fashion – sarah fynn

Christmas Look Book featuring Ankara House

I teased on Instagram in September I was on set with the talented AJ of Ankara House and Ryben Media for a photoshoot of her latest collection! It was a fun day (that started late thanks to AJ me too but mostly AJ lol) full of beautiful clothes and one amazing view!

The collection is now up on Ankara House and the pics turned out great! I have chosen my favourite looks from the shoot (it was hard) to inspire you to wear more African print! What perfect timing? It’s the month of Christmas festivities so head over( after reading this post of course) to shop!

I have worked with Ankara House so many times and the clothes keep getting better (and I keep stealing I mean taking I mean she gives me the clothes I shoot!) she also does custom orders so if you have your own cloth drop her a line. I also have to give a special shout-out to Nat from Ryben Media! He scouted the location, protected us from dogs (mostly me lol) and the drone shots!!!!!!! Follow him on Instagram

Let’s get into my fav looks

Harriet Corset top £35

I fell in love with this peplum corset top as soon as I saw it and I knew I would take this home with me! The V neckline and boning will have you snatched. I would pair this with a pencil skirt or leather leggings and some killer heels.

Seraiah, £45

This dress had me feeling some type of way! This LWD is perfect for a rehearsal wedding dinner, engagement dinner or just any special occasion you want to wear it to! Again another dress I took home with me and I have plans for this. Soon P.S I also tried to get her to name this dress after my alter ego because this dress is so HER

Debra Kente dress, £54

Wedding coming up? This is the perfect wedding guest dress! It has pockets! Midi length (a good length to prevent the aunties from screwing you to death, Ghanaians you know what I mean!) and a corset top that will keep it from sliding down! She can also customise this with straps with you prefer

Aba, £49

I mean I just don’t like it because it’s named after me (team Thursday borns) but this dress fits me so well. Midi length, form-fitting and do you see that back?! This is definitely for the bold, the Aba dress features Ankara House’s signature puff sleeves style.

Jamelia £45

A simply elegant off shoulder dress. Perfect for every occasion. Signature puff sleeves and a midi length, if you have a graduation ceremony coming up, why not rock this print dress to rep GHANA!

Brianna £57

Another elegant dress featuring a cute love hearts print and peplum! This dress is perfect for every occasion! I wore mine to a wedding and received so many compliments

If you’re looking to spice up your wardrobe with some African fashion do check out Ankara House! Always on trend with colourful prints and designs! Don’t be afraid to reach out if you want something customised she will be happy to help!

Our photographer Ryben Media is based in Loughborough but is happy to travel! He does editorial shoots.

Guess who did the makeup?! I did my own makeup for the shoot and I am super happy with the way it turned out! I wanted to test flashback and the longevity of the products I used but also practice my makeup skills for photography. I did rush a bit but overall I loved the way it turned out!

Breakdown of the products I used

Lipsticks – BeautyBlvd Mattitude, I was sent these and they came just in time for the shoot! My review and swatches here

Primer– Hourglass Mineral Veil

Illuminator– Deep Gold Body Radiance by Melanie Mills underneath the foundation for a luminous finish

Foundation– Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème

Concealer– Mac Prolong Wear

Highlighter– ColourPop Avalon

Setting powder– Laura Mercier Translucent powder in Deep

Face powder– Mac mineralize skin finish

Setting spray– Skindinavia Bridal setting spray

I can’t remember the rest (covers face)

The full collection is available now! Head over to AnkaraHouse to check it out!

The Intern Diaries: Day 2

Dear Diary

Its day 2! It was packed with more work and more responsibility! So what did I learn today? A lot! I am still getting to grips with the magazine’s writing style/voice but I think I am getting better as I only had to re word some documents twice!- that’s good, right?

Anyway, I am excited about my mini interview with a high profile stylist for the magazine yay tomorrow.

Also I need to start applying for jobs as I know I won’t be getting a job there after. I mean was I naïve to think this could lead to a permanent role? She did say it was a small team with a strict budget so I know that possibility is out the door! hmmmm Anyway let’s see what happens next.

Day 2 was good.

Love

Sarah

P.S – how do you guys deal with constructive criticism? I need to start waking up a bit earlier! I wasn’t late but I need to do a post office run in the morning tomorrow

Hey guys, so I have an internship at a top UK magazine for the next 2 weeks and I will be documenting the journey in my intern diaries! I won’t reveal where/who I am working for (maybe I will at the end? Or if you can guess lol, a giveaway?). Just know it’s an editorial assistant internship and I am not making tea/coffee lol.

