happy WEEKEND

WISHING YOU AN AMAZING WEEKEND...

love the Mana girls

xxxx

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S'Mores Buffet - The Best Cookout Dessert EVER

My new favorite summer dessert plan: S'Mores' Buffet!
SO. MUCH. FUN!
I hit the candy aisle at the grocery store... found some fun crackers and cookies... even some leftover Girl Scout Cookies (highly recommend those!)... it was awesome!

The kids, of course loved it, but after the kids went to bed, the adults had a great time trying so many different options.

The biggest hits involved the Girl Scout Cookies, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and Peppermint Patties.

If you come over for a cookout this summer... this will be the dessert. No question. LOVE IT! So easy, so many choices, perfect for all!

Click the Links Below to See:
S'Mores Cupcakes
S'Mores Cake 
More Spring/Summer Ideas 

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Hair Talk With Fatou

Firstly introduce yourself? Where are you from and what do you do?

Hello Natural Belle! I live in the suburb of Paris, I'm the editor of a beauty blog. My blog www.Blackbeautybag.com is dedicated and celebrate the beauty of black women. I was born in Paris 35 years ago. My mother is a Nigerian native and my father is half Senegalese and Malian. 

How long have you been natural?

I've been natural since 2006.

How did you transition, did you big chop?

 I did my big chop alone, the 5th April 2006 in my bathroom. I will always remember that day,that was the beginning of my new hair journey. 

What were the main reasons for your choice to wear your natural hair? 

The mains reasons for my choice was influenced by internet. It was 7 years ago, when I was on natural hair websites and forums. To see those ladies share their tips and beautiful picture of fros… I was like, ‘OMG!! Natural hairs rocks! I have to try and stop relaxing my hair. And when I was relaxed, I never play with my hair. I always put them on a pony hair style.

What are your earliest hair memories? How did these memories influence your hair journey today?

When I looking back to my hair story, I remember that when I was a little girl and my mother styled my hair, I didn't like that. And I remember when I was a teenager, I didn't care about my hair and tried everything ( colors, short hair cut..) And all of this memories influence me to take care of my hair to be healthy.

What does having natural hair mean to you?

It's mean a lots of things for me like freedom, enhance my beauty and I've learned years after years that natural hair are not ugly but beautiful. And that everything has a reason, God never creates something by accident but for a reason. But  my natural hair didn't change my lifestyle, it's just influenced me to love what God gave me and have a different hair style.

How do you keep your hair looking so good? 

My regimen is very easy. Natural hair loves water and oils for seal the moisturise  I spray my hair with a mix of water and olive oil every night or a leave-in. I shampoo and condition my hair every 15 days once, and moisturise them almost every day before to go to bed and I do twist, bantu knot or braids on them and put a satin scarf.  

What are your go to products? 

My favorites products are Carol’s Daughter new macadamia oil, Karen Body's Beautiful Ambrosia Leave IN, Giovanni 50:50 shampoo, Secrets de Loly Hair mask repair, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing smoothie, Activilong Hydra Gel for natural hair.

What are your go to hair styles? 

 I love doing wash and go, I love when my hair is shrinking, I found them very beautiful in that way, I also love a big bun and retro hair style.

How do you protect your hair in the winter months?

I just moisturise my hair a little more and drink a lot of water to protect them from dryness, but I don't do protective hairstyles like wigs or braids. I just let my hair be free. 

What hair styles will you wear this summer?

I don't know, I want to cut it, but I want to have a new hair style that is very funky! 

Has having natural hair changed your fashion style?

Of course!! I play with my wardrobe, I wear a lot of colours. 

What is your biggest hair wow?

Surprise that my hair growth was faster  when my hair was natural than relaxed! I didn't know that I could have all of that hair growing so fast that I must cut my hair every month for keep my fro big but no too long. 

what is your biggest hair fail?

It was 3 years ago, my shampoo was finished and I was on holiday, so my white friend gave me her shampoo!! My hair was very dry and their were a lot of knots!!  

Do you have any advice for women starting out on there natural hair journey?

