by ivis | Apr 17, 2020 | Beauty, Lifestyle
Ever since I can remember I have been obsessed with skincare, I remember when I was 13 I used to spend ridiculous amounts of money on skincare, I’d literally buy the most random of skincare products not knowing that all of them catered to different skin types loool. The craziest thing about it was the fact that my skin was perfect, the only thing I ever used to suffer from was heat rash in summer. It wasn’t until I turned 15 that I realised what type of skin I had (oily/ combination) and it was then that I began buying products specific to my skin. It was a tough road but we got there in the end haha! OMG I remember there was a time when my parents stopped giving me my allowance because they thought that I bought useless things with it (funny IK) so I started making my own homemade face masks and facials and every time I’d put one on someone in this damn house would lecture me on how I’m ruining my skin, I literally couldn’t do anything in peace! So for me, if I won the lottery you can be certain that my skin would never see a bad day, as in every day of the year would be a good skincare day for me! That’s facts!
I was googling the worlds most expensive facials and I stumbled on the Ruby facial which Mila Kunis made famous, hence why she’s today’s cover photo/ Mila Kunis’s $7,000 facial got a ton of attention online. a few years ago and apparently the procedure uses precious stones, including rubies and diamonds, that work as antioxidants for the skin to create create a ‘lustrous sheen.’ During the treatment, you’re also given an ice cube to suck on, which is said to reduce puffiness. Then after your face has been rubbed in these magnificent jewels, the specialist finishes your facial off with a paraffin silk fibre facial. The treatment was created by, Scott-Vincent Borba, founder and CEO of BORBA, a skincare products company.
An editor from ALLURE tried out a 20-minute express version of the treatment and here’s how she described her experience;
I have to say, it was relaxing and unbelievably indulgent: after washing my face, Borba exfoliated my skin by rubbing on crushed diamonds and then rubies (yup, again, you read that right!). Next, Borba layered on a lactic acid peel to stimulate cell turnover (it tingled a bit), and then ran ultrasonic hot and cold wands over my skin, followed by a blast of red LED light. The cold galvanic wand really did feel amazing (especially after the hot wand) and helped de-puff my usually stubborn under-eye bags. Even better, my complexion looked more even after the facial. But in the likely event that my opinion was skewed by this facial’s hefty price tag, I decided to ask Jeannette Graf, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in New York City, to weigh in. “Since the wands are heated and cooled to particular temperatures that won’t burn the skin, they can help with lymphatic drainage and circulation. Red LED light is good for collagen [production],” says Graf. “But there is no data or study that I have found that state precious gems are better than any other type of exfoliation.” Ah well, at least there’s something to be said for feeling like a million bucks.
Ruby facial strum – Click Here
by ivis | Apr 16, 2020 | Fashion
As well as Pastry, Baby phat is also another brand that reminds me so much of my childhood. I was a die-hard Simmons fan growing up, I watched every single one of their reality tv shows. Watching Life in the fab lane made me crave a career in fashion, more specifically, a career as a fashion designer. Kimora Lee had 8 year old me thinking that I could conquer the fashion industry – I remember seeing her close every baby phat show and I’d tell my brothers “that’s gonna be me one day.” I used to spend my weekends and holidays sketching clothing designs and my brother ended up keeping a folder of every design I ever made good or bad (he’s honestly been my biggest supporter and fan from the very second I stepped foot into this world!). Kimora Lee was the BOSS ASS BITCH of the 2000s and no one can ever tell me different!!!
