Just your average girl living her London dream! Its all about positivity and being hopeful and ofcourse the occasional makeup splurge! Join me on my crazy adventures of every day life and be a part of my journey through my London dream.
When I hear this name I think of freedom, courage, faith,
integrity and humility. These are all some of the characteristics of this great
man. He inspired not only a nation or a generation; he is an inspiration for
humanity. Everyday we hear of so much evil all around us. Without doing
anything are we not in that cycle of evil ourselves?
Every time I am faced with any form of obstacle or hardship I
think of my Messengers and Mr Madiba. He was not a prophet or an angel or a
saint. He was a mere human and he sacrificed TWENTY SEVEN years for his nation,
yet we remember him not as a prisoner but as a freedom fighter, a hero.
You are not as insignificant as you may have been made to believe.
If you are Muslim or Christian, you will agree that the angels and the devil
himself were made to bow down to us. Does this not show how incredible you are
in this universe?
Overcome the fear of failure, or any fear you have built. In
the words of Madiba himself;
“courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over
it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers fear”
I believe that there are many Nelson Mandelas, Malcom Xs,
Jomo Kenyattas, Waiyaki Hingas, Muhammad Jinnahs, Mahatma Gandhis and Mehdi Hasans
out there. Let’s have more faith in humanity, and more importantly in
ourselves.
It's that time of year again where its all about gift shopping. Buying gifts for people is sometimes the most tiresome chore and that's why i've come up with a bunch of gift ideas for her that could help you alittle. (hint hint to whoever has me for secret Santa :p)
1) The number one thing I would LOVE to have is the benefit advent calendar. It comes with all of their most popular products and can just brighten up each day.
2) A Zara bag that comes in different shapes, sizes and colours; classy yet so affordable!
3) For the girl that could never have too much gold in her life, spoil her with the glitzy glam iPhone case; Marc by Marc Jacobs
4) I was given a Kate Spade wallet on my birthday and i love it, highly recommend them. Especially this one in fushia pink that I have.
5) Probably my favorite perfume ever, flowerbomb by victor rolf
6) Ofcourse Christmas isn't complete without a pair of cheesy festive pyjamas
7) Bring the hotel bathroom home with these super-luxe bath oils that smell amazing by Aromatherapy Associates
8)This is a sneaky gift that can be used to hang on the Christmas tree or can be used as one gift or four seperate ones. Absolutely adore these Lancome In Love Cubes
9)Something trending recently are the Jo Malone candles that smell really good
10Lastly, go on and spoil her with her some Micheal Kors bling, Loving this!
Hope you enjoy all the shopping and festivities! Till next time, keep living those dreams dreamers. xx
My parents have been people that always left everything to
God. They taught us as children that no matter what God will always come
through for you. Our bond with God is stronger than any relationship even that
of a mother and child, why would God not save you then? I always saw this as
something ‘other’ people would need, in my mind I was inevitable as a follower
of God. But then I grew up and moved to a world where life revolves around the
follies of vanity and materialistic means of life. In this world the relationship
with God you once had becomes a mere presence in your life rather than a way of
life.
My biggest enemy and my biggest test of life is hypochondria
as you may already know. I have been beaten to the ground by this spiral in my
mind of sickness and google, yes you google, you have done this to me. And I know
I am not the only one who is tormented by their own mind. I think ‘how is the
rest of the world fine?’ ‘How are people so content with their lives?’ ‘How is
that man living the life he is without the fear of cancer?’ And I think I may
have found the answer. God.
‘Man a’rafa Nafsah, faqad arafa Rabbah’, who knows his soul
knows his God. Religion is God realization, but spirituality is that
relationship you build with the Devine Deity. Islam is a religion, follow it to
the best of your human ability, but find that relationship with God where your
every move is reliant upon Him. The thought that He has everything planned and
He is looking after you should make everything seem wonderful and gives every
today meaning. A famous Islamic scholar states that pains and illnesses of the
body are pains and illnesses of the heart. One way of abandoning God and His
book is by not calling onto him for healing. Maybe everything that happens to
us is based on what we make our hearts and soul become.
My very good friend Kiran once said to me ‘Aniqah, how can
you fear anything at all when God is there, you have nothing at all to worry
about’. She is a Sikh. And it made me so proud of her. No matter what name you
call God, he will always always listen. She has so much love and passion for
God that her life has changed. That is what I want; To find a cure to all of life’s
idiocies and tribulations through the mercy of God. Remember the first words of
the Quran; In the name of Allah the most merciful and Beneficial. That is your
lifeline right there.