First of all, if a woman want to go natural, she has to do it because she wants and not because of a trend, because a lot of woman think that their hair will grow on 1 month, but they have to be patient. To be natural it's to relearn or learn to love our hair and manage them.  And when you took the decision to go to the natural adventure a lot of people around you gonna be against your decision and try to convince you to stay relaxed. Your hair is like your intimacy, it's personal, now one can know what you need better than you. 

My blog: www.blackbeautybag.com 

My facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/BlackBeautyBag

My Instagram: http://instagram.com/blackbeautybag

My twitter: https://twitter.com/blackbeautybag

More about → Hair Talk With Fatou

The Book Corner: My Latest Reads

I don't get a chance to read much anymore, gone are the days where I could read a book in a week or it's it's really intriguing lock myself away and finish it in a day or two. Since having Freya curling up with a good book had become a thing of the past until recently. Not sure how this happened but I have managed to have 3 books on the go! now that Freya is in a routine I get a few hours of the evening to act like a real human, I can cook, write something, have sex (in that order) or more likely read a few pages of a good book. I'm currently working my way through 1940's Fashion A definitive Sourcebook (Goodman/Fiell), The Science Of Black Hair (Saja publishing) and The Twelve Tribes Of Hattie (Windmill Books)

I reviewed the 1930's editions of the Emmanuelle Dirix & Charlotte Fiell series of books that discover the forgotten decades in fashion. the newest title is all about 1940's fashion, which is surprisingly glamorous yet frugal era due to it being a decade of war. The book details the trends of the day along with stunning unpublished images from the 1940's the book archives fashion pieces from day wear to evening bags. Its great for inspiration and with the current surge in interest of home sewing it a great source for adapting your wardrobe 1940's style!

I've also been reading The Science Of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy which is an excellent reference book for natural and relaxed hair, I picked it up at the Sheabutter Cottage a few weeks ago and haven't been able to put it down. It pretty much has everything you need to know about our hair from its chemical make up to products that work and how these products work.  I have been meaning to read this for a few years now and I'm so glad that I have found it. It has cut down my googling no end and taught me a few thing I didn't know that I have implemented into my hair care regimen. 

Lastly I'm about to begin reading The Twelve Tribes Of Hattie by Ayana Mathis a New York Times Bestseller and Oprah Winfrey Must Read! A novel about family which paints a portrait of twentieth century America. I recieved this book from my hubby for valentines day and am only now breaking the spine......I'll let you know how it goes in the next edition of the Book Corner.

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Guest Post: Boredom & The 30 Something

I am bored. I feel the inertia setting in and the slow suffocation of will taking root just as the sun begins to rear its unfamiliar head over London Town. I get this nagging sensation every so often, usually after a taxing incident (or person) and I seek, nay crave, newness to re-energise my life.

The symptoms:  easily distracted, trying to focus on everything and nothing, seeking a divine inspiration or spiritual awakening for focus.  Typically I spot the signs early (wanting to pound my boyfriend’s face when he speaks, making eye contact with the teenage gaggle on the bus like I’m ‘She-Ra’  and screaming obscenities through the car window when drivers ahead of me don’t move the instant the light turns green),  taking immediate steps to remedy the situation. This time it’s crept up and I’ve unwittingly (that’s a code word for lazily) ignored it, bogged down with fending off the usual headaches of life, that I didn't want to recognise my growing disdain for myself.



I have always been gregarious, in fact as a kid I was outright bodacious; I’d go as far as bad ass.  I marched (never walked) with focus and intent, never letting my shortcomings de-rail my goals. At 16 I loved fashion. So I decided to host a fashion show in aid of charity. Such was my dogged determination I wrote mercilessly to head offices, beguiled store managers and even coerced the local club manager for space in his venue in exchange for a mention in the local paper - an article I was yet to secure when I made him the offer. The result was two spectacular sold out shows with over 20 high street retailers and front page of the local paper. I did the same again a few years later, this time having established my own business.  At 18 I went to America for three months over summer to work and escape my mother. To ensure a lasting memory I jumped out of a plane - supposedly for fun. Then university in London where I went to every ‘it club’ around, watched footballers pour over blond anorexics with fake boobs and drank the lemonade (yes I was still tee total) offered by the Nigerian fraudsters my friends were dating at the time. We holidayed in Milan and New York, buying Gucci and Versace (ten years on I'm still paying off the student loan) and then returned home to our flat in central London. At 25 I bought a house. Today I leave for work at 6.45am and return home around 7pm after an epic 2 hour commute across London. It’s a stable but uninspiring job which enables me to pay the mortgage on my flat in a dodgy part of south London. I occasionally do an aerobics video when I get in (can’t afford the gym) and am in bed by 10pm. This has been the sum total of my life for months. The sky diving, Gucci and dancing on tables in China White is a distant memory.