I hope this inspires someone who is thinking of a similar internship to get out there and apply. It can be quite daunting and there is always that ‘Will I just be making drinks and doing the photocopying’ cliché. But internships are great especially if you are thinking of a career change- which I am currently thinking of and want to test drive to see if it’s actually the right path for you plus you’re getting some experience and making contacts. And if you’re amazing enough and they can afford it- your dream job

The BIG X

Sarah Fynn X CJAJ09 X Jays Prestige X The Ordinary Amazing

Hey guys! So this is the post you have been waiting for (Well I hope!) I posted a few pictures on my Facebook yesterday (That’s why you should like my Facebook page) on this big collab shoot that happened over the summer.

I have been thinking of doing something like this for a while now and I was finally able to put it all together. After weeks of planning exactly what, where and when, conflicting schedules and trying to work around UK weather, I decided to do this styling collab with designer AJ Taylor. From there I spoke to Judith for makeup and Peter for the photographs.

I came up with a few themes/looks I asked her to design for and gave Judith full creative control over the makeup looks for looks. I chose themes/looks that we usually find we are shopping/planning for. All the stuff here are available on the CJAJ09 website or will be up soon. All the contact details will be at the end of the post 🙂

The Career Chic

Monday mornings are usually filled with black, white or grey colours! The classic suit is great but can be boring sometimes. With not so great weather you can almost blend in with your surroundings! Inject some colour in your working wardrobe with some CJAJ09 pieces that are guaranteed to turn a few heads and brighten your office!

Nancy, is wearing a crop top over a plain white shirt and wide leg trousers

If yellow is not your colour why not try white? I am wearing a dress turned into a top (From Primark) paired with white CJAJ09 trousers and a white waterfall jacket

On those rare days we actually have sun shine lol, why not try this kente tie over a plain white shirt and an Ankara skirt?

The Party Girl

So it’s been a tough week and you’re ready to hit town with your BFF, for a drink or two and to dance the night away.

We know co-ordinates were big last season and season too but have you tried it in African print? Angela is wearing the latest trend with a split midi skirt and a peplum top.

I am wearing a peplum maxi skirt and a lace top ( from else where)

Don’t you hate the long taxi wait at the end of the night?

That’s all the pictures I have for now! Please check my Facebook and the others for more pictures. Definitely check out AJ’s website for all the clothes. She also offers a personalised service where you can give her your own Ankara cloth and design. All the contact details are below

Contact details

AJ Taylor, Fashion Designer/ Creative Director

CJAJ09

Twitter- myafricancloset

Instagram- myafricancloset

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/CJAJ09?fref=ts

Website/shop- http://ankarahouse.co.uk/

Judith, Makeup Artist

Jays Prestige

Instagram- Jays Prestige

Peter Fynn, photographer

The Ordinary Amazing

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/The-Ordinary-Amazing-693466917424035/timeline/

Blog- http://theordinaryamazing.com/

Sarah Fynn, Blogger/Creative director/ Organiser

All my social media tags can be found on the right hand side.

Yeah Peter is my brother lol, but he was actually the one we had to wait the longest for smh lool.

That’s all folks! I will be back with some more pictures and another post! Stay tuned! Which look was your fav? Which pieces do you want to try? Let us know

Event : African Fashion Week London 2015

Hey beaus

Another event worth noting

What?

African Fashion Week is back this year for another week highlighting some of the most talented designers in Africa. In its 4th year running, AFWL has hosted about 300 designers for a growing audience. Come and be inspired at the creative patterns and rich colours you would see on the catwalk

When?

Saturday, 8 August 2015 from 12:00 to 20:30

Where?

Olympia London

Hammersmith Road

West Hall

W14 8UX Kensington

United Kingdom

Tickets

There are a number of tickets available with different prices to suit your specific needs. You can purchase them online via Eventbrite >> http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/africa-fashion-week-london-7th-8th-august-2015-tickets-17472345255?aff=es2

For more information please visit the AFWL website >> http://www.africafashionweeklondon.com/

Are you going? Did you book your tickets? Have you got your outfit prepared? Let me know!

Love

Sarah

SHOOT THE COMPANY FOR HOUSE OF FRASER X CJAJ09

Hi guys, this a quick post to tell you guys about the work I did with CJAJ09 for SHOOT THE COMPANY on behalf of HOUSE OF FRASER. I will break it down for y’all soon.(lol). Before I get into that though, HAPPY NEW MONTH! Can you believe 2015 is just around the corner? This year has flown past honestly but I hope everyone has achieved their goals set for this year (you guys still remember your new year’s resolutions right? Haha) if you haven’t, you have 61 days left, get going! (motivational mode deactivated!)

