Are you a bully?

Emotional post number two. Are you a bully, now I'm sure if you were one you'd know but some people don't know and think 'it's harmless teasing' well that harmless teasing is ruining someone's life  most suicides commuted by teens are because of bullies. It really ruins people's confidence, self esteem and the ability to mix with other people. Let me tell you that doing it online doesn't make it any better. It's actually worst. There's no excuse for it because they're not face to face with you. It isolates them and traps them at home knowing that the person who's bullying them online might be coming for them or tracking them down. 

If your a bully ask yourself why am I doing this? Is it because someone's doing/done it to me? If someone's doing it to you get help, but please don't take it out on other people. It's cruel and if you know the hurt and pain of being bullied why make someone else go through it? 

Laurey xo

Shoutouts!

This post is a shoutout post to all the people who requested shoutouts because I offered so please follow these guys and they'll definitely give you a follow back!

Shoutout to Avineet: @avineet_kaur (ig&twitter)

Shoutout to Centainne: @Csophh (twitter) and @centainne (ig) 

Shoutout to Chloe my dot friend (; • (dot) 

Shoutout to Katie Irish: @katieeirish (twitter and ig) 

SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO TIAHNA! For boosting my blog traffic and sharing it everywhere x @Iam_1nvincible 

SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO ALL MY READERS! Without you my blog would be nothing and I love you guys so much, I really do. Blogging has given me a new hobby a chance to meet new people, make new friends all around the world and share what I have to say about fashion with them. I'll follow my readers if you leave your user names in the comments. I have instagram, twitter, Pinterest, google +, bbm and kik. So drop your user, say which social network and you'll receive a follow back straight away. Again I love you guys so much! Xo

Lauren x

Vlogs?

Hey guys I just wanted your opinion on me doing blogs because I am a bit nervous on whether you like it or not so comment on what you think and if you do like vlogs what you want me to vlog. 

Laurey xo

How I find ideas for blog posts.

I do a lot of things to come up with ideas for posts because bloggers block is a terrible disease. Firstly I make a mind map. I then jot down different categories in fashion and then sometimes ideas come out of that. 

If I have nothing from that I turn to other blogs similar to mine, look through their posts snatch a title and then make it my own style. Sneaky right? 

If I have nothing from that I search the internet or use a blog idea generator. 

Laurey xo 

How to care for your African hair - Requested by Nana <3

This post is going to be on how to care for your Afro/carribean hair. It was requested by my good Ghanaian friend Nana. I'm not an expert so I got help from my hairdresser - a professional. Let's get started xox. 

I'm going to be talking about 3 of the most common types of Afro carribean hair - natural hair, hair in extensions and relaxed hair. 

Natural afro carribean hair: 

Shoutout to all the girls who are rocking there natural black hair! It's so hard to maintain so big ups to you for maintaining it. Some can't take it and prefer extensions (lol that's me.) 

My first tip is cut down on the amount of shampoo your using. Since the 40's shampoo has been made with the same drying products as Laundry detergent. It makes your hair INCREDIBLY dry. How do I do this? If you must wash your hair with shampoo dilute it. Let's say 25% shampoo and 75% water. If you want a good alternative co wash your hair. Co wash is when you wash with conditioner instead of shampoo. Wash your hair once a week. 

My second tip is handle it with care. It will not grow if you are constantly combing it with brushes that have hard bristles. It won't grow if your always tying it too tight. Keep moisturizing. Use organic products such as almond, coconut, jojoba, olive oil and shea butter. The term organic means no toxic chemicals, antibiotics and pesticides that are harmful to animals. Avoid products that have sulphate in them. Please please please never use grease in your hair (gel & petroleum) it's terrible. It's one of the things that annoy me the most. A girl has the most beautiful hair but it's all forced into a pony tale under a layer of disgusting gel and when she touches her hair her hand is practically wet. Your hair shouldn't be like that. When moisturizing moisturise your ends too. Try and moisturise daily.

When sleeping plait or twist your hair when you sleep this is good because when you wake up the hair would of been stretched out. If for any reason you can't do that... Tie up your hair so the moisture stays in. Cover your hair when you sleep. Use anything you can find. I cut off the legs off a pair of tights and tied the ends and used it as a head tie Lol. You can also use satin scarfs. 

Avoid heat. Avoid tonging and always straightening your hair it gives it the ability to break.  Use wide tooth combs when your combing your hair also when doing a hairstyle do a protective hairstyle. If you tie it up make sure it's a bit loose so your hair isn't pulling from the roots. Also consider plaiting or twisting it. 

Afro Carribean hair with extensions 

Shoutout to all the girls who are rocking there extensions (me) and weave! I'm talking about Senegalese twist, pick and drop, box braids, poetic justice braids, rope braids, kenkey twist, Brazilian weave & Remy!  

