I hope everyone is doing great. Last night I went along with to the 1st Natural Nights Event in Fiddler’s Elbow, North London with Janet from Memoirs of a brave face, make sure you check her out!
I was able to catch up with Belinda, the lovely organiser at the event who was able to take some out time of her busy night (Catch all the interruptions and some cameos lol) for me.
“I think it’s got to a point where people have embraced it (natural hair) and they want to come to together…. It’s important….”
For what she wanted for her night, I think she absolutely smashed it! For me it was very different from all other natural hair events I have been to. It was more intimate almost like networking with great music, drinks and people. The turnout was great, It was actually the 1st event I have been to where I have seen a lot guys present (not that I was looking, lol I was just surprised), we had live music from some talented artists and vendors were on hand to talk about their products and a quick Q&A session.
NuNaat is back with a new range and I caught up again with Claire, brand ambassador for Nunaat. Remember she talked us through the NAAT cream range? If you haven’t tried those you should! I have 3 of them and I love ittt!! Read all my Nunaat reviews under the product directory tab. She spoke to me about the new Brazilian Patauà range, a review of which can be read on my blog by clicking here
Sorry for the background noise, as soon as I started recording someone went on stage to talk and I knew I would not get the chance to do so again
After that, it was just going around and speaking to different people and enjoying the live music. I met a few new people I was able to exchange contacts with. There were a lot of UK brands
It was a great night, good vibes. Congrats to Belinda for her event and looking forward to the next. I think next time lets go for a bigger venue because we will come bigger and better!, This one was quite small and packed. Catch all the pictures on my Facebook page!
Goody bags at the Natural Nights Event
Shopping for Christmas gifts? Check out my gift guide post here
Happy hair day pop up shop is targeted at parents who are in need of help with their kid’s mixed race curls or afro hair. Hairduction expert Sal, will be on hand to help you with all your hair questions. New products will be launching on the day and live product demos!
Where?
The Tabernacle
34-35 Powis Square
W11 2AY London
United Kingdom
Hey family, I hope everyone is enjoying this heatwave in the UK! It won’t last for long though and our summer will be over lol. So I am back with another event for your diaries, calendars, iCloud, and Google and whatever way you remind yourself of events lol. If you are in the natural hair gang (And I am assuming you are because you read this blog lol) you know Pelumi from CFYH or you know about the blog. I met her at Curlvolution 2015 (event cover >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ti ) and she’s really sweet and friendly. Anyway someone tagged me in a post of her natural hair event and you know I had to do my part to spread the word! So if you haven’t heard already, here are the details:
What?
CFYH intimate brunch discussing topics such as natural hair insecurities, Q&A sessions etc. Guests will receive full size goody bags!!!!
Where?
Hush Brasserie
Holborn
95-97 High Holborn, Camden, London, WC1V 6LF
When
Saturday 8th August 2015 from 11AM
Tickets?
You can purchase tickets on Eventbrite. Ticket sales will end on the 6th of August. £30.00 plus a £2.45 fee.
Let me know if you are going and what you will be wearing through my social media (All the links are underneath the social tab). I always get confused with ‘smart casual,’ honestly who invented that? Lol
United Kurls, a collective of UK hair care brands, are pleased to present ‘The United Kurls Lounge’, a bi-monthly shopping experience that will highlight home grown UK small businesses as well as provide informative sessions on hair care & products. ‘Lounge and Learn’ while you shop!
LOUNGE: come and hang out with the members of The United Kurls Collective and other exciting fashion, jewellery and skincare brands.
LEARN: We have 2 exciting sessions designed to boost your knowledge of hair and the industry:
Lounge and Learn Session 1: ‘Is it worth it?’ Why are handmade products more expensive? Almocado & Sheabutter Cottage explain what goes into making natural products, how to read the labels & make the best choice for your hair.