We must all build love and trust in God FULLY in order to
lead that life we want to live. It is liberating because our love is directed
at the source of all our blessings, not merely the means.
Dr Maya Angelou; a woman whose words can hit you deep into the core of your soul. I try to lead my life through her teachings and would like to share this particular video of her wise words.
Love and be liberated, but find people worthy of that love. Sometimes love is too overwhelming for some people to accept, they are the people who you are not meant to have in your life, and others will find liberation in your love, and liberate you too. The journey of finding those people and finding that liberation is what the journey of life is.
The Best things in life are sometimes hidden in the most
secret of places, and sometimes they are the little whims of everyday. Here are
a few of my favourite things;
The first layer of snow that falls
Anything Disney
Singing, and singing loud!
The smell of mum, Bvulgari to be exact
Lychees
That feeling of accomplishment and completeness after
prayers
Laughing so hard that it hurts
A purring kitten on your laps
A steaming cup of tea
Old classic songs, English and Indian
Youtube
Seeing my dad through the JKIA window when I land
That hug you get when you’ve been away from someone
The feel and smell of a new book
Ramadan and Eid (and Christmas)
Sitting and talking to family or friends for hours
Hello dreamers!!! Hope you have all been keeping very well. Today since I've been AWOL for a couple of weeks I though I'd make up for it by allowing you into my very drab make-up collection!
It's nothing particularly fancy and in no way am I bragging, this is just what happens when you are make-up obsessed. However, I don't think it's that amazing as compared to my mate Sam who I shall soon be robbing. I'm still adding to my collection so I would LOVE to know what products you recommend and love and I will definitely try them out. So without further ado, here you go..
So here we have everything sectioned out, my facial products in one box being my foundations, powders, illuminators, primers, creams and blushers all together.
Above are my base products, I have a BeautyLife Multi-Colour Face Concealer Palette, the Rimmel Fix and Perfect primer in 002 and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. For everyday use I use the Rimmel Wake me up foundation in true nude, absolutely LOVE it. For a more effective coverage I use the MAC studio fix fluid in NC30 and powder in NC40, love studio fix and will always stick to it. For contour I use an hd Brows bronzer that I got in my October Glossybox and although it contours well, it leaves a mess all over my carpet and the rest of my makeup!
For colour I use MeMeMe's Cherub's Blush, another Glossybox gem. It is a cheek tint and I have been loving it especially for this season. I use a Rimmel blush in live pink for everyday use and its got a lovely tinge of shimmer in it if you prefer not to use an illuminator. I use the Nars Orgasm Illuminator and it is one of my favorite products that I own!
My next box is full of my make up brushes, tweezers and eyebrow scissors, nailpolishes (I barely paint my nails) and my mac pigments.
These are my trusty palettes, I do have a pro-palette, but it is back home in Kenya and an NYX palette that is in pieces right now. Every girl must own a Naked Palette by Urban Decay, its an absolute necessary. I have a Ted Baker palette that is mainly shimmery sunkissed colours and I am loving it. My smokey eye kit has been very good to me for a good 4 years! One of the first ones I got. I barely use the Golden Look palette for my eyes, I use it more for eyebrows.
This is my lipstick collection, not very impressive I know, but truth be told, my sister has the best lipstick collection so I think why buy more when I can use hers! Love you Sid ;) Starting from the left, Chatterbox by MAC, in love with ginger by Rimmel (love the moisture), 110-Kate Moss by Rimmel, Rouge ARA by Dior (one of my prized possessions), Stone by NYX, Rouge a'Levres from BeautyBase, Magnolia by Chantecaille, On Fire by Rimmel and behind are my glosses and lip tints.
This is my eye-liners/pencils/mascaras stash. I use the Rimmel Scandal eyes in black and the Maybelline Great lash Mascara in Royal blue. My eye-liners are mainly Bourjois, MAC, BarryM, onyx, Urban Decay and Feamina( a German brand that does the best eye pencils).
Last but not least we have my MAC metallic pigments in Dusty Desire, Maribu, Femininity and Prettified, although these are super messy to use, they sit really well and do not crease at the lid.
This is my Basic Makeup collection and I hope you all enjoyed it! As you can see im abit Rimmel and MAC obsessed, and soon becoming a Nars-ian. I highly recommend all these products as I only keep and use products I am very happy with.
Till next time, keep blushing those cheeks dreamers :)
Hey all you dreamers! Since I'm swammped with work STILL i thought I'd make this a quick one. My favorite tracks right now getting me through all my work;
1) Avicii always, he is my absolute favorite and this song just does it for me;
2) Although the video is so messed up, I just love this song!