The good things about extensions: There are a million ways to style your hair with them. The possibilities are endless. The struggle of combing is o-v-e-r! (Well unless you have pick and drop). It grows when it's in extensions too. 

However it's up to you to keep your natural hair protected when wearing extensions. DO NOT FORGET YOUR HAIR IS IN EXTENSIONS! Sometimes I have this problem. Just because you are getting up and not doing anything to it much doesn't mean you can just leave it to rot. If you do, that one day that you decide to take your extensions out you will find that along with your extensions coming out your hair will follow. Moisturise the insides (scalp). Wash your hair. Huh? How, it's in extensions?! Use a simple shampoo with no conditioner added. Massage your scalp and rinse then apply diluted conditioner to your hair and simply use a towel to squeeze the water out of your hair and leave it to air dry. The ultimate longest time for extensions is two months. If you don't take them out by that time your hair will be so entangled in the extensions it will be a nightmare getting them out later. You can remove them by cutting just below your natural hair. Then unravel the extension then wash it.

Relaxed African hair. 

At this point my hands are dropping off from the amount of typing I'm doing. So yeah. Shoutout to you girls too. 

Don't relax everytime you see new growth. Too many chemicals are not good. Wash and condition your hair once/twice a week. If you wish to do it more than that co wash it. If you have sensitive skin wash with shampoo without Ammonium Lauryl sulphate and sodium Lauryl sulfate. Avoid heat. Before you blow dry, air dry for about half an hour. Once again don't use Vaseline or gel, simply moisturise. 

Thanks for reading, Lauren x

Bloggers block and emotional posts.

Hey guys. Title? Yes it's weird I know. This is a post about a few random things but enjoy...:). 

BLOGGERS BLOCK :'(. 

This is the most common blogger illness ever and right now I'm infected with it. I have loads of posts in my head but I end up saying ''no scrap that, they don't wanna hear about that.'' It's crazy.. So this is why on some days you'll get an amazing inspirational post (beauty has no skin tone) and some days you'll get a really lame post with 5 sentences and a picture (the baby lips post). So what I've decided to do is write down the posts i've been debating on and you tell me what you like and don't like in the comments below and also suggest what you want me to post because as a blogger it's impossible to post what you want if I don't know what you want. Possible posts I've been thinking of; 

A Bucket list

My outfit

A friends outfit

A recent purchase 

Recreate a look

Design techniques 

Arts award

Dressmaking

What is fashion

Fashion icons

Apparel

Clothing shops

Q&A

Historical fashion 

Design specifications 

CSM (Central St. Martins)

Educating the mind: Fashion

The aspects of a designer 

What do they do 

What qualities do they need

Share where to buy things in your niche (recommended online stores that have the best prices)

What will design be like in 100 years?

Why we love design and you should too.

Must haves 

A Post inspired by a colour

101 things list

Fashion do's and don'ts

How I started blogging 

The best __________ for everybody type 

How I find time to blog 

Music 

How I use Pinterest 

My fashion illustration journey 

10 commandments of fashion 

Greatest posts 

How I find blogging ideas

Emotional posts; Are you a bully? 

EMOTIONAL POSTS! 

The other day I wrote my first emotional post - beauty has no skin tone and I was actually scared that I'd get a lot of hate and lose readers but it actually went really well and I actually gained more readers. I wrote it because we'll all face obstacles now and again and it's good to know how to deal with them. If you like them, comment below and I'll try to do one every week also any ideas for emotional posts comment below xo

Lauren xxo

I'm so so so sorry!

I just realised I forgot to post (properly) yesterday. Yes I did. The beauty product of the week thing... But that's not a proper post so expect multiple posts today. Sorry guys xo

Lauren x

SUBSCRIBE!

Hey guys I just wanted to ask you if your a regular reader to subscribe to this blog and if you have a google account follow this blog. Unfortunately subscribing on the mobile website isn't available, but if you scroll to the bottom an click web version it will show you the web version and it's on the right hand side above the label. Simply put in your email address to get all the latest posts, upcoming posts and weekly fashion tips! 

Thanks a million! 

Laurey xo

Me.

