Ola!To my  loyal readers….I adore each one of you!You may be a small audience but you are most meaningful to me.

I must profusely apologize for my lack of presence , it has not been because of a lack of creative juices but life got me in a chase.I have also been out of the country, at the US.A  for some studies and well one thing led to another and my blog was not prioritized!Many sorries

So Ive been receiving alot of requests in my email (which is thenomaddaughter@gmail.com) to illustrate how one can slowly progress into this world of colour blocking.For  many , it is very scary to wear numerous colours , the fear is quite understandable.But my motto is to always wear what you’re comfortable in, you dont have to follow trends.Create your own style 🙂

The trick then perhaps is to wear two solid colours of your choice in one outfit.You can choose to match your hijab with your shoes, or your bag with your scarf, whatever part you choose really , is fine.You can wear your black abaya (buibui) and match your headscarf with your shoes.Which is what I ve seen mostly.Sometimes you can even match your outfit with an accesory of a similar colour.For example a pink headscarf with a pink watch or bracelet.

I hope you got the image, and now for a little illustration.The following outfit is a gift from my small sisters, which they bought in Turkey.The shoes are nude wedges from Pay Less in the U.S.

My camera gave me alot of problems this day!The knit sweater and the skirt are pastel orrange/ peach.

GRRR!  ME PISSED OFF AT THE CAMERA!

STRIKE A POSE!WITH A LAZY EYE.LOL!

   

Until next time my lovelies!

The reason why its important to find out who was wearing what is so as to know whats in style but mainly for me its steal some ideas.I dont believe in following Hollywood trends,you gotta create your own sense of style.You can got to your local tailor and have a similar dress made ,usually Id just copy the design or the cut.Some of those red carpet dresses are more often encrusted with real gems and diamonds and you konw we aint balling like that.Which reminds me I have a thing for sequins (the more sequins the better). Zuhair Murad is by far my  fave designer when it comes to the dress arena closely followed by Dior and Armani.Zuhair Murad is a Lebanese fashion designer and his dresses are so elegant and have donned many red carpet events.Here are just some of his amazing dresses.

  

Back to the recap.Lets begin with the Grammys.For me Rihanna was the winner of the night , she looked amazeballs in red,plus this look was new and fresh on her,her hair and makeup was perfect too.Solange looked gorge in the green dress (luuurved it!) and the spiked heels.Eeek! Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood never disappoint.I didnt like Beyonces get up (disappointing ),the black and white felt a little formal to me, it was not Grammy worthy.I love Adele to bits and especially her retro style but her Grammy outfit was just meeh but her voice isnt.

And here we goo with the lovely,lovely clothes

Taylor Swift in a grecian dress by J. Mendel.Hair inspired by Katniss character from Hunger Games.

Carrrie Underwood in a  black strapless Roberto Cavalli gown that showcased her stunning diamond necklace, reportedly worth 380 carats

Faith Hill who is sporting braces btw, wore a J Mendel dress, Lorraine Schwartz jewelry, Tom Ford shoes.I would have opted for brighter coloured shoes with  a killer heel.

Beyonce is wearing an Osman black crepe jumpsuit with white panel detailing,Jimmy Choo shoes, and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Adele in a floral Valentino dress (Dislike the poof of the bottom half of the dress)

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AAAAND THE OSCAR GOES TO…..

Im glad Ang Lee won something beacuse Life of Pi was just amazing and a visual delight. And the gorgeous Jennifer Lawrence just had to trip, atleast she won.Well here are my fashion Oscar winners.

Jessica Chastain blew me away with her dress,she topped my list of favourites at the Oscars.We dont know much about her but after this dress…..woooh!She wore a  glimmering nude Armani gown paired with red lipstick and vintage waves screamed Old Hollywood glamour.She kinds reminds you of Jessica Rabbit cartoon, right? Maybe that was the inspiration

This next dress…ai caramba…a stunner!Naomi Watts in a silver sequined Armani dress with elegant cut outs.

Stacy Keibler in a Naeem Khan dress.This couple is hella good looking.

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Here is Nicole Kidman stunning in a liquid sequined L’Wren Scott dress.Love the train of the dress!

Halle Berry in a shoulder padded Versace dress.Dont you just love the detailing on the dress

Charlize Theron in a risky all white ouitfit, but she brought it!!She is wearing Christian Dior Couture.Dont we just love the pixie hair

Jennifer Lawrence in Christian Dior Couture strappless.She looks sooo beautiful.