Before there was Fashion Nova, there was Baby Phat – the women’s streetwear brand that epitomized everything we hate and love about early 2000s fashion; low rise jeans, velour tracksuits, flip phones, jewelled belts, boot cut jeans, mini skirts and basically everything you identify the early 2000s with! Baby phat didn’t follow trends, they started them. The streetwear brand began 22 years ago in 1998 as an extension of the Phat Farm men’s label under Mr Russell Simmons’ Phat Fashions company. Like I mentioned in my Pastry post, at the time women’s streetwear brands hardly existed and the ones that did were just feminized version of the men’s and their ads all seemed to cater to the male gaze – in literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the male viewer, however, what was different about Baby Phat was the fact that they centred women. It was created and designed by a woman who was fiercely independent and strong! Like I said before Kimora Lee was the BOSS ASS BITCH of the 2000s and no one can ever tell me different! Women’s empowerment was at the core of the Baby Phat from the start. Ads presented Kimora living the Fab life, whilst men catered to her! In the world of Baby Phat, Kimora was THE President.
But the one thing that I loved the most about this brand growing up was simply the fact that they brought so much empowerment to black women in a time where we were not represented in the industry. Baby Phat runway shows were a celebration of black fashion, before the rest of the industry deemed it “cool”. Kimora hired black models, black designers and she even tapped rappers like Lil Kim to walk in the fashion show, she invited black magazine editors to sit front row, and she even hired a black publicist. Let’s also not forget just how innovative Baby Phat was, Kimora released a signature pink Baby Phat Prepaid Rush Visa Card which offered a 10% discount on online Baby Phat purchases, she was the first designer to show at Radio City Music Hall in 2006 and became the first designer to livestream her show via Jumbotron in Times Square in 2009, giving spectators an “in” on a typically exclusive event (and a now-common practice for brands reaching audiences online). I will keep repeating it so you can all get it into your heads, Kimora Lee was the BOSS ASS BITCH of the 2000s and no one can ever tell me different! A TRUE QUEEN!
Unlike Pastry, Baby Phat is now well and truly back in business. Last year in 2019 it made it’s comeback with Kimora’s daughters Aoki and Ming being the stars of the campaign. Since its initial partnership and launch with Forever 21 in December of 2019, the brand has released solo collections, and now, it has partnered with Footlocker for its first-ever women’s collection.
by ivis | Apr 15, 2020 | Beauty
A long-lasting, crease-resistant concealer is a must! Concealer is a must-have for my makeup bag, for me, I cannot live without it – to me, it is more of an essential than foundation and powder because of the number of things it offers for my face; it not only covers up any dark circles under my eyes but it also covers breakouts, blemishes and dark spots to even out skin, while it can also double up as a highlighter and/ or colour corrector. And in summer it’s more essential than ever, especially for the days when it’s too hot to wear a full face of makeup and because of the fact that the days are longer so you need something that won’t move through the day aka sweat off your face.
These are the 3 reasons waterproof concealers is the only makeup product you need for the rest of your life;
It doesn’t budge
It’ll keep uneven skin, fine lines and dark circles away all day long. Waterproof concealer will keep your eyes looking big no matter how little sleep you’re getting or how active you’ll be throughout the day. Test it out at the gym if you don’t believe me.
Gives the illusion of clear skin?
A waterproof concealer topped with a little setting powder will have everyone thinking you have the most flawless of skins!
Waterproof Makeup Is the New Thing
More and more, waterproof makeup — from foundation and concealer to mascara, blush, lipstick and more — is popping up everywhere as women are looking for cosmetics that will actually stay put. These new formulas will finally allow you to spend the day out in the sun, in the office or out with your friends without having to touch anything up.
Here are my favourites;
Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer Concealer
MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer
Make- Up Forever Full Cover Concealer
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer
by ivis | Apr 14, 2020 | Fashion
Don’t hate me for the title lol. I could not think of anything, I had a writer’s block moment. Ik it’s super cringe but I could not bring myself to just call this post ‘Denim’, do you know how dead that sounds?? Sorry not sorry x
I don’t think a year goes by where I do not talk about denim on my blog, it’s just something that everyone should own, just like how salt is the basic and a foundation for anything you’re cooking, denim is the basic essential you should have in your wardrobe whether that be a denim dress, jacket, jeans, shirt, shorts. If you don’t own anything denim then I just assume that you’re a weirdo who spends most of their time participating as a nudist (I’m joking lol, don’t kill me. fashion is subjective like I always say). But seriously, if you’re going to purchasing one thing from my blog this year and in the years to come it has to be one denim item. Denim is TIMELESS and to be honest it is probably as timeless as it gets within this industry! It will never go out of fashion, nor will it ever be uncool. In addition to this, denim LASTS, it goes with anything and everything so in a way its also an investment. This is the one staple that EVERYONE needs in their wardrobe and I will forever scream this until everyone I know owns at least one denim item. And that’s on PERIOD!
