SS17 Trends| BOLUNOELLE

Okay okay so we're already in spring- it's been at least a solid month since I've seen rain in the UK so it's basically time to skin out LOL. Here are a few SS17 trends I've been feeling.

1) Statement Sleeves

Extra long sleeves and wide armed sleeves are key. I really like this trend- it can be dressed up or down and it feels so comfortable. You can find t-shirt dresses with these wide sleeves on too; its like a rebranded batwing arm.

Sherlina @SHERLINANYM

Emma @EMMAHILL

Nyane @NYANELEBAJOA

Julia @JULIAADANG

2) Baby Pink

This colour is just classic. I actually only realised this because it was the signature colour of the man himself, Tubo Adeaga. Baby pink was seen a lot on sweaters during the winter weather (thanks to Santan Dave), and it's going to continue taking over your IG feed through the spring and summer seasons
 Bouncing off this trend, there summer seventeen is also pairing pink with red. Shades vary a lot on different catwalks but my preference is baby pink paired with red or burgundy.

Me, Bolu Noelle @BOLUNOELLE

@TINIETEMPAH

Bolu @BOLUNOELLE

Dazhane @DAZHANELEAH

Chris-Sonnia @CHRISSIEMILAN

3) Embroidery: Roses

Not going to lie, I live for this trend. I do. Embroidery is currently popping and is making a transition from being on denim items to being on t-shirts, bags and shoes. Patches such as lips, phrases i.e YASSS, cartoon characters etc are all common, but I'm drawn toward roses.
It's a trend that's on the edge of becoming "too popular" but there are so many ways to style embroidered items. Plus, do you boo.

Jennie @THEJENNIEJENKINS

[similar] Can be purchased at @THEKANYEMAG

Lesley @FRESHLENGTHS

Zeineb @ZEENAXENA

4) Off shoulder

It will never die. From bodycon dresses to button-down shirts and crop tops. Never.  Also, for the girls who prefer not showing cleavage, this works as an alternative to scoop or v-shaped necklines. And it suits everybody.

Seyi @ALAWODE_

Uzy @UZYPAWS

Mikai @MIKAIMIKAI

Source; @BGKIONLINE

5) Vertical Stripes

These have been seen on many runways from AW16 to SS17. Pinstripes in particular are popping, particularly on button down shirts, trousers and playsuits ; they sprinkle an ounce of class onto any outfit.

Source; @BGKIONLINE

Chidera @THESLUMFLOWER

Source; @BGKIONLINE

Source; PRETTYLITTLETHING

6) Whale-Net Tights

They add the sauce to the outfit.

Amanda @AMANDAKHAMKAEW

7) Culottes + Wide Leg Trousers

 As I'm growing up, I'm really opening my eyes to the fact that Joni jeans and crop tops don't epitomise fashion. I'm enjoying the less form-fitting clothing trends such as wide legged pants and culottes. These can be dressed up or down and can be found in a range of patterns and cuts. They can be worn with bodysuits or even with a more loose fitting to tucked in.

Victoria @VICTORIAZUBUIKE

Hannah @HANNAHFAITH

Samantha @SAMANTHAMARIAOFFICIAL

Source; MISSGUIDED

Whatever you choose, experiment and be bold in your choices

Love and light,

Bolu Noelle

x

IG and Twitter: BOLUNOELLE

Curls and Cocktais March 2017| ELEANOR J'ADORE

For someone who has officially been living in Johannesburg for the last 5 months I’ve found myself making quite a few trips south to Cape Town lately: The first one was for the Cape Town Natural Hair Fest in December 2016; the second one for a friend’s wedding in March and this last weekend for Curls & Cocktails – the first event for 2017 hosted by Cape Town Naturally, the collective I co-founded with four other natural haired beauties.

For the benefit of those of you reading my blog for the first time, Cape Town Naturally is a platform for individuals with natural hair to share ideas and tips and to support each other. It’s a place where we can build each other up and create a community of like minded people. Over the last coupled of years the demand for social events has increased so much that we successfully hosted our second Curls & Cocktails on Saturday 25 March. The first one was held early last year.

Imagine if you will, a room filled with 100 beautiful women and men, crowned in their natural kinks, waves and curls, all there to uplift and inspire each other. Queue our amazing guest speakers, Justine Josias, a model (pictured in the blue dress) and actress Kay Smith, (pictured in the orange dress) who shared a little about their personal hair journeys and the challenges and blessings they’ve both come face to face with in their personal as well as professional lives because of their choice to wear their hair naturally.

They both had in me tears as I was really moved by their stories and I found myself identifying with so much of what they said.

If you’ve ever been to Canal Walk in Century City then you would undoubtedly have noticed the hair salon Style Studio. They stock a range of natural hair products, especially some sought-after international ones, so we were very happy to have Grant Heynes,  Managing Director of Style Studio share a bit more about the business. In tow with him he also had the CEO of Urban Therapy Twisted Sista, Randy Zeno (pictured below) who shared a few inspiring words.

In my element

Just look at all these beauties who attended.

Of course we gave away loads of prizes!

We finally introduced everyone to our mascot and if you’ve not met her on social media yet, here she is. Meet Naturally Naledi, sponsored to us by Haus of Swag and created as a special once-off doll as part of their dollhaus project, which is a collection of one-of-a kind fashion dolls customized in Haus of Swag’s apparel brand with a remixed version of hair and style. Isn’t she just gorgeous?