So your probably like this is going to be one of those boring about me posts. Nonono. Wipe that idea from your mind because I'm Lauren Williams I'm fun, fun and more fun! So like 50% of people reading this already know who I am because there my friends :/ for those of you who don't I'm Lauren williams :D! I love my name so much<3. I'm a fashion illustrator and aspiring designer. I'm a teen, I go to a secondary school in London and fashion illustration is my life, my everything lol. I'm a March baby :*. Not saying the date x_x. As well as fashion illustration my hobbies also include singing, buying pencils and dancing azonto/Alkayida (Do not take that word offensively. It's not a typo. It's actually a dance. Idk okay?) My personality. Lol. I'm a weird person. Weird in a good way. I'm really creative, I come up with the most creative ideas. I'm really friendly. I'm not quiet, I'm loud in a quiet way lol. I have a lot of role models. One is Zyra Banez who is really inspirational to me. She's a fashion illustrator she's amazing. Put her into youtube or even check out her blog; loveTheart fashion. I love her style and technique and everything about her. I have many more but you don't wanna be here all day do you? After school I plan to become a professional fashion designer and have my own label. It's like my one and only dream to have my own label. In currently in secondary school, when I finish I want to go to Central St. Martins College Of The Arts because it's one of the best art colleges in the world and Stella McCartney went there so why not! Those of you who know me well know that I love food (I'm not fat tho.) My favourite food and drink are plantain chips, jollof rice, fufu, kenkey and supermalt. Totally Ghanaian right? Best friends. WELL. That's a broad topic lol. I have a few and I love them very much. Shoutout to SOME of my besties below (there are some besties that aren't there. It doesn't mean I don't love you. I didn't have time :*); 

Narin Ozbey! - Owner of the messy bun tutorial! (The most viewed post) 

• Twitter&ig: @narinozbey

Avineet Kaur! - Owner of the casual day out makeup tutorial 

• Twitter&ig: @avineet_kaur

I'm sure most of you know that I love Wizkid to bits! (Nigerian pop sensation) he's amazing. I'm addicted to his music and jheeezeee <3_____<3. I listen to afrobeats. New African music, which is made more modern. One of my favourite music groups although they don't exist anymore is Destinys child. I love them. There songs mean something and I love listening to them. Another is TLC even though I wasn't born around that time I still love them Lol. I also love Abel Miller. You may/may have not heard of him. Check him out on youtube. His voice is perfect. Yes I just said perfect. I have a few achievements. My designs have been in the Fashion and textile museum. I have a Bronze arts award. I'm working on my silver arts award. I made blogging a hobby because I really wanted to share things with people and it's going well, people like it and I find it fun. Thanks for reading.. 

2014 Art Wishlist

I get weird looks all the time because I'm a girl who loves collecting pencils! Art materials are my everything and I spend loads on them every year because you can never have enough art materials. I have a wishlist for this year and if I do get these things I'll be sure to do a review on them and let you know what they're like. 

1. MORE PROMARKERS!

As you know, I'm already promarker crazy. I love the way the blend and how they colour and there's a big variety. Unfortunately I can't afford the whole set which costs £275 - £300 but I'm getting them bit by bit in six sets. They make my drawings come to life and I'm so glad I introduced myself to them. 

2. Faber Castell Polychromos

I already own a packet of Faber Castell Classic colour pencils but I'd like to buy polychromos because they are seriously amazing and the quality is amazing and Faber Castell is a great make. 

3. Prismacolor pencils 

I want these because I've heard they're really good and last long, however they are quite pricy! 

The makeup for a casual day out - Avi

Hey guys I'm Avi, Lauren's bestie and today I'm going to be talking on makeup for a casual day out. Bear in mind this is my first tutorial so I'm a bit nervous but here we go! 

What you will need: 

Makeup! Well obviously... but what makeup? Please don't think I used all of the below on my face I just wanted a variety of things to choose from Lol. Below I have:

Foundation

Concealer

Eye Pencil

Eyeliner

Mascara

Eye shadows

and Blush.

See some more close up: 

You'll also need some things to clean your face with; 

You'll also need these tools, Below I have an two eyelash curlers, a brush for the blush and some other brushes.

You'll also need some sponges for the foundation. 

1. Wash your face with a facial scrub, if you don't have a facial scrub water works fine. 

2. Before you apply concealer and foundation wash your hands because if you don't you could get spots also make sure your sponges are clean. Apply moisturizer on your face so your face stays fresh, because adding foundation to a dry face is TERRIBLE. 

2. Add eyeshadow. When you first add it instead of smearing it on straight away dab it. It helps the eye shadow stick to your eyelid.

3. Apply your eyeliner by drawing a thin line across your eye. This is a casual day out look so it's a thin line, if it was an occasion the line would be thicker and bolder. 

4. Curl your eyelashes with an eyelash curler. Then add mascara. This gives you the fake eyelashes look. 

5. Suck your cheeks and then add blusher to your cheeks. Lightly. 

6. After you can draw on your eyebrows, to make them look more defined (if you are going for a casual look start light at the beginning of your eyebrows & then go darker at the ends) 

7. Add lipstick. If it's too dark you can make it lighter with Vaseline.

Your end product should look something like this.. Lol. 

Thanks for reading! 

Avii xx 

Twitter; @avineet_kaur

Ig; @avineet_kaur 

How to create a KILLER fashion design portfolio.