by ivis | Apr 13, 2020 | Travel
Welcome to part two of my European Roadtrip! So our first official stop was Saarbrücken, again I had to get schooled on my geography because I thought that this place was in Germany, which technically it is but it actually isn’t at the same time. It is basically the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany and Saarland is a forested, southwestern German state bordered by France and Luxembourg. Saarbrücken is known to be a place where you will get a combination of both French and German influences.
https://trip101.com/article/best-things-to-do-saarbrucken-germany
This was just a pit stop though before we started our actual journey, you see you have to do a ton of prep before you start a 2-week adventure, you need to make sure you have all the essentials aka alcohol and snacks (my dry humour is the worst). On a more serious note tho, I have to say this city is so beautiful as you can see from the pictures above the streets are pretty af, are you guys seeing the pastel-coloured walls??? I am obsessed!! I can’t really say anything about this place because we were only there for a matter of hours, however, I have attached a link above this text for you guys in case you’re curious and want to actually go there yourselves.
The next morning we FINALLY began road trip and it took us about 8 hours I think to get from Saarbrücken to Liechtenstein and I have to applaud Julian because I don’t know how he did it, I’m the type of person that as soon as I get in a car or coach I instantly fall asleep. If you want me to be quiet just get me in a car and I’ll KO within 10 minutes. So if I ever do this again I can never be the designated driver because really and truly that is an accident waiting to happen. And I am being deadly serious, ask any of my family members, they get annoyed at me every single time! It’s so weird because I can have the best sleep ever but as soon as I know I’m gonna be in the car for longer than 30 minutes I’m gone.
We made a pitstop in a little village called Dunningen and we walked into this little Cafe and I kid you not it was as if these people had never seen black people in their lives. The stares my cousin and I received, I felt like I was a celebrity or something, these people were so fascinated by the idea that we were in their village – more time they were probably scared we were gonna rob them looool. But I guess that’s something you have to be cautious with when road tripping in Europe as a person of colour, you need to be careful where you go and stop because unlike the U.K. where people are covertly racist in Europe people are overtly racist so you need to be prepared – I have been lucky enough to have never experienced any form of racism whilst on holiday in Europe, thank god but I feel like one day I will definitely do a blog post on the most dangerous/ safest places for black people to travel because I know a lot of us love travelling but sometimes we have to be careful where we go because we don’t want to end up in any sticky situations.
One thing I need you guys to understand is that Switzerland is EXPENSIVE so please if you don’t have money money don’t even bother because you are literally going to bankrupt yourself, the food prices in this place are ridiculous. We went to an Italian restaurant for lunch and I think between the three of us we spend around 278 euros and we got 3 plates of pasta, a cheese platter and 3 glasses of white wine. To this day that is the most I have ever spent in a restaurant. I even remember when I did work experience at Latham the lawyers there always spoke about how expensive Switz is and I mean I was mentally prepared but I was still in shock, imagine a shot of expresso starts at 7 euros!! This place is literally made for the rich, there’s no space for poverty loooool.
Our first night was pretty chill, we ordered takeout (we really took in the culture as you can see) and we played drinking games. I don’t know about you but that was the best way to start the trip, we learnt so much about each other and had the best time! This was also the first time I actually got crashed the boat aka got super drunk. The night ended with me in falling asleep with my head in the toilet and everytime my friends tell me about that day I cringe a little inside – compared to my friends I’m a heavyweight but that day I really overestimated myself. The next day I woke up STILL drunk and we went on what I would call mine and Yolanda’s version of a hike, which would be driving up mountains instead of walking a trail and taking cute pictures hahaha (we share genes so we think alike).
