black Navy

Hair Journey - The Beginning.

{the good ol' uni days}

Something like the 70s

Apologies for slacking on the blog front. Life seems to have hit me like a whirlwind.. 

Orange Cardigans and Embellished Tops

People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. ~ Lee Mildon

Star Jump, Family, Jacaranda, Resigning, Blog & Bob

Friends,

I feel like talking today.

Swahili Fashion Week - Designers PART THREE

Some more designers' pieces from Swahili Fashion Week! 

As usual, I'd love to know which one's your favourite :)

Swahili Fashion Week - Designers PART TWO

Two blog posts in a span of 5 hours. 

I'm breaking records over here.

Swahili Fashion Week: Designers PART ONE

Swahili Fashion Week - Backstage

 Who would have thought that it would have been possible for a blogger to get backstage passes at the Swahili Fashion Week??

Swahili Fashion Week - My Outfit

I feel a little bit like a princess in this skirt.

50,000 hits, Business Cards & Swahili Fashion Week Outfit

The reception I've been getting lately regarding my blog has been so overwhelming.

serious as a Heart attack

You know how just the other day I was crying for summer? Well I'm over it...

Solange, this one's for you.

 If you haven't yet heard Losing You by Solange, you're a little lame. Just a little. 

But fear not, all can be rectified if you just click on this link and lose yourself in her melody and cool dance moves. 

You can thank me later. 

This is going to be a long one people

New In: Maasai Market and A Bar of Soap

Gumboots. Wellingtons. It's all the same thing.

Soaking in some sun while it's still out 

How To: Earrings Storage Solutions!

*cue sales lady’s voice*

Ever wondered how you can stop your earrings from becoming a tangled mess? Or how to keep each pair together so that you don’t spend precious seconds trying to find them? Perhaps you just simply want a cute display that allows you to visualise which pair would go perfectly with your outfit?

10 Ways to Wear the Little White Dress (LWD)!!

I think the LWD is one of the most versatile pieces any woman can have in her wardrobe! To show just how versatile it is, I decided to put together 10 different looks for 10 different occasions.

The Creased Life and Big Square

I may have a big head.. But only literally.

Guys, is it me or is my head to body ratio quite disproportional in this picture? My head looks gigantic. 

I would love to reassure you that my head is the average kind of size in real life, whatever average may be, but my brother, Jeff, would beg to differ. I bet if you asked him whether I had a big head in real life, he’d pull out a watermelon, point to it and go “and then some.”

Zebu

Blazer - Meltz (SA); Strapless top - Zebu; Pants - Toi Market; Wedges - Jet; Clutch - Kariokor Market; Necklace - Olamide Kenya; Studs - Woolworths; 

Sorta Suited Up

 Top and Skirt - Toi Market; Belt - Forever 21; Cuff - Maasai Market; Earrings - Mother's; Wedges - thrift store in Melbourne; Nail Polish - Golden Rose #88

I am having a minor panic attack..

Guys, I really don't know what to wear. I kid you not, I've been staring at my closet for about 30 minutes now and nothing. And before that I was lying in bed trying to figure out what today's outfit is going to look like but nada.. And you know it's not like I don't have clothes, I'm just not sure how to pair them. Gaaah. 

Have I lost my mojo? 

I have a meeting in an hour and half. 

The pressure. 

In other news, I learnt how to do this cool trick with Binti yesterday thanks to my good friend Thabs. 

It involves low exposure, phones and total darkness. 

And a little bit of awesomeness of course. 

Cool huh?

If you look closely you can actually see my silhouette behind the letter.

THE PHOTOSHOOOT!!!

WOW. 

I've typed and erased, typed and erased, typed and erased my words several times now. I'm not sure I know how to express how grateful I am at this moment. 

Makena, thank you so much for approaching me to do this photoshoot. I feel so humbled and honoured and excited to have been a part of such a fun project!! I think the pictures turned out great and can't wait to work with you again in the future.

Kalumu, few people would have been as patient with me as you were when it came to doing my eye make up. You should know that the set of eyelashes you used on me still sit on my dresser as a reminder of the unforgettable day. 

Grassy Knoll, Jackiwa, Olamide KE

These pictures were taken while I was out for lunch with the family at Grassy Knoll in Karen. Been there before? How did you like their food?

Hey I met Clark Kent!! Only it wasn't really Clark Kent.