Octavia Spencer in a Tadashi Shoji dress.It beautifully accentuates her body.

Kerry Washington was amongst the very few celebrities that wore a bright colour but her hair and simple makeup brought out the beautiful dress.She is wearing Miu Miu.

This dress worn by Zoe Saldana could have easily neen an eye sore because it has so much detailing.But I think Im in love with the wavy hemline.She is wearing Alex Mabille Couture

This dress is so breathtaking.This is Olivia Munn in a Marchesa gown.

Salma Hayek in a stunning Alexander McQueen dress.Love the bun and the detailing on the dress at the top.

The beautiful Norah Jones in a Tadashi Shoji dress (it kinda looks like Halle’s dress)

Jennifer Hudson in Roberto Cavalli dress and Jimmy Choos clutch.

Kelly Rowland in Donna Karan

Kristin Chenowith in a Tony Ward dress

I noticed that alot of the colours at both these events were mostly neutrals and whites.Metallicsa and sequins were heavily in trend and almost all celebrities wore Lorraine Shwartz jewellery.If you have a trusty tailor you can have him make some of these gorgeous dresses.UNTIL NEXT TIME MY LOVELIES!XOXO

The title reminds me of Will Smith’s song summertime

School is out and it’s a sort of a buzz 
A back then I didn’t really know what it was 
The way that people respond to summer madness 
The weather is hot and girls are dressing less 
And checking out the fellas to tell ’em who’s best

Summer, summer, summertime
Time to sit back and unwind

Well in Kenya we dont have summertime since we are so close to the equator, we pretty much dont have any seasons:( but it does get really hot and it does get really cold, but its pretty mild temperatures compared to the rest of the world.Admitably, we have really awesome weather but global warming is threatening our very livelihhood (thank you First world countries) Anywho here is to summetime , to sipping cocktail juice under the palm trees, to the beautiful ocean at the Coast and to flowy summer dresses.

Here is my small sister,Amina, in a colourful getup.Below you will also find me in a black dress.The dresses we wore are quite similar especially the pattern and design.I chose to style her in a pink hijab so as to bring out the purple colour of the dress more.

I chose a more sombre look, which you can wear to the office on a Friday and can also double as an evening out.

The dresses were bought from Eastleigh for bout 700 KSHS 0r 800.

Have a sunny day, wont you!

Hey hey hey lovelies.I have missed y’all.Everything good? Health? Family? Hope the answers are in the positive.I am well , the year is turning out to be pretty decent.Before I forget I read something quite interesting the other day.How bushy brows are now  the in thing (it was an article from 2012 , so I dont know whether it applies to this year as well).Thats good news for me since Im #TEAMBUSHYBROWS.Here is a quote from the article : “This year’s hippest accessory isn’t something that you can pick up at your local mall. Strong, full eyebrows are topping off famous faces all over, from the catwalk to Hollywood”

Strong brows are taking the fashion industry by storm. Supermodel Miranda Kerr’s crystal-encrusted brows stole the show at Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2012 show in Paris.

ANYWHO, I digress as usual.Here is today’s post.Since most Kenyans are scared of colours (colour block people!colour block!) Today’s post is based on neutrals….the colour brown is a safe colour if youre afraid to experiment with the colours

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trench coat is very light, got it from Canada, the print hijab is from Eastleigh and the very lovely Safari boot heels from Toi market .Enjoy!

The jeans shirt, button down trend was one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Its a casual look ,which if you can work it , could fit most occassions.I prefer not to wear jeans on jeans but its something that some celebrities love and could look great .Have a look at Rihanna here:)

I decided to pair it with my trusty skirt and my trusty golden shiny heels.

 

 

 

 

Well first of all, Id like to apologise for all the lack of blogging Iv done.I am quite sorry but I have had quite a tumultous end to the year but thats a stoey for another day.Oh and Happy new Year!!My 2013 which is now 5 days old ,I can say is good so far.2012 taught me so many life lessons and even my sense of style has grown.

This year I really have an urge for edgey looks and alot of mixing of trends.Anywho, I have been salivating over this comic tee for a while now and when I finally bought it was like we were meant to be.I find tees hard to wear because I think its a total dress down , you cant formalize it even with a blazer.Its a great look when you’re meeting friends or a casual get together.I got this tee at Mr. Price and there were even cuter ones like the Sponge Bob ones, too adorable!