Hey guys, I decided to make this post because at the moment my portfolio is a mess because I'm at the stage where I'm seriously progressing and deciding what designs should go in and what shouldn't. So along with my research and my personal experience I'm going to tell you how to make a really good portfolio in terms of fashion. I thought this would be nice to post and I've also had requests that I should post this so here we go. 

You will need; something to hold your work (a presentation binder, a box file or something), Dividers and that's all for now. 

1. Complete Fashion sketches/ designs. 

You may have thousands but only pick only your best designs and make sure there finished. Aswell as designs have design specifications because it can't be all writing, try to have a little writing in it. 

2. Choose how your going to present your work. For example I have a presentation binder. You can choose to have a box file or some sort of file. If you love DIY, make your own storage! Have to portfolios. Have an E-Portfolio for people abroad or people who aren't able to see your files. Simply do it on word and convert it into a PDF file or find a portfolio hosting website online. The problem with them is that there is limited pages and features you can use in your portfolio with free accounts so I prefer creating it in word where you are in total control.

3. The content - Your portfolio should say everything about you. If someone you've never met before asks to see your portfolio. The person should be able to tell your style, technique and way of doing things from the content in your portfolio. Meaning that the content in your portfolio has to be your VERY BEST work as well as your bad work to how you improved over time. As well as loads of pictures and drawings have some writing explaining what they are. This could include Diary Entries, Blog updates but don't write things that have nothing to do with your subjects. Remember your references should not just come from fashion, these should be broad, displaying your knowledge of other areas of society and culture.

4. Have a feedback page. This page should be at the end of your portfolio so when there finished looking at it. They can leave GOOD feedback and then hopefully the next person who sees it will know others would recommend you to them. 

5. You may be like me. Amazing at the drawing and then when your say in front of a sewing machine your like ''what is this?'' I decided that 2014 will be my year of learning how to sew dresses and by the end of this year I should have seen at least one. So what does this have to do with the portfolio? Lol nothing BUT add fabric swatches because if you don't sew it gives the viewer the slightest idea of what the garment will look and feel like.  

6. Creativity. Like I said in the first step. You've got a presentation folder or whatever you are going to hold it in. Literally sitting in front of you is a bland white/black (or any colour) folder in front of you. It's boring. It's annoying and it's bland! Be creative! Decorate it. Do it how you want to. Warning - Creativity can lead to over doing. Decorate it but keep it professional. Overdoing of flowers, bows  and glitter is not good. It makes you look like a 6 year old who's just got a craft kit for Christmas. 

7. Organisation. Work should be in time order. Most recent at the front. Fill every page – by this I mean do not have any blank pages in your portfolio. Do not include fine art or anything that isn't fashion illustration. 

Laurey xxxo

My 2014 Fashion collections

So in 2013, I can say that was the year I was a messy designer. All over the place  and all messy. This was because I was progressing. I had invested in new things to help me. Like last year I was introduced to promarkers and many more art materials. So I had my old designs which are about 200 and my new designs which are less. Just to experiment with my new art gear I wasn't really focusing on collections, I was focussing on learning to use my stuff. So now that I've learnt how to use my markers properly I'm ready to get back into business and draw and design collections again. I've come up with some pretty imaginative collections. Here is a list.

Laurey Luggage
All black heart attack collection (Ready Wear)
Chic Collection (Ready wear/Mass production)
Le sac (Haute couture)
Suits collection (Haute Couture)
Tops&Tees collection (Mass Production)
Beach wear (Mass Production)
Maternity Collection
A brand new teen collection!
Denim Collection
LBD Collection (Little Black Dress)

Inspired by Disney Princesses collection 

Ankara and Kente Collection

Florals collection 

A new accessories collection

A bridal collection and much more. 

I'll be starting off with the inspired by Disney Princesses collection. I'm starting of with Frozen! So watch out for my post on Frozen! I'd also like to say thanks to all my readers/viewers who are still here and who support me and share the blog. I'm still amazed at the amount of views I've got and achieved seeing as I made the blog at the beginning of this month. The most popular post still remains as Narin's messy bun tutorial followed by my 'Beauty has no skin tone' post. So a big thank you and keep reading! I'm going to be posting every 1 - 2 days because that's how dedicated I am! Thanks, love you all! 

Lauren xxo

Beauty has no skin tone.

