Serious nail polish addiction

Lately, I haven't been able to shop without succumbing to the desire of buying a couple of nail polishes! 
As I buy so many so often, I tend to end up with several bottles of the same colour and have to give the extra ones to my friends! How many shades of blue does a girl need? In my case four is apparently a requisite. 


At least, I know who to blame for this: Rimmel and Kiko!


I believe that we are all familiar with Rimmel London, but have you heard of the Milanese make-up brand Kiko?
With stores in both Westfield shopping centres and an online shop, this little bijou has become my favourite when it comes to eyeshadow and, of course, nail polish!

Kiko's make-up comes in a variety of shades from pale to bright without forgetting the glittery ones.


The pigments present in the eyeshadows allow the vivid colour to stay on for longer! No need to apply tons of it as a little goes a long way!


The other reason why I love Kiko so much is for its pricing strategy!
With its products rivalizing with the ones in our usual drugstores in terms of pricing, the smart has found a way to distinguish itself by offering a far better quality which matches the ones of MAC or Bobbi Brown! 


On top of this, Kiko always seem to have some kind of sale on. I bought my eyeshadows in December 2011 for £3 each instead of the usual £4.90, and I offered myself 5 new nail lacquers on Saturday at £2.50 each! Not bad, isn't it? 

Vanessa
XOXO






Kiko Make-up Milano available at Westfield Straford, Westfield White City and http://www.kikocosmetics.com/eshop/uk/home


Rimmel London Make-up available nationwide



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Solange Knowles@the 6th Annual DKMS Linked Against Blood Cancer Gala

And that's how it's done!

Etani ♥ loves to salute women in all-walks-of-life so, it's only fair that I give my kudos to Solange! She looks absolutely stunning in this Stephane Rolland gown. The slick bun, minimalist make-up and single cuff let the sculptural yet modern dress do all the talking. Fabulous!

Vanessa

XOXO

P.S. None of the pictures used belong to Etani

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Etani ♥

I have my eyes set on this beautiful cross-over body Marc by Marc Jacobs bag. I've already got it in black, but this fuchsia tone is absolutely gorgeous! The colour is obviously spot on for summer. but imagine how it will brighten you up during those awfully-long winter months paired with a navy blue coat, black skinny jeans and ankle boots? 


Marc by Marc Jacobs
"Natasha Petal to the Metal" leather shoulder bag
£345 from net-a-porter.com


Vanessa
XOXO Follow @Etanihearts

Fashion Crush: Shingai Shoniwa

I absolutely love Shingai Shoniwa; the main vocalist and bassist of the Indie Rock band 'The Noisettes'. The British singer -who is of Zimbabwean descent- has a truly unique sense of style and rocks a fro like no one else! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKS6CCElozE&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR7Syud7uAc

Vanessa

XOXO

P.S. None of the pictures posted below belong to Etani.

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Natural Hair on the catwalk

The Natural Hair trend seems to have finally caught the eyes of the fashion power houses. More than ever before Black Models are walking down the catwalk sporting their Natural Afro Hair. 


Check out these pictures from Vogue Italia's recent shoot:

I love it, but what do you think?

Vanessa

XOXO

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Natural Curls

Every day more and more Black Women decide to stop relaxing their tresses and choose to wear their hair in Natural Afro-styles.


This movement has swept through America and is now quietly, but surely making its mark in Europe! Many reasons have been attributed to this trend:


With the economical downturn, women are feeling the financial strain of going to the hairdresser. In the UK a relaxer, treatment, trim and style can easily come up to £120 at a good, reliable and AFFORDABLE Afro-Carribean salon! When talking about reducing expenses it is a no-brainer why the hairdresser seems to be the first one to take the cut!


Women are becoming more reluctant to use relaxers due to the abrasive and harsh chemicals present in them. No matter which relaxer brand is used, no matter which type (lye, no-lye, base or no-base), no matter whom applies the product (hairdresser or mum), the straighten hair strand can become thinner, dryer and weaker than the naturally curly one. This often leads to breakage and in some severe cases to alopecia. 

After being bombarding with images of the 'perfect' woman (i.e. blond, blue-eyed, fake breasts, six-foot-tall, size zero bimbo), men and women are finally becoming more savvy and are accepting that beauty comes in different shapes, sizes and complexions!

There is a refusal to let society and mainstream media impose THEIR definition of beauty.

Black Women are embracing their Curly, Kinky and Coily Hair and are now proudly wearing it in various Afro-styles.  For many, sporting Natural Afro Hair is about self-acceptance.

Personally, I believe that a woman should be allowed to choose how she wants to wear her hair without being judged. If she wants to relax it, weave it, braid it, prefers to put a wig on it, then she should. 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! What is wrong is to give somebody else the power to define YOUR sense of beauty. Afro hair is as beautiful as Asian, Caucasian, Arabic and so on!
It just took us a little bit longer to realize that and to learn how to care for it!

Vanessa

XOXO

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