 

If youre in trouble you know ,who to call

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it blush or blusher by the way? Anywho lately,I have become obsessed with blush because it gives me this glowing look:p I most certainlybelieved that blush is for when youre going all out on the makeup ,like if its a wedding or a huge event, but lately I dorn it on a casual day out.There are several tricks to applying blush and there also many misconceptions.For example , that when applying blush one must smile and apply on the apple of the cheeks.But when you stop smiling ,the area you appplied the blush drops, because your huge exxagerated smile drops too!The trick is to apply a 45 degree angle just right under your cheek bone in a straight manner.Okay is that complicated?Try making a fish face, with your mouth pouting out, and apply the blush in the depressed part of your cheek.
Dark skinned women are more reluctant to apply blush according to some stats I read but youd be surprised!Just look at Kelis here.Dayumm!

Actually bright red blush looks great on darker women, while pale or lighter skinned women , a tan blush or pink blush would be suitable.

Depending on your skin type also, the type of blusher varies.If you have dry skin, a cream based blusher would be suitable to keep you looking hydrated and glowing. For oily skin, you may use powder blush.The type of brush you use is very important,use a blush brush, which is usually thick and well put together.

Some people prefer to finish off with a shimmer or glitter blush, but you have to be careful with this one (you dont wanna look like Ke$ha!) And some people prefer to put on blush before foundation while others it is the very last step when putting on make up.I usually do it as the last thing.

Here is a diagram I found on the internet that could help you.

If you apply too much blush , do not despair, you can apply a tan or translucent colour to blot out the blush.If I put on blush, i tend to put on nude lipstick or just plain lipgloss.

Do not despair ladies, you will not end up looking like a clown, its all about practise and if you own a mirror, youre good to go.Hahaha.
Have a blushful (sp) day wont you!

Due to popular demand, this article had to happen sooner than later 🙂

I do not have have a specific place that I go buy my clothes but anything that tickles my fancy and is affordable, will be bought , no matter the location.It is important however to have indicators that will determine where you will buy your clothes (okay!this is beginning to sound like a science project). My key indicator is my budget or the affordability of the item.So my analysis will be based on where I usually go most of the time.

*For my international followers, I am located in Nairobi, Kenya ,so this applies to that area.

1. EASTLEIGH

Eastleigh has numerous shops and stalls filled with dozens and dozens of beautiful clothes.The main reason I go here is that its quite affordable.The problem is that this area is not very organized and you may end up being frustrated.So I usually just go  to specific shops like Al Shariff or Bangkok Building.If you dont happen to find an item in any of the stalls ,then you have the option of tailoring you own clothes.This infact cheaper and suitable ,if youre picky and what not.

I usually tailor my own abayas (trust me ,this is way cheaper than buying them).All you have to do is ask  your tailor how much material you need to buy, this he will instruct after he has measured you.If your pretty lazy like me,you could let him do everything including picking the material.haha.There is a whole street dedicated to selling material, so dont worry about availabilty.

I get my hijabs from here too, mostly Al Shariff building , as well flat shoes.Most items are incredibly cheaper in Eastleigh including electronics and house items.

2. TOI MARKET

Located in Ngong, near Adams Arcade, this market is a haven for second hand clothes.I usually buy tops from here, spaghetti tops and jackets.Once I got a Dorothy Perkins jacket,  for 100 kshs ( about a dollar).Actually most jackets and coats vary between 200 and 1000 kshs, and they are very good looking.Also available here and in plenty is summer dresses,flats and boots.The best hours to go here is around 5pm ,this is because the sellers are eager to get rid of their stock before it goes dark and they sell their items at throw away prices

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3. NGARA  MARKET

This is also a second hand clothing market its a few minutes from the CBD and is always bustling with activity.Most of the clothing stands begin operating from around 3pm (not too sure though) but the best time to go there would be evening hours.Here i usually buy jackets,boyfriend blazers, tops and dresses.When visiting these two markets ,you must employ diplomacy and the gift of garb.My tagline is usually ‘Im a student!’.haha.But don’t push the bargaining too far, it may  irritate some.

4. TOWN

This is where i get most of my jewellery and maybe shoes.Items here are a bit pricy (due to the damn high taxes these shops pay!) Mostly I go to World Business Centre and Jamia Mall- the have very lovely dresses here.

OTHERS

Jewellery from outside the country is cheap, Iv noticed.I received some jewellery from UK and they were about a dollar or 5 dollars at most.Also Dubai is relatively cheap, you can get some really cheap beautiful abayas here (100 dollars for some top notch ones).Iv heard Gikomba market is also good, though Iv never been there.

I really really hope this helps y’all.