I made this post today because things are happening around us that we need to be aware of and in some cases stop. Like seriously guys what is this team light skinned vs team dark skinned thing. It shouldn't be trending on twitter like it's a good subject because it is not. The title is beauty has no skin colour. I decided to write this post because as a dark skinned girl, I sometimes do get comments that aren't very nice. I'm London born but one of my parents were born in Ghana and the others parents were born in Ghana so my background is Ghana and I have to say that if you know me well you'd know that I love my country - obsessed with African music, African videos, African fashion & everything African. We should not judge a person by how light or dark they are because it's not fair to be honest. People always pick fun at those who have dark skin and that makes them isolate themselves from everyone else, I think dark skin is beautiful and I'd call myself beautiful because I love my dark skin. Yes, the comments come occasionally but I ignore them. I go to a normal secondary school in London, I really like it and it's going okay but there are a few girls who are supposed to be my friends who sometimes or very rarely make jokes about my skin colour and I try to laugh it off but it's like what is your problem? As a girl who attends secondary school in this day and age you would of heard the word 'blick'. I don't want to explain what it means because I don't like the word so google it. The word annoys me but I don't show it. It's a horrible word that shouldn't be used because it hurts people. All skin colours are beautiful but I'm going to be focusing on dark skin because when making jokes and hurting people it's the one they use the most. All you can do is be yourself and love who you are as a person, if you're confident.. Forget everybody else, they don't matter. Life is full of judgemental people and people who hate certain things over others. "you can be the ripest peach in the world, and there's still gonna be somebody who hates peaches." Being dark skin is nothing to be ashamed about, to me dark skin is beautiful, I'm not just saying that. People judge because they don't know any better, we're human. It's only up to you to overcome perception and show how beautiful darkskin girls really are. Be an example. There are many darkskin girls all over the world who feel just as insecure about the color of their skin. Guys, I'd like to leave you with the quote 'beauty has NO skin colour'. 

Lauren x

How to be fashionable.

The title 'how to be fashionable' seems like a simple question, in my opinion it's not because not following these steps could turn you into a fashion victim or even worst a fashion outlaw which means calling the fashion police. 

1. Read Fashion blogs. 

It can be any type of fashion blog. For example mine is supposed to be fashion Art but it's more Fashion Lol. It doesn't just have to be fashion read beauty and interior fashion too.

2. Read Fashion magazines.

These help a milli because you stay in style and there also interesting. As a teen (like me) try Elle or Teen Vogue or even try just Vogue. I enjoy reading Teen vogue more.

3. Sort your wardrobe out!!! 

You cannot be fashionable if your wardrobe is a mess. In order to be fashionable you need to be able to find things quickly and the only way for that to happen is if you have a clean wardrobe. You could try what I do and sort them out according to what time of the year is. So right now it's Winter and were approaching Spring. So all my winter clothing and things that keep me warm but are still trendy are at the front and my summer things are at the back. 

4. Update your wardrobe

I am not saying chuck everything out and have no clothes left. Chuck out what is small and what you don't wear. By chuck out I mean give them to somebody who wants them. Not literally chuck them out because that would be a waste of money. Go shopping for new clothes! Find bargains, shop in the shops you like. Try and go when there's a sale because it's the best time to go and it's fun to go with your friends. 

5. Follow trends & be a trend setter.

Following trends are easy. Simply type it into google and the first thing that will appear will probably be Elle and Vogue. These two magazines/websites are my two sources for finding out what the latest trends are. I Check it daily. Once you know what it is. Ask yourself some questions. The big question is am I going to buy this? Little questions around this are what is my budget? Will this last? What happens when this goes out of fashion? Finally be a trend setter. Being a trend setter is risky but lots of fun. It could be a season where everyone's wearing florals and you appear in stripes. If you dress well and different from the rest you could become a trend setter, and make your own trends and follow them. 

Laurey xx

Party, Party, Party!

Hi guys, welcome to the second style! The last one was Parisian chick, this is just simply one for an occasion. It does vary what your style is but these are just some ideas and advice. I also wanted to take the time to say that this weekend my amazing makeup friend Avi will be showing us the makeup for a perfect day out. I so look forward to that (;. Let's go! 

One piece of advise I'd give you if you want to leave a lasting impression is... Don't go with what your friends are wearing. Wear what you want to wear. If it's a birthday party I suggest you rock an LBD with pumps/heels and go easy on the makeup. If it's a birthday outing try not to wear a dress because it can get uncomfortable because your moving around a lot so try jeans, with a formal type of top but then put a lot of effort into your makeup so you still look like your ready to partaaaay! 

Makeup isn't compulsory, wear it if you want to. Try and pick the foundation that's closest to your skin colour with a natural sort of glow to it. Also pick a facial feature you want to stand out the most. For example if you picked your eyes. Emphasise on your eye makeup but don't over do it. 

For your hair, pick something nice also what you feel comfortable with. Do something you know well, because if you do something you don't you could be insecure with what's on your head. If you have afro carribean hair like me, I recommend box braids or Senegalese twist which is quick, beautiful and easy to style. 