3) This next song just makes me laugh and want to go on a really cheesy holiday with my family;
4) And lastly for when i'm feeling a wee bit deep;
Hope everyone's had a lovely weekend! Till next time, lots of love! :)
Hey dreamers, hope everyone's had a lovely weekend, mine has consisted of reading a 47 page article on the socialist calculation debate...not fun!
On a brighter note, a big thankyou to everyone for supporting my blog, the positive feedback has been so motivating and hitting 1200 blog reads just makes it all worth it!
For today's blog I thought I would share with you a few things from my "bucket list". I'd love to know what yours are and if any of ours match
1) Go for Pilgrimage, Hajj and Umrah ;completely find myself and
find salvation
2) Go to Greece; have my Mama Mia experience, I love the movie!
3) Drive from Egypt down to South Africa; take 8 weeks out with my
dad- Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and finally
South Africa
4) See the Northern lights
5) Adopt a little Kenyan baby; as well as having my own kids God
willingly, I shall adopt a little orphaned toto
6) Fall in love
7) Buy my parents a huge house; we had my dad’s dream house snatched
away, and someday I will get it back for him
8) Race a car; I come from a family with a need for speed
9) Work as someone who actually makes a change; become a diplomat or policy maker some day.
10) Have that fairy tale wedding; my cousin had this amazing engagement
and their theme was enchanted forest, so stealing that!
11) Disney world! It’s a must!
12) Carnival in Rio de Janerio; with my best of friends before life
gets too serious
13) Have my voice professionally trained; I love to sing and have been
doing so since school days but I would love to professionally train
14) Build my dream home exactly how I want it; Victorian, high
ceilings, wooden finish and deep furnishings
15) Make each day an adventure; never give myself the opportunity to
sit and think, ‘is that it’.
Till next time, keep living those dreams dreamers :)
Hey all you dreamers! I know I’ve been pretty bad on the
fashion and beauty side, but it’s just that I’m so swamped with work I haven’t
had time to go out shopping and keep up with my fashion reads. I promise
results for next week.
I thought for today’s blogpost I’d share with you my
ultimate favourite reads. I am hands-down a huge bookworm and I am capable of
sitting in my room locked up for two days itching to get to the final pages of
a book. Oddly enough, I am that person who loves reading second hand books. The
thought that someone else has enjoyed this book too and other people have
turned the pages and enjoyed the magic that each page spills just appeals to
me.
I start with my favourite book in the whole wide world; ‘Pride
and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. I have probably read this book a good ten or so
times. The story is another Austen marvel. The pages full of romance,
impressions, pride, mild humour, false pretences, fashion, dancing and most
importantly Sir William Darcy! This classic is a must read, and the films nor
the series do it justice so don’t you dare cheat!
Next off is a very gripping story known as ‘The Alchemist’
by Paulo Coelho. This book really amazed me and on countless occasions gave me
shivers down my spine. While some may call it farfetched, I find that I learned
a lot from this book. Although it is a mere 177 pages long story, I took two
weeks to read it as I would read a page, put the book down and reflect on that
page’s content. This book is only for people who enjoy poetic and beautifully written
books, rather than just the story itself.
Lastly, another favourite of mine is a playwright called ‘A
Raisin in the Sun’ by Lorraine Hansberry. I studied this book at my O’levels
and it always stuck with me. This is a book based on racism in the 50’s, and an
African American family’s struggle and how they copped. A beautiful piece filled
with metaphorical writing that makes its story more relevant to a lot of other
struggles many other people face.
I have many other favourite reads that include; the Harry
potter saga, the Lord of the Rings saga, a streetcar named desire, the
Reluctant Fundamentalist, childhood classics, Various autobiographies and of course the lovey dovey
novels ;)
Hey all you dreamers, hope everyone’s been doing great. This
is a very difficult subject for me to discuss and it is going to be a bit of a
long blogpost, you have been prepared! It’s been a pretty crazy couple of days
what with everything going on, job hunting and university starting. What’s more
is that on Thursday I shall be turning a whopping 22, its scary how time flies
by. Turing 21 was my most life changing year ever. It was the one year of my
life I feel like I really grew up.
Being 21 was a very colourful year. Although there was good
and bad, I learnt so much which is why I wouldn’t change a single thing. I’m
sure everyone goes through that period of their life where they only just start
figuring themselves out and although it is a remarkable experience knowing who
you really are, the journey there isn’t always smooth.