Hey guys, so I’m back with another natural hair event! (I am loving these events for natural hair btw, apart from the amazing offers on the day, it is packed with workshops and information for us). This time, I went to the woman in the jungle (WITJ) natural hair event in London on Saturday and as always this will be my event cover for it.
Let’s get started, check out my previous post which will give you more details on the event > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-uw
So I got there a bit late thanks to TFL cancellations on the tube. At the station, I met two other lovely girls who were on their way to the place so it was a bit easier to find. (It would have taken me a bit longer to find if I was alone. Somehow my map reading skills is OK when I travel but never when I’m at home lol). Anyway when I got there the show was in full swing and the first person I saw was Destiny Godley! I love her videos so much so you know had to get a picture with her!
Only my fav youtube beauty guru! That accent tho love!
After that I went into the main hall where the usual vendors were: Motions, Cantu, etc but also a few vendors that were new to me e.g. Mon Shea and ShyMiah.
I caught up with the lovely lady at the NuNaat Store who took her time to explain the new NuNaat Creams range to me. I just had to purchase. 3 for 10 pounds? Yes. Size= 1kg! I LOVE the size of these products (if it were up to me lol all conditioners will be this size lol)! I will be doing a review on the ones I got after I have used each one 3 times. FYI, I got the Avocado Oil and Fruit Complex, Garlic and Cupuacu (UPDATE- I have now used this once and I must say I love the way my hair felt after. It has a pleasant smell no garlicy smell) and Argan Oil and Macadamia (What I should have done is get all of them lol, 7 in total) and another great thing about them is you can mix and match them for the perfect deep condition! Check out the video below on a better explanation on them
I also spoke to the lovely ladies at Shy Miah stand. This vendor is quite new to me so I was very interested in knowing a bit more of their products. Luckily she was in the process of a product demo/hairstyling session and she was kind enough to talk me through what she was doing and what products they used. Check out the video below
Next, I made my way to the Cantu stand and got some stuff. My Cantu leave in conditioner is running out so it was a perfect excuse to stock up on that and other products that were on offer. I took advantage of their 4 for 15 pounds offer and purchased 2 of the complete conditioning co wash, 1 conditioning creamy hair lotion (UPDATE- I have also used this product. My hair is soo soft! And the smell? Amazing! I used this, this morning and my mum was like what perfume have you used? lol it smells nice!) And their leave in conditioner (UPDATE- I have used it and in combo with the lotion, hair=SOWFT lol soft). All these products were part of their Cantu for natural hair line. The leave in conditioner I got is a bit different from the usual one in that this contains no harsh chemicals.
Difference
At this point I needed a break lol, I think I was carrying about 4 kg worth of products plus my handbag, camera bag and camera and the place was hot. So I made my way into the main hall for a seat lol and came across another vendor that was new to me: Mon Shea. Again I was in luck and she was styling someone’s hair so there goes my break! Lol. I spoke to them about the products she was using etc etc. And actually I ended up speaking to the girl for a while and again during the show. Check out the video below
After my break lol, I went in search for the different workshops that were happening. I caught the last of the You Be natural workshop so I’m afraid I can’t really say what it was about (But we know it’s to do with hair and probably hair care/styling). I also sat in the Design Essentials red carpet makeover with Ms VaughnTV and Destiny Godley. I wasn’t able to get the start of the hair styling demo so I just waited it out for the makeup part by Destiny Godley (I was searching for this workshop, I will tell you why at the end). Check out the video below, I apologise for all the fros you may see lol
After the workshop, I went back in the main hall for a fashion show/hair styles demo presented by Design Essentials, I couldn’t take any pictures mainly because I was so tired. After this I took a final walk around the hall, spoke to a few people and left
My thoughts on WITJ 2015- first I would like to thank the founder for responding to my request for covering the show for my blog. It was a great show with good information and I had a lot of fun talking to the people however I feel like they missed out on 1 little detail. I asked for a show schedule at the registration desk when I arrived but I was told things will be announced during the event so I didn’t get one. When it came to the workshops I couldn’t find any of them because there were any details on the doors so it was a lot of asking around and a lot of door opening to find out what was happening in the rooms. That’s why I was late for that workshop! There were a lot more workshops on the day but I couldn’t go to them because I didn’t know the rooms for them. Maybe early arrivals got schedules with locations. Just giving my views.