A Casual Day Out from H&M

Hiya guys, I'm really angry at myself because I forgot to post in the last 2 days so this is Tuesday's post. I'll also do Wednesday today, followed by today's post (Thursday). I'm going to be talking about how to dress for a casual day out. Now although it's a day out you still want to look your best but you don't want to over do it. I'm going to show you the way I think is best. I will be addressing 3 different occassions (today's is a casual day out). The style I picked for a casual day out is Parisian chic. I'm also going to be showing you from different shops. I'm going to try to go for high street and apparel.

Just before we start, below is the one and only beautiful Narin Ozbey (Owner of the messy bun tutorial) who's given us her description of her ideal clothing for a day out. Which I think works out pretty well, it suits her and it's definitely her style.

Top - Topshop (Was £25 now £15!)

Black Skinny Jeans - H&M £7

Boots - River Island £38

That's Narin's day out clothing all totaling in £60. 

1. A Parisian Chick day out from H&M. 

Here are two short skirts, just above the knee. I suppose you can call them both skater skirts. You can get them for £9.99 from H&M. Skater skirts are perfect for this style however if you don't want wear a skater skirt, you can also buy skinny jeans/quarter length trousers but make sure they are in neutral colors.  

Every girl needs an LBD (little black dress) in her wardrobe, whatever your style. It can be a simple black skater dress or it can be really really detailed. The clue is in the name - the dress is meant to be little. So preferably at the knees or above. You wear this with a bright coloured cardigan, it can work with red and purple.

For Parisian chic your shoes have to be flat. If they are going to be heels then they have got to be quite low. Check out these pumps for £7.99 at H&M.

Finally top it all off with a black/grey/red/blue trench coat. Which is available from H&M for £34.99. 

Fashion problems

Hiya, today's topic is FASHION PROBLEMS! A lot of people have fashion problems. They can be tiny and they can be incredibly big. For example back in the day you could of been a trend setter, a fashion icon and now you've lost your sense of style and you really want to get it back. I'm going to be talking about how to solve some of your problems. 

1. NOT KNOWING WHAT TO WEAR. 

For anyone who likes looking good but is always in a rush this can be stressful, very stressful. Plan an outfit a day before, consider factors like the weather, what season it is and colours. Feel comfortable in what you wear.  Also my fellow teens, dress your age, being young is fun so you should make the most of it. It's the time where you get to experiment with fashion the most because your young, wild and free. You don't need to wear 5 inch stiletto's if that's not your style. The number one rule for me in fashion is be yourself. Yes of course if you choose to follow trends follow them but don't stress over what you can't get. We're teens were not amazingly rich and let's face it, most of our money comes from the big bank of our parents. Also do not be afraid to be a trend setter, as well as following them set them. Don't be afraid to mix and match and put things together.

2. HIGH STREET VS HIGH FASHION.

Now, I dunno about you guys but in most schools Non uniform day is like judgement day. You've got to look your best for the photo's, the comments and the people watching you. So you start planning the night before and you realise - I don't have the latest apparel. By Apparel I mean designer gear. Some of the most popular now a days are; Hollister, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and so on. My wardrobe is full of H&M, a few Next items. High fashion otherwise known as Haute couture is where your paying a lot for good quality. It's not massively produced. Ready wear is produced a lot but not as much mass production. However it's still quite pricy and still counts as apparel. Mass production is shops like; primark, F&F, George and market stores. There's nothing wrong with having clothes from there. At the end of the day it's all material sewn with a sewing machine. So my point is don't be afraid to wear what you want. You can even be a trendsetter and make high street a trend. 

3. TRENDS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING HOW DO I KEEP UP? 

Simple. Don't keep up. 90% of people don't keep up with them because it's a waste of money. You buy what's in style. It goes out of style and then chances are your never wearing it again. Once in a while follow them but I don't think it's a must. 

Favourite clothing shops right now

Hey guys I decided to make a post on my favourite shops and boutiques. So here we go, just to let you know there not amazingly expensive or cheap - it's what I like and can afford :).

1. Tribal Gem

Since this month's topic is Africa I'd like to show you a shop called Tribal Gem. It's a small online boutique Powered by ASOS and they sell beautiful leather jackets with kente in them and much more. Hopefully I'm soon to purchase this jacket from tribal gem and it costs £50.00

2. H&M 

I get quite a few things from H&M. I like that store because it's my style generally. I'm all about tank tops, shorts and skater dresses and H&M have all of those for reasonable prices. 

3. Claire's 

I love Claire's! It's like the number one accessories shop for me, I love it because the jewellery is really bright and colourful and as well as fun and bold the jewellery can also be elegant. 

Laurey xx

Drawing: 9 Steps

Hey guys today I'm going to he talking about what I do before and after I draw and how it helps me because I think it's always good to plan what your going to do before you draw.