Distraction: My friend just text me “At Christening. Children screaming and running round in circles. Do you think this is what hell looks like?” I respond “If so, you’ve served more than your fair share of time with the devil.” She’s right, when did children become part of our social calendar? Over the bank holiday my friend her baby and husband came to visit. We went out only to see another friend as her two year old was celebrating his birthday. Every single person at the party was with child or expecting child, or parents of fully grown children espousing the staid methods of raising children versus the modern super nanny techniques. I scurried from peppy perplexing family to fat frumpy and frustrated family stuck for relevant topics of conversation, not knowing the first thing about breast feeding, nipple cream or vaginal floor exercises. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Step one of my journey towards a ‘new me’ is to find childless friends with a wealth of interesting witty banter, living wild, inappropriate and somewhat dysfunctional lives. I’m still young for goodness sake. I’m done hearing about sleep times, feeding routines and fear of stitching (in areas no one but God should know of); no I don’t watch One Born Every Minute and whether it’s a girl or boy brings me no joy, only the dread of another blasted receipt for yet another overpriced baby grow that will within days be a perpetual shade of brown. Give me a story about inappropriate sex with a psychotic schizophrenic rapper (who is a genius – ‘so his crazy tendencies can be forgiven’: my friends words, not mine), a soliloquy about the role of gender bias in the Great Gatsby or a giggle over Vin Diesel’s muscles over baby chat any day.

In the past to combat my aimlessness I’ve turned to writing. In fact my first ever blog arose from one of my worst periods of disillusionment - Mid twenties, manless, in a no-where job with no room for progression (or a pay increase), in a flat  I couldn’t afford, having no sex - despite my very sexy flatmate and basically wishing away my youth. I wrote about the one place from which I drew most frustration yet fulfilment; where I was destined to be shocked appalled, mesmerised and most of all entertained: my hair dresser in the depths of London’s blackest (ergo poorest) neighbourhood. It was great fun and the regularity of my posts gave me focus. At other times I’ve turned to sport.  I joined a women’s boxing club one summer, when the size of my arse become unbearable. It was invigorating. As I pummelled a bag or the ribs of my sparring partner- the comments of  'wouldn't want to cross you in a dark alley’ or ‘your man must be scared of you’ from the menfolk were inspired.
Rekindling these hobbies is a pragmatic start but wall climbing, swimming, running or boxing is not going to nourish my soul. They are distractions from the bigger quandary of seeking a purpose…

Distraction: My pal Kerry calls. We spend an hour talking about her loathing for hideous  job where the vastly male workforce take it upon themselves to scratch inappropriately in her presence, fart and then laugh without the slightest hint of embarrassment or tell her, her ‘tits look big - it must be her time of the month’. Her title is Project Manager, but she is only given the projects that no one else wants to deal with and then her boss takes the glory upon completion, having not even deigned to respond to her initial requests for a thorough brief at the onset. One of the bitchy men even started a rumour that she was having an affair simply because she went for a walk a few times a week with a colleague to rant about how underutilised she felt at work. This is a woman who desperately needs more out of life. Hopefully her three week road trip around America will help with perspective. It’s time to go, a new beginning beckons or I fear a claim of sexual harassment as the only viable alternative.

What about a language? Hmm I got a D in my French GCSE – despite crediting myself with a B on my CV - That’s what too much time down the alley with the smokers does for you. Or dance? Does the fact that I was the worst Azonto dancer (bar my dad) in Accra last Christmas stand in my way? I seem to have lost my rhythm around the time I stopped distinguishing the words in popular songs and thought it easier to make up my own e.g. Drake’s ‘On one’ could easily be mistaken for ‘Home grown’ which when you think about it is far more logical. Then there is my favourite option, trampolining  Seriously, I would love to hurl myself in the air, twirling occasionally and landing in perfect symmetry only to do it all again, this time higher. But to be in gymnastics class with children, inevitably better than me would be a tad embarrassing. My father would tell me to do something that would derive an income. ‘An entrepreneur turns her hobby into a viable business proposition’, he would say. He’s right –maybe I could set up a trampoling school for adults?