With that been said, it was a great show and I met a lot of new people there and hopefully I can work with them in the near future. Did you go to WITJ 2015? Let me know your thoughts! Check out my other social media for more info on the products I purchased and other shenanigans! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos!
Instagram- SarahFynn
YouTube- SarahFynn
Twitter- slimtings1
I may have an exciting announcement soon! Stay tuned! If you are organising a natural hair/ beauty event and you would like me to cover it for the blog or help with promo, please contact me with email- sarah_fynn@hotmail.com
If you are a UK natural and you are in search for events, please subscribe to my blog or/and follow me on social media and I will keep you updated with them! Check out some of the events this year and hopefully you can make a date in your diary for them next year!
I love going to these sort of events because some time ago they were either non-existent or unknown! I always complain about the lack of natural hair events in the UK so I am very happy to be a part of these ones! Of course everyone prefers quality over quantity so even if we have just there 3 (there are others btw), you are destined to learn something new always! Any new shows that may be planned in the near future, you have big shoes to fill but there is always room for more and a place for you J
Also I would like more vendors at these shows to start accepting card payments or even PayPal. It makes life so much easier when you get to the show instead of leaving to take cash out. I’m not sure if you can provide light snacks or food as well for the attendants (I am well aware of the policies you may have to abide by, but if you could people would appreciate it a lot!) most of the time and the amount of people I speak to, no one wants to leave to get either cash out or buy food when we arrive and the event is in full swing.
Natural hair companies- I confess I’m a product junkie! If you would like me to review your product, please contact me at the above email address. Thank you
Hey family!! I hope all is well with you guys! Grab a snack because this is going to be a looonnggg one! This post will be the official (in my world lol) event cover for CURLVOLUTION 2015! Sit back, relax and enjoy the post!
In its 4th year running, Curlvolution is a natural hair show aimed at the natural hair community to inform, inspire and educate. This year’s show was at the Hilton, Canary Wharf (great location btw) and was jam packed with workshops, vendors, amazing people and volunteers like me (lool). Yes I decided to volunteer for the show because wanted to be part of the show, network and of course for the blog. I am so glad I did because the event was a success! I met some amazing people and had the chance to meet some of my fav bloggers! And of course the product junkie in me was very happy to get some very amazing samples to try out!
So the day started really early for me, volunteer debrief meeting at 9am (FAM it’s not a joke) after which we got some breakfast and proceeded with our duties! I was on vendor assistance so I went on my merry way to offer my assistance. I met the owner of Shea butter cottage (who is Ghanaian btw #teamGhana) spoke some Twi (lol) and carried on meeting other vendors. About an hour later, the place was packed with beautiful displays from lots of vendors. Hunty!, the products available on the day were everything! I mean it was product junkie heaven! Brands like ORS, Beautiful Textures and Big Hair. You also had beauty by Zara which stocks popular US brands e.g. tgin (I am soo bummed I didn’t get anything from the line!), Shea Moisture etc (torture ended). Have a look for yourself
The day began for the guests in the main hall, with the main introduction show hosted by Action Jackson (hilarious btw, mantra of the day: I am beautiful, I am amazing, and I am good to go! Check out his motivational book on Amazon). Then Connie Jackson, brand manager of Fashion Fair was next and spoke about fashion fair makeup, its history and the struggles of black people in the industry. You know what’s shocking is that even in 2015, it’s still difficult to get the correct shade of foundation in my shade bearing in mind I’m not too dark or light. You also had Felicia Leatherwood from Beautiful textures speak and did a live styling demo on stage! What I loved about this was the fact that she used girls with different hair types and UK natural hair stylists (btw I am thinking of tracking down UK natural hair salons and sharing my experiences, let me know if you will find this useful). After this there were vendor announcements talking about their brands etc then it was shopping time! I loved the interaction between vendors and customers and I was lucky enough to catch a few ‘in the moment snaps’