1. Inspiration
I look for inspiration to inspire me and motivate my drawings because what I really dislike is when i've got a piece of paper and i'm sitting there for about 10 minutes saying ''What should I draw'', so  before I draw I look for inspiration and what to base my draw on. I look at things such as:

Art

Social networks

Humour 

Outside world 

Culture 

Celebs 

Sports

Colours 

Home decor

Animals 

Music 

Photography 

Science 

Music 

Nature 

Words&quotes

Cars

Books

Magazines 

Holidays and events 

Kids 

Films 

And the list is endless

2. Category 

Choose your category. If your familiar with fashion categories you would know that the three fashion categories are haute couture, ready wear and mass market everything else that falls underneath, examples are:

Emo

Casual

Scene

Modern

Bohemian

Proffessional

Preppy

Beachy

Tom boy

Goth

Chic

Swimwear

Bridal

Continental 

Colours 

Indie rock

Edgy

Punk 

All American 

Alpine 

Art noveau 

Aztec 

Biker 

Classic

Country 

Cowboy 

Disco

Gangster 

Geek chic

Glamour 

Gypsy 

Hippie

Industrial

Latino

Native American 

Pop

Rave 

3. Research&Colours 

Research your category if you don't know it well. Research what kind of the style it is and whether it has a colour theme or not. After that choose your colours according to the colour wheel. Remember - BLUE AND GREEN SHOULD NEVER BE SEEN.

Step 4: Scruffiti (Optional)
Sometimes I use this technique when I want to create patterns. You really just scribble on paper without taking your pencil off the paper. Then you highlight the shapes that you like and can consider using them on your designs.

Step 5: Introspect
What's important to you? What are you feeling right now? How may you translate that into an image?

Step 6: Collect all your inspiration - Mood Boards
Collect all your information and make a mood board to refer to while your designing. If all your inspiration is on your phone/laptop I suggest pinterest where you can make boards online and pin your favourite things and also follow other boards.

Step 7: Draw, Colour and Label
Draw the design, colour it with whatever media you feel like and when your done attach a piece of paper to it talking about it's materials.

Step 8: Design specification
This doesn't have to be longer than a page, simply just talk about the dress and what it's made out of and the target audience. I'll make a post on how to write specifications next week.

Step 9: Broadcast
This is my favourite part, show it off put it on your blog, twitter, facebook, instagram and so on. 

So, that's it for this post and I hope this helps.

Laurey xxo

Best of the web

Hiya guys today in going to be talking about my favourite things (Fashion things) on the web so Let's go!

• I draw fashion 

Just type I draw fashion into google and it will come up Lol. It's an amazing place and it's where I started off as a designer the tutorials are really good and they help a lot and the name of the girl who makes them is called Teya she's really good and also gives you feed back on your designs if you ask her to. 

• Pinterest 

A lot of people think Pinterest is a social network for old people but it isn't to me. I use it for inspiration. There are loads of things to inspire and motivate your drawings on there. You can pin all the things that inspire you and also follow other boards and more. 

• The Fairchild dictionary of fashion 

I use this when I'm struggling to use fashion vocab when I'm writing a specification. It's really good it's a big dictionary full of fashionable words. If you type it into google you can find it on PDF and when I did I printed it off, it was a lot of printing to do but it was worth it.

Most viewed posts on this blog: 

I'm really proud of how many views I've got seeing as this blog was made only a few weeks ago, thanks to all my followers and people who have viewed thanks so much, here we go; 

#1 Narin's Messy Bun Tutorial

I teamed up with one of my besties, Narin who is amazing at doing messy buns as she put together a tutorial for us which has the most views on this blog. I wanna give a special thanks and shoutout to her because it's the most popular post. Thanks so much Narin and hopefully we'll have more blog posts from her in the future. 

#2 Letraset promarker vs Copic Ciao 

This post I wrote was a product review an I was surprised at how many people viewed it. I wrote it for those who are first time marker buyers and I'm glad they loved it. 

#3 Leopard print corset

I wrote this after I had drawn the corset it just briefly talks about how I did it and what I used... It's not much of a tutorial though. 

• Favourite fashion apps. 

I have two favourite ones and there both fashion magazines these are Vogue and Elle. They bring you the latest trends and fashion news 24/7 and you never miss out on what's happening in the fashion world. 

It's a really short best of the web post but I hope you liked it and it leads you to new sites. 

Laurey xxo

Africa: Azonto, Alkayida and Afrobeats

Hey guys, today I'm going to be talking about my favourite music and it fits in perfectly Into this months theme. I'll be talking about my all time favourite Ghanaian and Nigerian artists and tunes. First of all here are my top 10 Artists in order of the BEST! 