So, my good friend over at CJAJ09 ( I say that like CJAJ09 is a place, like a physical place you could go to and visit, so let me try again) my good friend, Taylor, the owner of CJAJ09 (much better right?) had the opportunity to be included as one of the designers chosen to do a profile on for HOUSE OF FRASER! (AMAZING RIGHT?). SHOOT THE COMPANY IS the production company who were filming the whole thing. (Broken down into pieces and swept them up. Brokenness level? 100 LOL). It was a short video to be done on her life and how that influenced her brand (contact details of CJAJ09 will be provided at the end). And she chose me ( as the almost retired face of CJAJ09) to be included in the video and photo shoot at the end. So this will be a quick post on how the day went.

So the day started at church (typical Sunday life), where I met the lovely people form SHOOT THE COMPANY. They filmed the service and some activities she did as well ( I hope they got me dancing during praise time!) from there we went to Sunday brunch at Matthew’s yard( PURPLE VELVET CAKE! I will get to that soon.) And did some more filming, my girl was treated like royalty all day, her makeup was been topped up and they make sure she was well taken care of. They did some more filming whilst at brunch and filmed some really cool sex and the city walking inspired scenes which I loved!( I wished I wore my heels though!) you guys know by now how rubbish I am at description, so these are pictures of what I want to say. (your-typical-girls-looking-fly-walking-and-fake-talking-down-the-street)

use sex and city — THIS IS THE INSPIRATION

After brunch, Tom ( from SHOOT THE COMPANY) was kind enough to drive us to her house where she was interviewed about her brand and lifestyle. Finally we did a photo shoot for her upcoming look book. I think they filmed the start of the shoot then it was a wrap for them! I tried to not take as many pictures as I didn’t want to spoil it for you guys when the video will be released online( YouTube and HOUSE OF FRASER WEBSITE) and in some stores nationwide.

So that’s all folks make sure you check back here as I will keep you updated with the project and let you know the launch date, it should be very soon though. As promised below is all the contact information for CJAJ09

Facebook- CJAJ09

Website- www.cjaj09.com ( can see her blog as well on there)

Twitter and instagram- @myafricancloset

Pinterest- CJAJ09

Email- cjaj09@gmail.com

hasttag #fearlessfriday

EBAY STORE- NOW ACTIVE

hey guys, I hope everyone is having a great time! Its been a while since I updated my blog so I figured why not share with you guys something I am starting now- my ebay store!

yes! since my time in Spain is about to come to an end I decided to de clutter my closet and lo and behold- clothes that I have never worn( tags still intact), used clothes etc came up and I decided to put them up for sale online. Check them out too. Some big brands at discounted prices, just seller search- slimtings1 on ebay and my stuff will come up. Support a sister!

Have a happy week!

Also I want thinking of doing a used clothes sway. I dont know if people will find it creepy, but let me know what you think!

Sarah

THE BIRTHDAY POST- HAUL, PRESENTS AND COLLECTIONS

Hey guys so this is just a quick update on what’s been happening with me so far this year.

Firstly, its 4 months into my black hair survival challenge (for more information read these previous posts http://sarahfynn.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/a-year-without-braids-or-weaves-whatt-a-black-girls-survival-guide/ ). And so far so good! I have been tempted yess lol to get my hair braided but fortunately the hustle of travelling all the way to London to get it done put me off! But I will have to get my hair weaved in June for something! I know. But I will let you know why soon

Ok so it was my birthday on the 22^nd of April!!! Whoop whoop finally 20! I am so grateful to God for the addition of another year and to all those who wished me a happy birthday! I pray this year brings me more success, wonderful surprises and the continued development of close friendships and relationships.

So the real reason for this post? (Bear in mind its exam season!) I quickly wanted to share what I got for my birthday. (Also I have not updated my blog in a while). I got some really really nice gifts, some of which were a total surprise and some I really wanted. So quickly here are my presents. I also want to say thank you to all who got me something.

Most of my friends know that I’m a collector of things: bags, perfumes, lipsticks, shoes name it! I love (over love) lipsticks. (This reminds me I need to get a new lipstick organiser. If you have a few and need a really cute way of storing it, check out these on eBay for really good prices http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24-Lipstick-Make-up-Cosmetic-Clear-Acrylic-Organiser-Organizer-Display-/370800863651?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Make_up_Cosmetics_Make_up_Cases_Bags_PP&hash=item56557429a3).

