Refashioned - muumuu/bubu

so, the last in the series of my refashioned clothes. 


My mother had this bubu/muumuu made for me in my teens, but the style is too "old lady", awkward, unflattering and I never got to wear it. So struck with a bit of inspiration, I decided to update it. It was very important that it retained that African feel with the detailing at the neck being the focal point. Any changes would have to be built around the neckline. Anyhoos, here are my results.



dirty mirror - eek! 



neckline detail.


How I wore it,




dress - refashioned muumuu
cardigan - ebay, but originally george at asda
tights - pretty poll @ boots.
shoes - charity shop, but originally from primark. 
belt - came with a skirt. 


I have to say I really enjoyed doing this. It is such a good feeling to see the clothes I cut up come together as something nice and wearable. It really got me thinking about finding beauty in the "ugliest" things.  and from a financial stand point, I was able to add a few new pieces to my wardrobe for next to nothing.  I'm looking forward to rummaging around charity shops to see what I can find and play around with. 


till then.

R.I.P Gil Scott Heron.

"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” that was about the fact that the first change that takes place is in your mind. You have to change your mind before you change the way you live and the way you move. So when we said that “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” we were saying that the thing that’s gonna change people is something that no one will ever be able to capture on film. It will just be something that you see, and all of a sudden you realize I’m on the wrong page, or I’m on the right page but I’m on the wrong note, and I’ve got to get in sync with everyone else to understand what’s happening in this country." Gil Scott Heron

Happy Bob Dylan Birthday day!

when I was younger, I was TOTALLY convinced this song was about my family. Maggie was my mother the evil person that made me and my sister scrub the floors and the bathroom. I was only about 7/8 at the time so scrubbing anything was like child labour. My uncle was maggie's brother, who rarely ever gave us pocket money, but asked us if we were having a good time. And my grandmother talked to the maids about "About man and God and law". so, totally about me right?!

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (8 wks progress pictures)

I think I took these pictures in week 7 and 8, or 7 and 6 but I'm not too sure. I'll call it 7 and 8, so it matches up with the skin care posts. 


Week 1



Week 7 



Week 8







Right Side:


Week 4(I don't have week 1, pictures)



Week 7



Week 8





I have NOTHING (not even moisturiser) on my skin when I take these pictures, I'm fresh out of the shower. I've been using it for 2 months now and I'm happy with the results, I was inspired to try Retin-A by this user on acne.org. She used Retin-A micro, I'm not sure how that differs from the Retin-A that I'm using. I wish I had done a control experiment to see if the improvements are due to Retin-a or time and good exfoliation. I feel more confident going out with my bare skin. I do want to take a break give my skin time to regroup. I have a prescription of Duac from my doctor, so I might use that in the interim. 

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (products I use pt 2 and update)

Murad cleanser - night time face wash. I got it free in a magazine. 



(trying to take an artsy shot, obviously failed)
Vitamin E - used on the weekends in the morning. It is the purest grade no additives at all. 



My new face scrub used daily. 


Week 7 and 8
I had a break out all over my forehead and temples this is weird for me as my breakouts are usually concentrated around my cheeks. I'm slightly worried that it might be caused the the vitamin E gel, but I'm still using it (eek! ). 


I'm running out of the 'Murad Cleanser' (it is only a tiny size) and 'My Good Things Stay Clear' face wash which I use daily. I'm not sure if I'm going to stay with them, because neither of them seem to have helped with my break out.  My routine is the same as I stated last week. I'll be posting my 8 week comparison pictures soon. I'm starting to think I should come off the Retin-A and give my skin a break. 


till then.

Still loving country music and here's why....

I'm all about badarse, sassy unapologetic women and female characters and when I listen to songs like the ones posted I feel like I can go out and take on the world. And before anyone says it, I know not all country music is like this. I know I've chosen two Miranda Lambert songs - I'm really liking her at the moment, but here are the songs I've been listening to a lot lately.







I'm trying to get into Martie and Emily, formerly of Dixie Chicks, now 'The Courtyard Hounds album. I know it is a year old, but I just go round to listening to it. I'm really stuck for new music I like at the moment which is another reason why the music aspect of this blog is suffering. I'm yet to find the album that moves me that same way the Avett Brothers and Gil Scott Heron's album moved me last year. I hear Weird Sl is releasing an album, that might be just what I need to get me through the year!


till then.

I've been listening to a lot of country music lately....

Re-fashion Pt 2/Yes, I'm still taking picture in toilets

Part 2 of my refashion post from a week ago.  You can check out Part 1 here, if you need reminding, here is what the outfit looked like before.



I cut it into two halves and manage to get two cute outfits out of it!  There is the second half. The elastic was big and stretched so I added a new elastic. When I was cutting the dress in half, I made sure I left enough to create a tunnel for the elastic to go in. Here is what I ended up with .



new elastic







How I wore it.
Top - asos two pack from last summer.
Skirt - refashioned.
Black Tights - can't remember where.
Necklace - eons ago from H &M





close up of the necklace. The arrangement of the pendants is a happy accident. They got tangled up and I decided to leave them as is. 


I have one more in this series, I'll be posting it next week.


till then

Skin Care Journey: Treating, and Dealing with Hyper-pigmentation and Acne (week 5 and 6)

I didn't do one of these last week (wk5) because I had nothing to say and I don't want to keep rehashing the same thing over and over again. My skin has been the most normal it's been since I started, I guess that is because I've reached the 5 week mark when the Retin-A really kicks into gear. I still get breakouts and the texture is still reminiscent of a gravel road - yuk! but, the hyper-pigmentation is clearing nicely. I've also changed my routine again! I know I haven't really stuck with nay products and if you are following this you are probably wondering what product to buy to follow this routine. Personally, I would go with whatever works for your skin, during my skin care journey I have bought A LOT of stuff and  tried a lot of stuff based on other people's recommendation and I didn't notice a difference in my skin. Which is why I ended up with lots of half used products and I'm working my way through them. I guess my routine (Cleanse-Tone-Moisturise) stays the same, it's just the products that change.

The other day, I was watching ANTM and one of the girls mentioned using vitamin E - I happen to have Vitamin E gel and oil on my dressing table, so I've added that to my weekend routine.I didn't have much of a weekend routine, so I wants to see how this changes everything.  So my routine as it stands.

MONDAY TO FRIDAY

Morning

Wash - Good Things Stay Clear Face Wash

Exfoliate  - Queen Helene Mint Julep (no longer using the boots scrubs at the moment, my skin seems to wince at the idea of being scrubbed)

Toner - Burts bees

Moisturiser - Good Things Mircale Mattifier (I went back to it when my skin started to behave)

Night

Take Off my make up with any wipe I can get my hands on

Wash  - Murad Essential C Cleanser (got for free in a mag so I had to try it)

Retin - A

Saturday And Sunday Morning

Rinse off Retin - A residue then apply Vitamine E gel (I'm trying to use that up first then on to the oil)

Continue the rest of the day  and finish with my usual night time routine. I try not to wear make up at the weekend unless I'm going out for drinks/to a club at night.


till next week.