1. Wizkid

2. Sarkodie

3. E.L

4. Tiffany 

5. Fuse Odg

6. Wande coal

7. Burna Boy

8. Iyanya

9. D-Black

10. Ruff n Smooth

Favourite tracks: 

1. Wizkid: 

Jaiye Jaiye

Bad girl

The matter

2. Sarkodie: 

Pon de ting ft Banky w

You go kill me ft E.L

Tonga ft Joey B

3. E.L 

Long tin 

Aunty Martha 

You dey craze?

4. Tiffany 

Itz Tiffany 

Kae se

Akyee wo

5. Fuse odg

Million pound girl

Come closer ft Wande Coal

Down on one ft Sarkodie

6. Wande coal

Rotate 

7. Burna Boy

Like to party

Tonight 

Gimme that ft Ice Prince

8. Iyanya 

Your waist

Sexy mama ft wizkid

Kukure 

9. D-Black

Alhaji

Vera

Ha mi shoulder 

10. Ruff n Smooth

Dance for me

Injection

Love again

Wikipedia's definition; 

Azonto is a dance and a music genreoriginating from Ghana. Azonto is known to have originated from a traditional dance called Kpanlogo from the coastal areas likeChorkor, James Town, La, Teshie, Nunguaand in the port town of Tema, all part of the Greater Accra Region. 

Alkayida

I couldn't find a definition for Alkayida so I'll write one myself. It came a few years after the azonto and is currently the dance craze in Ghana. Its kind of like azonto but the right leg isn't moving through out the whole thing like azonto. I love the dance, although the name is dumb and pretty offensive - I didn't make the name don't hate on me. Lol tunes you can dance Alkayida with are: 

Guru - Boys Abr3 

Kwamz ft Castro - Alkayida 

Tutorial - Drawing a fashion face [PART TWO]

Hey guys and welcome to part two, all your gonna need is an alcohol based marker in some skin color, a rubber and a fineliner. I used promarker dusky pink. 

Step 1: Rub out all the pencil lines and grab your marker and make skin shadows.

Step 3: color the face with an even level of marker.

4. Fineline everything 

Messy bun tutorial - Narin

A messy bun is one of my go to hairstyles. I think they're just so easy to do, especially when you do not have a lot of time. I am going to talk you guys through how I do it enjoy :)

What you will need; 

You are going to need quite a few of bobby pins and one hair bobble.    

    

    

You are going to want to make sure that your hair is not too soft or you hair won't stay in a bun for as long as you want it to, if your hair is soft then tease/back comb (instead of brushing upwards, brush downwards with the brush)

1. Firstly you take your hair and you tie it like you are doing a pony tail but at the end you are going to do a loop with your hair, make sure that this loop isn't too floppy or it will not work.

2. You then get the hair that is left at the back and wrap it round your hair bobble and secure with some bobby pins.                                                       

3. To make this more like a messy bun you can pull out a few pieces of hair at the front. You can also always had some hair accessories like bow to cover up the front if it has turned out too messy.  

You should have this;

                                                  

I hope you guys enjoyed this messy bun tutorial and you will not waste as much time trying to do a suitable hairstyle for school or for work.

Narin xo

TUTORIAL: Drawing a Fashion face.

 This is a tutorial on how to draw a fa shion face.This is not the only way to do it but there's millions of ways, this is just my way. Let's get started! 

You will need a pencil, eraser, ruler and preferably any colour skin promarker but otherwise any skin colour alcohol based. These are mine:

Firstly you draw a 2cmx3cm box for the head, however if you'd like to draw a bigger face you'd so 4cmx6cm. I'm going to how you both 2x3 and 4x6

Next draw a point half way in between the lines.

Next, half your box where you put the points (halfway).

You then divide the bottom half by three.

Join up the lines :)

Then half the whole box. You would have noticed that on the top right I've written divide by 2. Basically add a point in the middle of the halfway point to the end point.

Start drawing your skull. Start from the middle point from the top line and your top part of your head should end at the middle point of the sideline.

Complete your face but beware of the cheekbones! The cheekbones look kind of like a snake and you start it on line on end on line three. After that join your chin to the two points at the bottom. 

Join the two sides together to forms chin.

Draw your nose in the middle of line two and three. Draw it like a flying bird and make the two mountains a bit deep. You then draw to straight lines preferably with a ruler from the end of the nose and upwards. This tells us where to put out eyes.

Make a point in the middle of the line you just drew near the nose. Start the eye of those points it should be in the middle of line one and two. Draw eyelids but not All the way to the end, just to the middle. 

That's the shape of the eye. 

Complete the eyes.

Draw the lips, the lips should follow the structure of the nose. Also draw the eyes, draw thick dots in the middle of the iris.

That's the end of all the drawing, if you wish to also learn how to colour the face that will be uploaded shortly. 

Thanks for reading, Laurey xo