I went through a lot emotionally in the previous year. I
lost my god mother and aunt who I was so close to and who I still think of
everyday and love immensely. I became a hypochondriac where there would hardly
pass a week where I would not think I had some form of cancer, heart problem or
other illness. I feared I had any disease I heard anyone having, I was
convinced I was going to get ill and die which made me a very sad cookie and
all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and watch celebrity juice reruns. I often
suffered from anxiety attacks and was just always a stressed Eric. I got hurt
by certain people and had my heart trampled all over.
Although these may not sound very nice and fun, they make me
who I am now. I overcame this! And I still am becoming stronger every day. I
lost someone but I am so lucky I got to spend 21 beautiful years with her and
now her thoughts make me smile and her memories make us all laugh. Almost every
young adult suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, hypochondria or depression. It
is not some disease in your body or some form of a disability; it is just a
state of mind. You need to realise that you are stronger than you think, and
your mind is so easily moulded to whatever you choose. People live and die, I realised
that death will come to everyone, why should I fear death when it is
inevitable, why not concentrate on living and let fate play its role. I became
closer to God, and it gave me immense clarity. You need to find answers within
yourself. One suffers from all of the above because either you are not happy
with yourself or your life or your life is simply just a mess. Pick yourself
up! And with regard to people, I learnt that how I treat a person is not based
on how I want them to reciprocate, it is based on how it makes me feel at the
end of the day. I would rather have loved and lost than to not have loved at
all. Be good to people, be fearless, if you have that thing to say, say it! To love
is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk failure, but risks
must be taken because the greatest hazard is to risk nothing. People can only disappoint
you if you expect anything out of them, expect only things and results from
yourself, and you will find happiness.
Many lives were lost in the westgate attack back home. Life
can easily be taken away within a blink of an eye. Don’t be someone who just
made it through life. Make a legacy! Make memories, leave marks on people’s
hearts and do extraordinary things. Life is too short to waste it brooding on
simply what is tricks your mind plays on you.
In this year of so much change internally, a lot of
positivity transpired. I have gathered a lot of amazing people in my life that
have changed my life forever and have been my support on so many occasions;
Naima, Layla, Sameeha, Jaymin, Prateesha, Gurkiran, Pallavi, Anika, Priya, Suha, Mujahid, Babindip, Aksa, Hazra, Sajni, Sonam and Ratan. You all are such
amazing people! Experiences make you grow as an individual and make you stronger;
I became a better version of me in a lot of ways. And most importantly, I found
my purpose of life through my spiritual and religious journey.
I start my 22nd second year of life with hope, strength,
forgiveness, knowledge and positivity. You can too. It’s time to get out of
that shell and go out there and grab life with both hands.
As many of you may or may not know, my home country was
affected by a ruthless attack. I lost people I knew and had grown up with.
Innocent blood has been spilt.
Our hearts cry and bleed for our nation. This is our home,
our Kenya.
Do not let negativity enter you. It is a disease that feeds
the soul and the mind. Mourn, but do not lose hope for then you fall victim
too. I would like to share a poem that always gives me strength as it gave the
prisoners strength when Mandela would read it to them during his decades of
incarceration. I hope this may give you some hope too. I quoted it in my
introductory blog too, it is a marvelous piece by William Ernest Henely.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
It is easy to kill, torture and oppress, but remember the
soul cannot be broken. Always be brave, whether it may be in your actions or in
your thoughts. We live and die honorably and peacefully. We live and die
Kenyan.
Hey all you dreamers! I hope everyone had a lovely week, and
made the most of wearing all your high fashion outfits in commemoration of
LONDON FASHION WEEK!!
I know a lot of you are big time fashion and beauty lovers
like me. However, being a student, there is always the darn cost factor-as us
economists like to describe it; a budget constraint, and boy does it stink! But
do not fret yet chummy for I am here to try and save the day! We may not have
Tanya Burr’s collection of high end make up, but we can most definitely substitute
it with drug store treasures and look just as good! Well almost.
I then thought that the best haul to start off with would be
a Boots haul, and man do I love a good Boots or Superdrug frenzy! I bought five
items that I think could really help with this time of year, autumn; a time of
long walks, cosy cardigans and back to university/school.
My first item is the ‘Sunkissed glimmer compact’ bronzer. I absolutely
love this buy. It has an array of different shades of brown and bronze. This sits
perfectly on my skin and I actually use it to contour, and the shimmer in
bronzer just gives a natural glow and an effortless radiance. This is perfect
to avoid looking pale and washed out in this coming weather. Besides, the best
bit is that it is £2, you cannot go wrong with that!