I’m not really sure how to conclude. Life is tough and as you get older the glamour of your youth fades? Bulshit, your thirties are the best years of your life, so it’s time that I wake up, stop pondering and create some memories.  It’s time to dust off my clear heels, because dancing on the table is back on the agenda

More about → Guest Post: Boredom & The 30 Something

The Nail Art: Grown Up Abstract

It's been ages since I've done any kind of nail art, I was all about it a few years back but I got to the point where it just felt played out and you know for 13 year olds, So I'd been opting for plain colour perhaps with a glitter polish top coat if I was feeling fruity! However I was currently feeling the urge to do a little nail art. So here is my take on (Easy) grown up nail art!

P R O D U C T S 

Dielle Nail Colour in Composed

Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen

&

Collection Gel Topcoat 

H O W   T O

I used a gorgeous taupe colour for my base it's so muted that it is actually quite striking on, Dielle is a great quality polish so only one coat is needed for full coverage.

Apply you base and leave to completely dry

Use the Wah Nail pen to draw two lines starting on the corner of the nails

next draw three lines on the opposite side finish with lines to fill the bottom of the nail area leaving a triangle shape in the middle.

This really doesn't have to be neat, and you can be creative with your linear composition too.

Allow your lines to dry before using a top coat and tadah! your done.

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The Mixer: Strength Of Nature's Brit Beauty

A F R O B E L L A  & K E I S H A of Editor of Blackhair Magazine

I'll tell you what! Strength of Nature know how to throw a good party. The Brit Beauty mixer was hosted by Afrobella and Care For Your Hair with special guests Charlotte Mensah (Who showcased some amazing hairstyles using products from the Strength of Nature family) and the director of Strength of Nature and I tell you it was a great event!

Very simple, just the chance to meet Afrobella and talk to the brand reps, plus get to mix with UK bloggers and naturals from around the country. The simplicity was the key, no bells and whistles just like minded people having a good time. (and food and drink!)

They kept the information simple with just a little talk from the director about strength of nature and their ethos, which is also simple, affordable hair care that works or in her own words

"we shouldn't have to substitute shoes for hair care" I'm sure many women would agree with that!

Then we heard from Afrobella who had been doing the rounds this bank holiday appearing at curlvolution and Afro Hair and Beauty live,  She was very down to earth and total blogger inspiration.......she was also a trooper posing for picture and taking time to chat to everyone. I have been following Afrobella blog for 6 years she was one of the reasons I started to blog myself and she was a delight. (fan girling over!)

I managed to nab some beautiful textures curl definer styling custard which will be part of a give away coming very soon!

I'm so pleased big brands are starting to really take the UK natural hair and beauty scene seriously and are planning these great events on British soil and they have some good products for women who want  products that are readily available and inexpensive and that don't mind a few questionable ingredients (no shade intended I for one really like Beautiful Textures leave in conditioner) Strength of Natures brands include, Beautiful Textures, African Pride, Mega Growth, Elasta QP to name a few. What I took away from the event was that we have choices, choices of brand we chose to use and choices of ways we want to wear our hair. 

C H A R L O T T E  giving tips on how she created this look on the stunning model

Hairstyles create by award winning stylist Charlotte Mensah

S T A C E Y aka Naprika

C H A R L O T T E  award winning stylist 

A M B E R  of  Brown bombshell beauty 

K A M A N Z A celebrity make up artist

B e U N I Q U E founder

N A T U R A L  H A I R  D A I L Y founder & Friend

C U R L V O L U T I O N founder

R O N K E of Ondo Lady & J O of Patent Purple Life

H U N I I of Memoirs of a Lost Girl & Friend

B E L L A  &  B E L L E

More about → The Mixer: Strength Of Nature's Brit Beauty