Anyway, I recently started getting into MAC ( I know I’m late but I didn’t want to jump into the HYPE just because) so I got my myself( for my birthday of course, the match master foundation, studio fix concealer and fix plus spray) and I loveee it. I also got the viva glam two lipstick(satin finish). During the Easter, Debenhams has a sale on their MAC lipsticks (12.60 not a huge difference but just enough for me to purchase two more lool) I bought the candy yum-yum lipstick (matte finish) because it was soo hyped, I got it and it’s not even that great and the half and half (amplified finish). This was the first ever MAC lipstick I tried on last year and fell in love with it so obviously I had to get it and I LOVE it.

matchmaster foundation(9.0), fix plus and studio finish concealer (NW45)

So knowing this my friends got me four more MAC lipsticks!!!!

Ruby Woo (retro matte) – my girls are so proud of me for getting this. Apparently (true) all my lipsticks are neutral colours lool but hey you can’t blame me for that lol.

Pink nouveau (satin) – I like this better than the candy yum-yum.

Up the amp (amplified) – the most amazing purple lipstick everrrr.. LOVEE

Angel (frost)- also one of the MAC lipsticks I fell in love with

from right to left: up the amp, angel, half and half, viva glam 2, pink nouveau, candy yum-yum and ruby woo — from top to bottom: up the amp, angel, half and half, viva glam 2, pink nouveau, candy yum-yum and ruby woo

Perfumes

I have 6 perfumes already not a massive collection so I was planning on getting some more. Insert birthday insert presents 3 new sexy perfumessss

Roberto cavali aqua- I have been wearing this all week. I love love love the same of this. This perfume came with a free gift; a large golden bag which will be great for when I have to start travelling. Love the smell love the bottle top for some reason

Coco Chanel- perfect mistake. I told my friends to get me the Coco Mademoiselle( you know the one with keira Knightley in the advert? The pink one?) But they forgot and got me this one instead. This is okay because I love this scent. It’s such a classic ridiculously expensive perfume (lol). Love it and you know I will only be wearing it on special occasions. ( Still contemplating if I should get the Coco Mademoiselle)

Calvin Klein one- I dislike strong perfume and this one is quite strong. I was happy to get a CK perfume but I’m not a big fan of this scent. Hmm maybe it will grow on me.

perfume collection: right to left: armani code, christina augilleria, ghost, CK one, roberto cavalli, thierry mugler angel, rihanna nude, estee lauder sensuous noir

I love bags. Omdz. Walk into my room and I have all manner of bags. In particular, I love the structured-put-me-down-and-i-will-still-shine-bright-like-a-diamond kind of bags( I just made that up but you know the office structured bags)yh. So my girl got me the Zara office bad in black and boy. I loveee that bag. It’s got so many different compartments. I used that bag for 3 days and I still have not used some of the compartments in it loool. That bag is now beside my other Zara bag( you know the large shopper bag that was the HYPE last year?)

THE ZARA BIRTHDAY BAG... LOVEEEEEEE — THE ZARA BIRTHDAY BAG… LOVEEEEEEE

structured bag collection- back- zara bags, front- black- random purchase from ebay, orange- boohoo

Shout out to my lovely brother who got me an itouch last year and an iPad this year.. Now obviously I had to do some co-ordination so since my laptop and itouch were already white, I asked him to get me a white iPad. Plus I got a white case for it ( guys you have to check out acme made cases for iPad and laptops! It’s so slim, not bulky and water resistant. http://www.acmemade.co.uk/product/The-Skinny-Sleeve-Fits-all-iPads,38,3.htm I loveee it oh my. I already started downloading so many apps for it( he went all out 64 gig)

all white everything white then a black nexus lool excuse the background. its exam season

I also got a 2 asos dresses

lovely bodycon low back dress( cant wait to rock thisss)

2 earrings

multi coloured one is from misguided, dunno about the other one

With birthday money

Asos wedges

I bought a new camera- all the pictures were shot with it. canon powershot A810 HD

Peruvian hair. Actually this I bought in Jan with my wages for my birthday. By the way I know I haven’t updated my wig making post( if you haven’t already check it out http://sarahfynn.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/survival-series-1-wig-tutorial/ ) but it was the same hair I used and I have finished the wig and made its debut on my birthday. Check out virtue glamour, the lady from who I purchase the hair from https://www.facebook.com/VirtueGlamorLtd

I’m also thinking of buying new conserves but I haven’t decided if I should or not.

So guys these are what I got and I am really grateful for everyone who came to my lunch( since we are all under a lot of pressure and that epic fail afterwards when we said we would go to the library lol), all everyone who called me as well or text or instagram or tweeted me God bless you.

End of post getting back to my revision. I am in the library.

I will be doing swatches of my lipsticks at some point in life, but not now, not when I have impending papers.. Second year uni student!