I feel like this is so cliche and people always say it but there’s something so peaceful about being surrounded by the mountains. I just felt so at peace. The views there are so scenic, pictures and videos do not do Liechtenstein justice, until I go to an island this will remain to be the most beautiful place I have visited!
by ivis | Apr 9, 2020 | Fashion
So as you all know, last week I did a blog post entitled ‘Throwback Thursday’, here I gave you guys a number of urban wear brands from the late 90s and 2000s that dominated black culture, however, I didn’t give you any background information on those brands so this is where this series comes in. I am going to educate you on these brands and show you why they should never be forgotten starting with pastry shoes!
Launched in March 2007 Pastry came at a time when sneakers weren’t a big thing among girls/ women. Pastry Shoes was founded by Vanessa and Angela Simmons in order to allow young girls to create unique looks in order to express themselves. Pastry Shoes were designed to be “sweet, chic, and unique”.
At the time of their launch, people were dressing like Serena and Blair from Gossip girl and our favourite 90210 characters. Sneakers were a thing for boys/men, they were not worn for fashion but for sport and dancing hence why Pastry marketed themselves as the number one dancing shoe in the US at the time. Sisters Vanessa and Angela Simmons were the faces and designers of the brand which is one of the reasons why the brand excelled so much in its time – having two famous founders gave the brand the kind of built-in marketing engine no amount of advertising could buy. In a way, they opened the way for influencer marketing, these two started their brand on their father’s reality TV show – runs house and fans were able to follow their entire journey, from the initial idea to their actual shoe launch garnering a huge fan base. In addition to this, the brand utilised social networking sites like Facebook and myspace to push their brand, here they would post video blogs of the sisters and new ads/ promotions. This brand was clearly ahead of its time and it breaks my heart to know that pastry is no longer what it used to be, it hardly even exists.
As mentioned before, the brand launched when customers wanted something loud and fresh. “From the bold colours to the fresh silhouettes, Pastry is right where it needs to be,”. The shoes came into the market at a good time because no other brands were doing what they brought to the market. People recognised this and that’s why fashion enthusiasts like myself fell in love with the brand. I remember these were all that I ever used to talk about and then my brother got me them in 2011 (literally just before they died out) and I wore them everywhere I went, from that point no other shoe mattered, even if it didn’t go with my outfit I still wore them. These were the first pair of trainers I adored and probably the start of my sneaker addiction! But now looking back on these shoes I cringe a little because I could never imagine my ever wearing these with my sense of style now, they’re what you call a true ugly sneaker, however at the time I was a child so if they were ever to come back into fashion I think they’d be great as a children’s shoe. The bright colours and patterns just make sense for children.
by ivis | Apr 8, 2020 | Beauty
Can you believe that we’re still in quarantine and it’s spring???? This is definitely not how I imagined 2020 would turn out but I mean things can’t really get any worse, can they? But I just want to ask God one question, why did you have to bring the U.K. nice weather during a PANDEMIC, as in you chose now to show us sunshine??? I can’t wear my summer outfits in my own house, they need to be shown off along with my beautiful face, this is not my portion!
The only good thing about this whole situation is the fact that it’s given me some extra time to perfect my makeup skills. I kid you not, I am the laziest person when it comes to makeup. When I first started getting into blogging, makeup was one of my biggest decisions and for a while, all that ever spent my money on but somewhere down the line I just wasn’t feeling it anymore and my makeup skills completely went out of the window which was not good because I’m one of those people who like to be good at everything they try and me and a full face of makeup have not vibed together since 2018. For years I have been a less is more girl as I mention every year when I post beauty trends on my blog, I just love the look I get when I do a no foundation look and only do concealer, powder and highlighter. That is one makeup look I can say I have perfected. It’s my signature look – dewy natural skin. For the years I have confused people when I tell you the number of people that believe that it’s my natural complexion, the only person that can tell I have makeup on is my mother (but what do mums not know). However, I am an adult now, I’m a whole 19 so it’ probably time I grew to up and got a grip and started practising a full face. I am telling you by the end of this year I will be Jackie Aina. I will have this whole makeup thing in the bag and who knows I might even end up giving you guys some tutorials.