My second
item is something I was in desperate need of. My hair is in shades of ombre
ending in a blondish brown, this has seriously dried out my hair and my
constant blow drying, straightening and curling is definitely not helping out. Since
I want to maintain my long hair, I am avoiding split ends at any cost so I don’t
need a trim soon. The ‘TRESemme Keratin Smooth’ heat protection shine spray
works wonders! My hair feels much healthier after just a couple of uses. My hair
sits really well when I style it and best of all, since I have the problem of
frizzy hair in this weather, this magical product actually keeps my hair tamed!
I positively recommend this one, a steal at £5.50 for its values worth.
Next off, I purchased
the ‘Garnier Pure Active Fruit Energy’ gel facewash. I am very happy with this
product because it is kind on my skin and does not leave my skin feeling dry
and tacky after washing. That is a big issue I have with a lot of facewashes
and this one came in and saved the day! This was on sale from £4.99 to £3.32
and who doesn’t love a sale?
The next
product is one of my favourites! I have seen Tanya Burr brag about this and my
sister uses this too, so I thought I would see what all the fuss was about…and I
don’t know how I have lived all my makeup life without this product! The ‘Rimmel
Scandaleyes Show Off’ mascara in 001 black is probably the best mascara I have
ever used! It just lengthens and dramatically darkens your lashes without
clumping them. I know, hard to believe, but honestly try it for yourself, you
will fall in love. This is perfect for a fresh faced autumn look; a naked face
with this mascara and a bold lip. Perfect for fall! This is priced at £6.99.
My last
product is a buy I am very happy with! Rimmel has really impressed me this time
round. This is the ‘Rimmel Lasting
Finish Colour Rush’ Balm in 600 on fire. This is from the chubby stick/colour
boost family however at half the price! I have heard Zoella and Tanya Burr talk
about the Bourjois Colour boost Lip crayon and indeed it is brilliant, but this
is just as good and literally half the price! This beautiful tangerine redish
lippy is perfect for back to university everyday wear. It moisturises your lips
in this dry weather and the colour lasts without giving you dreaded white lipstick line, and the colour is really fun and vibrant. The best bit about
this is the price; believe it or not, this marvel is priced at £2.99!
I hope you
found these helpful in any way and I am sorry about the poor quality pictures, I
am getting my new camera soon, for now it’s resolving to the use of my trusty 3
year old digital Sony. I hope you all have a very beautiful weekend ahead and
enjoy the lovely weather!
Hello all you dreamers! Well this is it! My first blog post!
After months and months of procrastinating I have finally started this thanks
to lovely Kiran giving me that much needed push! My main goal for starting up a
blog is to find an escape of reality. I think a lot of times many of us get too
caught up in our lives to actually stop for a minute and just appreciate life,
the finer and simpler things that make every minute worth living. Mine and one
of my best mates goal for the next coming year is TO JUST SAY YES (Jay, I hope
you’re proud of me)! This is me finally getting off my butt and doing something
completely crazy! And you know, why the hell not?!
For many of you that are scared of life, scared of failure,
always anxious and just a full on hypochondriac, you have found your soul mate!
I was all of the above and probably more, but I fought through and every day I keep
fighting on. I lost a year on emotions that affected no one but me. I dug
myself further into this fleapit of misery till one day I realized, this is NOT
AT ALL the person I want to be! If I can
help any one person it would be probably the greatest achievement ever. I know
how hard it is to think positive but to be very honest, being positive is the
only thing that keeps humanity sane. Being positive is the hope of a brighter
tomorrow and as the wise words of Ernest Henely states, “I am the master of my
fate, I am the captain of my soul”. You hold the key to your happiness.
On a lighter note, as much as I will be targeting positivity,
coping and healing, I will also be talking about all things fun and interesting.
For me these include fashion, beauty, theatre, exploring hidden gems of London,
dance, singing & music, travel, books, baking and doing a whole load of weird
stuff.
And lastly, as you may know from my information box I am a
student in my final year of Economics. And wait stop! Don’t judge me yet…There
is a whole different side to economics that affects everyone day to day. Economics
touches the fashion industry, the entertainment industry and all aspects to
your life! So economics can be very interesting and enjoyable, just give it a
chance. I will similarly discuss career choices, study pathways and all the
confusion that affects and has affected all of us.
I will stop rambling and finally conclude that my main aim
of this blog is to just make you realize that life is not as serious as you
think it is chummy! Lighten up! Stop carrying the weight of the world. Live,
laugh, love, eat, read, learn, teach, dance, sing, shout, cry, hope and pray. That’s
what it’s all really about.