Watch this video to see more of what transpired at the event.

Thank you so much to all our sponsors. This event would not have been the same without you.  Style Studio,  My Natural Hair, The Perfect Hair, Cantu Beauty Africa, Swimma Caps, Kafuinaturals,AKAN Organics, Design Essentials Southern Africa, True Love Mag, Femmes de karite, Haus of Swag , Curl Chemistry, Suki Suki Naturals, Naturally Good Traders cc , Lavish Atelier & MissAnke Jewels.

We honestly can’t wait to host you at the next Curls & Cocktails.

If you were there, let me know below what you thought. I’d love to hear from you!

Beautiful Little Fools| BOLU NOELLE

"Beautiful little fools, that's what us girls are destined for.."

These are lyrics from a song by young West Midlands-born babes Jorja Smith, inspired by the Great Gatsby in which Daisy implied that at best, that's what we girls could aim to be- beautiful little fools.

And with a society over taken by social media, obsessed with appearance and praising those who focus on their aesthetics, it seems that's what we're getting closer to.

Or

Maybe not. Maybe we were destined for something greater than being called "peng" or "sexy". Perhaps there's more in life we can achieve than just being a beauty.

From London to Warwick, I've been surrounded by so many gorgeous, smart women. Beautiful Little Intellects. Amongst them and beyond, I've seen the art of the most unique and creative ladies.. Beautiful Little Creatives.

Beautiful Little Artists, Psychologists, Historians, Politicians, Bloggers, Makeup Artists, Businesswomen, Hair Stylists, Waitresses, Receptionists, CEO's, Secretaries, Bankers, Stylists, Engineers...

All of them, all of us beautiful.

We are capable and we are entitled to be more than a pretty face.

And we can put on all our make up (God knows I will, girl-and I'll listen to trap music whilst doing so) but consider-

Applying a lipstick of compliments, a mascara that causes your vision not to judge based off what you see. Let your foundation encompass integrity and kindness.

And for all you girls that haven't mastered your winged liner or found the perfect match foundation- I promise you that people who judge your character based off your appearance do not matter.

Nope.

Not at all.

Stop it.

And don't go thinking that girls who do have their liner fleeking and their hair done 24/7 have their lives together- don't go putting people on pedestals and putting yourself down. We are all babygirls who need love and support from each other, not side eye and shade. Like, do you know how powerful we'd be if we uplifted each other? Let's try that.

Love and light,

Bolu Noelle

xoxo

my love is very special, lol bye

DETANGLING CURLS| ELEANOR J'ADORE

For the last six months I have been fixated with a very cute and compact palm-sized detangling brush, so much so that I can’t believe I haven’t written about it sooner. Be that it as it may, it has made such an impact on my detangling process that I’ve practically ditched my wide-tooth comb and I honestly don’t even know where it is at this stage. This comes somewhat as a shock even to me, seeing as I’ve been a proponent of the wide-tooth comb for detangling curly hair for years now. And every time I saw or heard anything about these tiny detangling brushes I would pretty much scoff it off with a “Pffft, that will never work on all my curls.”
That is until I was sent the original Tangle Teezer in November last year. I remember it sitting on my bathroom cabinet for weeks before I finally decided to pick it up and give it a go. Unbelievably, once I started using it, it literally cut my detangling time in half people. In half. Every natural knows that detangling can be a real pain in the bum, but I’ve honestly found my solution to my detangling woes and I’m going to honest: It’s going to be difficult for me to go back to detangling with a comb only.
Here’s why I love it so much:

• It’s suitable for all hair types, so it will work on your hair whether it’s kinky, curly, wavy or straight.
• When I detangle on my wet hair loaded with deep conditioner, it now takes me about 10 minutes in the shower. That’s a far cry from the 20 – 25 minute sessions I used to have.
• I’m pretty sure that I end up losing less hair after detangling.
• The brush has a “two-tiered system technology”, which basically means that it has long teeth that detangle and short teeth that smooth the hair cuticle.
• It fits snugly into the palm of my hand. Like I mentioned before, it’s really cute and compact.
• It leaves my hair feeling super smooth and soft afterwards, presumably because it smooths the cuticle as I detangle.

The Compact Styler

If you have a look on the Tangle Teezer website you’ll notice that they have quite a few different designs, from The Original to the Salon Elite to the Magic Flowerpot.  Just last week I was sent the Compact Styler, which is a hand-bag friendly design. It’s smaller than the rest and comes with a little back cover to protect the teeth while it’s floating around in your handbag.
What makes this one so unique is that it comes in this funky glittery lip print, a collaboration with quirky London designer, Markus Lupfer. I absolutely love it.
The Original

This is the brush I was sent originally. As you can see, it’s a little bit bigger than the Compact Styler, but still quite small and completely comfortable to use. If you have a close look at the teeth you’ll notice that some of them are a bit bent out of shape because I have been using it that much!
The Compact Styler retails for R290 and is now available online from takealot. It will be available in Clicks from May 2017.
The Original retails for R240 online at RetailBox
Have you ever used one of these tiny detangling brushes before? If you have, let me know how effective they’ve been for you?