So whilst there was browsing and shopping in the main corridor, the different workshops were taking place. There were a lot on the day and I didn’t get to sit in that many (L, why there isn’t technology to split yourself into 3 parts, I am not sure!). I caught the end of Action Jackson’s Phenomenal You workshop. From my understanding it was a motivational workshop to inspire and education the girls. I also caught some of his advice to the ladies e.g. don’t say negative words to yourself e.g. I’m tired or I’m broke (what type of brokenness? If you don’t define it, your brain will take it as broke in your spirit, finances etc). I sat in the business of blogging workshop presented by Pelumi (from cfyh) and Laila (fusion of cultures). It was very informative and dealt with basics such as branding, building an audience and finding your niche. The ladies looked amazing as usual and were very interactive with the audience. This workshop was sold out guys! A few snippets from the workshop
I also sat in the Jenell Stewart workshop- being natural isn’t easy but you can survive. She gave some practical and simple advice on how to care for and simplify your hair routines. Most of her advice I know now anyway but wish it came earlier because I learnt a lot from trial and error (oh! Those stressful, painful times!) It was a very fun and interactive workshop with questions at the end. Other workshops that took place but didn’t get to sit in were beauty masterclass presented by Kluermoi (I got a few pictures from my other volunteers) , Hair loss clinic and divas kitchen presented by Mane Divas and Felicia Leatherwood presented hair care and styling (bummer! I didn’t go to this- I am trying to be more creative in styling my hair). So around 4pm, everyone headed back to the main hall for the panel discussion with Bianca Miller from BBC Apprentice joined by all the other ladies from before. The topic was 50 shades of brown and mostly dealt with the issues us women of colour face- makeup, hair products etc. it’s really sad to see in 2015 (I wish I could make that capitals) some big brands either don’t want to attract black people (so don’t make products specifically for us but are happy to take our money #getfashionfairintoboots) or don’t carry enough dark shades. Check out Bianca’s nude tights for black women online ( I couldn’t find a direct link but follow her on twitter or google her name for more information) I couldn’t record the talk because I was on mic duty lol but it was a good talk I only wished it lasted a bit longer.
beauty masterclass workshop
After that it was giveaway time and a preview of Curlvolution 2016! I didn’t get to sit in again- volunteer errands! We gave out goody bags at the end and helped with vendor take down lol. It was a good day! I met lots of people and was part of a great event! God bless Bukky (founder) for this amazing event and looking forward to next year! You guys really missed out if you didn’t attend! Make sure you come next year! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for videos from the workshops and the day. And my Instagram for short videos and pictures. Also follow Curlvolution twitter and Instagram for updates for next year and other events they may be hosting!
YouTube – SarahFynn
Instagram- SarahFynn
Curlvolution twitter and Instagram- Curlvolution
I was exhausted! By the end of the day, R.I.P to my feet lol but I went home with the most amazing goody bag of all time- Thank you fashion fair for the amazing products! Want to know what I got? Check my Instagram!
I made a few purchases which I will be reviewing and bringing you in on, obviously so stay tuned! With today been wash day (yay! Is it a coincidence? Lool) I will be using my new products and letting you know how it went.
Off to detangle my hair! And biotin update coming soon! I got you!
Until next time
Love Sarah
Random pictures because I know you want more
Action Jackson Workshopgoody bags for the business of blogging workshopMUA from Fashion FairLaila and Pelui (cfyh and Fusion of cultures)Beautiful textures modelsall smiles all around
Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing great. