Not so hot curls!

As I've gone older, I've noticed that I am more and more reluctant to try out new things.

I've settled into some kind routine and I've become complaisant.

Whether it's regarding food, travels or clothes, I have some requirements and habits and tend to stick to them. I apply the same rule when it comes to my hair (or my daughter's). I'm not the one who will try out loads of products. Non!

I know what hairstyles suit me; doesn't matter what you may say, I will stick to what I am more comfortable with.

So, when my friend T came over to mine just as I was about to start to do some flat two-strand twists on my hair and offered to cornrow it, I was very quick to politely decline her offer. Unfortunately, T is one of these women who do not take no for answer.

So, despite all my usual prerequisites, I let her cornrow my hair. 

To my defense, it was a Wednesday evening. I had just come back from work and still needed to bath my daughter, wash her hair since she came back from nursery with a head full of sand, get her clothes and mine ready for the next day, and finish a bloody report on Excel for work. I was trying to do my hair she was finishing her dinner.

I was exhausted and a bit relieved at the prospect to have somebody taking care of me for a change.

The plaits came out pretty nicely but I was worried about the curl pattern I would achieve, or whether or not I would achieve any because the cornrows were inverted.

I went to bed and woke up to this:

 

I wasn't sold. I quickly dashed to the bathroom to co-wash my hair and create a wash and go style as quickly as I could.

I was obviously late for work.

T, your cornrows were lovely, but from now on I will continue to stick to what I know best! Merci!

Vanessa

XOXO

Follow @Etanihearts

Zoe Saldana @ the 2012 Teen Choice Awards

The Avatar actress attended the 2012 Teen Choice Awards which here held yesterday at the Gibson Ampitheatre in Universal City, CA.
She vowed her public by wearing a gorgeous retro-print top and skirt ensemble from Jonathan Saunders and the 'Vampanado' satin bow sandals from Christian Louboutin.

Posing with the surf board shaped award she picked for Choice Movie Actress: Action for her work in Colombiana

What do you think of her look?

Vanessa

XOXO

Disclaimer: None of the pictures above belong to me

Follow @Etanihearts

Music Crush: Imany

About three weeks ago, I opened my letter box to find a suspicious package labelled with the 'La Poste' logo (French royal mail).
I inspected the padded envelope and saw that it had been sent by my dear friend Fabrice. I eagerly ripped it open and to my great surprise and joy found, wrapped in a child-size white Ralph Lauren polo shirt, the album of Imany, the Franco-Comoran singer/songwriter (the shirt was obviously for his Godchild, my daughter).

Born in France from Comoran parents, Nadia Mladjao aka Imany began her career as a model after being discovered by a fashion scout when she was 19-years-old. She spent the following 7 years in New York walking the catwalk before deciding to come back to her country of birth in 2008 to pursue her true dream: singing.


Her first album, The Shape of a Broken Heart, is filled with beautiful and soulful songs that will give you goose pumps and fill your eyes with tears every time you listen to it.

Here is my favourite song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJRniifmlDg


She is pretty good, isn't she?


Vanessa
XOXO Follow @Etanihearts

Leave my hair alone!

I need to rant! I tend not to cut around the bush and say out loud what everybody else is thinking. That doesn't always come in my favour but I've learnt not to care.
I have no problem telling people to keep their narrow-minded and critical opinions to themselves or to shove them where the sun don't shine! Well, that is to everybody else but my mother. 
At the contrary to her eldest child (me); my mum tend to keep things to heart.
Therefore, you need to be extremely careful when you say something to her; even if she is the one you has inadvertently instigated the fight.
However, this time she attacked something very dear to me: my hair.


It has been 6 months and 2 weeks since my BC and I am still rocking a TWA.
I wish my hair would grow faster but since there is not much I can do about it I've decided to enjoy this stage and simply let it be.
My mum's answer to this is: "You need to weave you hair. You cannot keep going to work looking like a village girl. People - black and white alike - will laugh at you".
What am I supposed to answer to that?


Anybody else would have received a gigantic F..K OFF from me as well as lecture on how I refuse to let society impose on me its definition of beauty.
Obviously this scenario is simply unplayable with my mum. So, I have been keeping tight-lipped.


Despite my frustration, I feel some sympathy towards her.
I strongly believe that her reaction is due to the strong and deep desire to fit in she must have felt for the majority of her life. 


My mum was born in 1956 in West Africa and came to live in France when she was 19-years-old. She endured her fair share of hardship and simply refuses to talk about the past. I don't know anything about my mum's life before she became 'mum'.
What was life really like for her and for Black immigrants in general in the late 1970s in France and in Europe?
How did they live? How did they adapt? Did they ever felt like they fitted in with White Europeans? Did they have to repress their identity? 

What happened back then for my mum to feel ashamed of her hair today?


So many questions which need answering that I sometimes wonder if the mistakes of the past will ever stop affecting our present and destroying our future...


Vanessa
XOXO



Follow @Etanihearts

Product review: Ghana Red Palm Soap by Akoma Skincare

As a blogger you own to yourself and your readers to be honest. OK.
This is the fundamental rule to blogging. Again, OK. I got it. 
So, as much as it pains me to say it and point it out I have to come clean and say it out loud. Wait for it; here it comes: "I do not have a good skin". 
There; I've said it. 


Listen, I am no dummy and am aware that I am not perfect, but God do I love myself.
When it comes to beauty and self-acceptance I have two basic rules:
1) If it's not broken don't try to fix it;
2) Work with what the Lord has blessed you with and learn to appreciate and love it!


Life is too short and too meaningful to waste time worrying about my newly-found love handles, and forever flat bum and chest. I personally believe that if I can't change the way I look with exercise, then it is not meant to be changed. The key is to be healthy. There are far too many pretty pieces of clothing that are here to make me look and feel gorgeous. 
So, that's my moto when it comes to my body. 
But what about my face? Unless I am mistaking, I can't hide or dress it!


I have a very sensitive skin which is prone to dryness and eczema. I don't put perfume on it, use Oilatum religiously and am forever trying out steroid-based cream treatments to moisture my dry patches which tend to be exacerbated by stress.
The skin on my face is even more delicate. I can only wash my face with Avene cleansing products and moisturize it with Bobbi Brown face creams. I long for a smooth and even-tone complexion but am plagued with dark-spots and tiny weeny blemishes that look more like a heat rash rather than acne.


I have been hearing about the cleansing and natural healing benefits of African Black Soap and Red Palm for years.
Back when I was a little girl, my mum used to keep her ones in the bathroom alongside my dermatologist-prescribed soap-free cleansing shower gels. My skin has always been a source of joke in my family. I am known as the one with the 'caiman skin' because of its dryness and roughness. How lovely.


Anyway, earlier on this year, I bought a couple of Black Soaps from sheabynature.co.uk
It didn't go to well. It took an all month for the rash and the eczema I developed from using the soaps to clear.


Two weeks ago, while ordering my usual supply of Shea Butter from Akomaskincare.co.uk I thought that I might try their Ghanaian Red Palm Soap. I bought a couple as I couldn't decide which one I wanted the most (the coconut oil, shea butter, lemon oil and lemongrass oil soap or the exfoliating one) as well as their Argan Oil, Olive Oil and Shea Butter's for my daughter.


OK, so I need to mention something. Except the episode with the Black Soaps from Shea by Nature back in January, it has been over 12 years since I have used soap on my skin (face and body). I find soaps far too drying for my skin.
Needless to say that I didn't have much hope regarding the ones for Akoma.


Well, let me tell you something. I have been using the Coconut Oil, Lemon Oil and Lemongrass Oil for two weeks now and so far, I haven't developed any rash neither on my face or body. It usually takes less than 48 hours for my skin to turn red, then dry (and start bleeding, sometimes) when I react to a beauty product. My skin feels clean and refresh. I hasn't smooth or even-toned my face complexion but hasn't left it with spots either.


My daughter developed chicken pox about 10 days ago and I have been using the Argan Oil soap on her and it has been leaving her skin very smooth and soft. I hope that it will help fading the scars left by the virus.

I find that when it comes to beauty and hair products each individual reacts differently. Someone else might have gotten great results with products from Shea by Nature but I wasn't part of the lucky ones.



Has any of you tried Black Soaps and/or Red Palm ones before?
What did you think of them?


Vanessa
XOXO






Follow @Etanihearts

B.E.T Awards 2012: Performers

As promised, the last pics from the B.E.T Awards 2012! 


So, here are snaps of my favourite performers for the evening:

Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy Houston, performing Bridge Over Troubled Water

Kanye West

Melanie Fiona

Brandy

Monica Brown 


Now, let's see what the men wore:

 The host, Samuel L. Jackson

 Usher

 Actor Lamorne Morris

 Jermaine Dupri

 Bhusta Rhymes

 Common

 Jamie Foxx

The evening's big winners The Throne aka Jay-Z and Kanye West


Vanessa
XOXO Follow @Etanihearts

B.E.T Awards 2012: Red Carpet Arrivals

Take a look at the celebs who walked the red carpet at the B.E.T Awards 2012 which were hosted at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1st in Los Angeles.

Singer Faith Evans, film director Spike Lee and his wife Tonya Lewis, and singer Chaka Khan

Singers/songwriters Tamia Hill and Marsha Ambrosius

Multi-talented teen actors/singers Willow and Jayden Smith

Oscar-nominee actress Angela Bassett

Model Selita Ebanks

Actresses Nadine Ellis, Taraji P. Henson, and Regina King

Multi-Grammy winner and winner of the B.E.T awards 2012 for best Gospel singer, Yolanda Adams

 South African singer Lira

 Actresses Erica Hubbard, Kyla Pratt, and singer Jessica Ready

Former Destiny's Child Michelle Williams and Le Toya Luckett 

 Actress Tatyana Ali and model Kenya Moore

 Singer Elle Varner

Singer Monica Brown and TV personality La La Vasquez-Anthony

 Model Tanaya Henry and upcoming artist Luke James

Actress Kerry Washington

Actresses Lauren London and Megan Good

More pics are yet to come!

Stay tune if you would like to see what the men wore on the red carpet and snaps of the performers!

Vanessa

XOXO


Disclaimer: None of the pictures above belong to me

Follow @Etanihearts

B.E.T Awards 2012

The 2012 B.E.T Awards took place at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday evening.


Without a shadow of doubt, the night belonged to Blu Ivy's parents aka power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
Mr Carter won the award for best group for his collaboration with Kanye West on their album The Throne and  video of the year for their song Otis. 
Ms Carter didn't do too bad either. She scooped the award for Best Female R&B Artist of the year. 

Beyoncé wearing a satin yellow gown from Stéphane Rolland Spring 2012 collection with Givenchy white strappy sandals.

The power couple sitting next to Kanye West and his girlfriend Kim Kardashian.

Kim Kardashian, the best dressed celeb of the evening if I may say,  wearing a white cocktail dress with Tom Ford gold strappy sandals from his Spring Summer 2012 collection.

Beyoncé and her sister Solange, enjoying Brandy's rendition of a couple of Whitney Houston's tunes.


More B.E.T Awards 2012 pictures coming up tomorrow!
So stay tune if you want to see snaps of the red carpet arrivals and performers!


Vanessa
XOXO


Disclaimer: None of the pictures above belong to me. Follow @Etanihearts