When you see the trends of this spring/summer you’ll completely understand where I am coming from when I say that I need to relocate my passion for makeup and actually do it properly this time around because the days of no-makeup makeup looks seem to be over! It’s time for makeup enthusiasts to shine and I will not be left behind!
Here are my faves from this year;
Double Decker Falsies
Neon Lips
Accentuated Inner Corners
Wet Look Lips
Less is More
60s Winged Liner
Embellished eyes
Ombre Eyeshadow
by ivis | Apr 6, 2020 | Travel
When I tell you the law of attraction is so real, I cannot express to you how powerful words are! Essentially, the law of attraction states that whatever consumes your thoughts is what you will eventually get in life. So, if you think of all the things you don’t want in your life, you’ll only get the things you don’t want. In other words, “thoughts can become things” and we have the ability to create our own realities. Therefore positive affirmations will 99% of the time result in the life you want to live. However what most people don’t understand when it comes to speaking things into existence (I think I have mentioned this in one of my decade posts) is the fact that you need to work towards your affirmations, you can not say that you will be a millionaire and just sit at home expecting the universe to deliver. As much as life is about luck, it is also about hard work! But another thing that people also need to understand is that the universe may not give you exactly what you want or deliver in the way you expected but in the end, you will eventually be where you’re meant to be, things that “don’t go to plan” often end up being the things that change your life for the better, help you find happiness and move you away from things that were never really right for you. Rejection is the best redirection!
Sorry for the spiritual waffle but I had to give you guys some context on my trip. I remember from the minute I started high school I had always said that I would interracial across Europe with my friends when I turn 18 but as you can tell by the title that didn’t happen, instead I got to road trip across Europe with my cousin and it has to be the best experience of my entire life and I am so grateful every day that I got to do that! We spent 2 weeks travelling in a range rover like the bouijee bitches that we are lol (the two of us would not last an hour on an interracial train because we’re high maintenance af) – we went to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Itlay and ended our trip in the south of France. Anyone who has ever thought of going on a road trip I would 100% recommend it, it’s a memory that I will treasure for my entire life and definitely something I wanna do when I have a family of my own. Imagine how amazing it would be to go on an adventure full of culture with your husband and children! I can’t wait!!!
I remember at the start of the year I had proclaimed that I had wanted to travel a lot in 2019 but God delivered in ways I could never have imagined and I am forever grateful that I went to so many places last year and I cannot wait to give you guys more of an insight into my personal life because I feel like I never really let you in on my life as an individual, I just voice my opinions on the things I blog about. But I mean there’s no better time to start a new blog series than RN, after all, we have all the time in the world in this self-isolation period. And who knows, I might give you guys a little inspiration on where to go when all of this is over! Stay safe and keep hoping!
Stop One – Luxembourg
So my cousin actually lives in Luxembourg and this is where I started my journey. I had always thought that Luxembourg was in the South of France but it turns out that it’s actually surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany. This is one of the world smallest countries and without a doubt the cleanest and safest country I have ever been to as well! This girl told me she lived in the ghetto, so being from England I was expecting the worst, but I soon realised that what I would refer to as ghetto is completely different to what Luxembourgers refer to as a ghetto. – there was literally a cute bakery across the road and a Sephora less than 15ft away. Literally everyone in this country is the definition of class – from the way they live to their etiquette to where they shop to where they eat and what eat. I felt like I had entered a completely new world and I loved it! If I was to ever become a country it would be Luxembourg, it is me in so many ways; everything in that city/country is luxurious, stylish, classy, clean and just wow.