 On Saturday my mum and I had the pleasure of attending a lovely event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was held by the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation and was in honour of 31 women who had just finished an intensive five day workshop on Internet marketing. It was lovely seeing these women, some of whom were as old as 60, proudly showcase the websites they'd successfully designed during this short period of time. There's something so empowering about being in a room full of smart, confident and eloquent women who want to see their business through to the next level. It's never easy taking on a challenge as daunting as putting together a website, especially when you've got no prior experience to it, so I was truly in awe of their hard work. I wish all the participants of the workshop the best in their endeavours! 

I'm not scared of lions and tigers and bears..

..but I'm scared of loving you.

~ Jazmine Sullivan. 

Let's talk hair

For a long time now I have been completely obsessed with caring for and growing my hair. 

If wishes were horses

 Blazer - Cotton On (SA); Top - Can't remember but the tag says "Lucy in the Sky" ??? Tights - Milady's (SA); Shoes - Edgars (SA); Bag - The Mall, Westlands; Bracelets - Mother's

 If I had a shilling for every time my face made a face, I would be in Zanzibar right now sipping on a strawberry margarita and living the life. 

If wishes were horses:

1. Binti would realise when and how to automatically switch herself off. 

I pulled her out of my camera bag only to find that I'd left her on for about a day.. It took me most of the day to get her to work like a normal camera again. Gaaah! The torture. 

2. I would have an entire drawer full of black socks.. 

Black socks are pretty much the ultimate possession in my house.  

3. I would be in Lamu right now.. 

..enjoying the warmth of the sun and reading myself into a sweet, sweet siesta. 

4. Wendy Nguyen from Wendy's Lookbook would comment on one of my posts. 

Can I get an Amen? 

5. Dorman's wouldn't be closed by 9pm. 

How am I supposed to indulge in some late night RVC? 

No, really.. how?

Want to know what's in my bag?

A couple weeks ago Neema from The Bantu Girl tagged me in a What's in My Bag post. 

I panicked.

Why? Well:

1) Neema's bag seemed like it was put together by a very organised and neat person. You should check out her what's in my bag post here.. You'll see what I mean.

2) I am neither organised nor neat. My bag is often full of receipts, wrappers, doubles ( I'll explain this later), cables and other random crap.. Half the time I'm not sure my hand knows what it's doing as it shoves more and more random stuff into my bag. It's cray. 

So after two weeks of procrastinating, I cleaned out my bag, finally stopped panicking and put together this post. 

Neema seems like such a lovely girl by the way! Make sure you check out her amazing blog.

The Bag:

I'm currently using this beautiful teal bag that I got from The Mall in Westlands for KES1,500 (less than $20). Let's have 1,500 cheers for good deals and great bags people!

Not only is it beautiful but it's also sturdy and the finishes are great. I think the teal and brown colours work gorgeously together and I also love that it's got gold hardware as I tend to wear a lot of gold-toned accessories. 

I believe it's made out of pleather which may or may not be a good thing depending on whether you know your pleather. 

I don't. 

Contents: 

Now you know how I mentioned that my bag usually contains doubles? I don't exactly know when it happened or why but I find myself putting more than one version of a particular item in my bag. Like these sunglasses. And the lip balms. And pens. Wipes. Tissues. Hand sanitizers. Notebooks.. Perhaps it's the thought of running out or losing one and knowing that I'm covered because I have the other that gives me comfort. 

Top Sunglasses - Aldo

Bottom Sunglasses - Random Street Vendor

Wallet - Nine West

Eraser. 

I wish I could give you a good reason as to why I have an eraser in my bag but I've got nothing for ya. I just happened to be in a stationery shop (I love stationery by the way) and picked up a few pens and an eraser which now lives in my bag. Who knows, there might come a day where this eraser saves the world. Or something like that. 

Body Shop Lip Balm in Passion

Smith's Lip Balm in Strawberry

Earphones

Hair brush. 

I've had this for years now and I absolutely love it. Got it from Lipstick at Sarit. 

Fifty Shades of Grey 

{I always have a book in my bag. I'm pretty much done with this one and I'm contemplating getting the sequel.} 

A notebook. 

Tissues

Wet wipes

Beauty Factory Ginkgo Biloba Hand and Nail Cream 

Oh So Heavenly Hand Sanitiser

Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitiser

Clarins Perfume 

Make Up Bag

Tampons/Pads Bag

Phone

Notebook

License

Card Holder

I was talking to a friend and needed her to write something down for me so I quickly reached into my bag, pulled out an old reciept which I hurriedly un-crumpled and passed it to her. She didn't hesitate to point out that Savanis was just round the corner and that they sold nice notebooks. I bought that thing quick fast. 

Purple, Black and Pink pens.

~ The End ~

If you only had to pick three items to have in your handbag, what would they be??