I was only here for about a day and a half but can I just say how expensive McDonalds in that country is loool – when I saw the prices best believe I almost had a heart attack. It’s quite a small city so I spent my day touring and entering luxury boutiques and this has to be my favourite thing about Luxembourg; their customer service is undefeated. Have you noticed that when you walk into the likes of Gucci, Chanel and YSL etc here in the U.K. the workers look at you as if you can’t afford the items their selling, over there it’s the complete opposite and they treat you with the uttermost respect, they treat everyone who walks in the same, they do not discriminate which is why you will never catch me at Champs-Élysées, Luxembourg is my number one when it comes to luxury shopping!
Here are some pictures from my day in Luxembourg;
LUXEMBOURG 2019
by ivis | Apr 2, 2020 | Fashion
I think you can all agree with me when I say Hip hop and fashion have always been intertwined, I mean where do you think streetwear came from? In my opinion, Black Hip Hop artists invented streetwear! No one can ever tell me they didn’t. The Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy literally put Versace on the map for so many black youths back in the day. Then we have Aaliyah who pretty much made Tommy Hilfiger a household name after posing in heavily rotated commercials and advertisements for the brand in the ‘90s and let’s not forget the fact that whenever anyone ever dresses like Aaliyah they always incorporate Tommy Hilfiger. However, many of these signs of affection often went unreciprocated and to be fair today, still do. Look at the number of black artists that wear/ rap about these brands yet how many of them cast black models for their shows/ invite rappers to their shows. These brands don’t appreciate us as much as we appreciate them which is why we see rappers like Jhus and singers like Rihanna starting their own luxury brands. Just like back then these lines are our answer to the corporate white world that wants so desperately to shut us out.
As of now streetwear is at its peak and stronger than ever which is why I thought why not do a Throwback Thursday. In today’s blog post we’re going back down memory lane and checking out some of the Urban brands that defined the late 90s/ early 2000s because before the Migos rapped about “Versace” or Lil Yachty linked up with Nautica, hip hop fashion looked a lot different! LL Cool J was always seen in FUBU, Jay-Z had a closet filled with RocaWear, and everyone wore Sean John. Anyone who grew up in that era knows that those were the brands to be seen in!! Fuck Gucci belts and LV bags, it was all about AUTHENTIC URBAN WEAR. Think Phat Farm polos and apple bottom jeans (yes that was an actual brand, not just a catchy song). Sadly, more than 20 years these clothing lines have all but vanished from the public consciousness.
If you’re wondering where I got this inspiration from, I was basically cleaning our attic (or loft) the other day when I came across a bunch of my brothers’ old clothes and I just instantly felt so nostalgic. I know I was too young to apart of that culture, however, I remember being 5 and I used to take pictures of my brother in these brands, he would literally wear them from head to toe. If I could show you the pictures I would because he was honestly the epitome of a 90s black child – he had it all – the baggy jeans, sweatshirts etc but I’m 100% he’d kill me ahaha. Back then never could I have imagined me writing a blog post about how much I miss those brands and how I would be stealing them to wear for myself as part of my summer wardrobe.
The 90s and early 2000s witnessed the rise of the “for us, by us” mentality, an era of innovation and entrepreneurship within the hip-hop community. By staking a claim in the fashion world and turning their labels into multi-million dollar companies, black business owners and rappers rivalled the Ralph Laurens and Tommy Hilfigers of the world by creating label-based clothing we could relate to. But somewhere down the line the baggy jeans, oversized sweatshirts, and label-ridden clothing fell off the fashion radar, rappers stopped sporting FUBU hats and started looking back to Paris and Milan, to a legacy that was not created with them in mind.
Pastry
Baby Phat
Phat Farm
Fubu
Akademiks
Rocawear
Billionaire Boys Club
Sean John
Pelle Pelle
Karl Karni
Cross Colours
Enyce
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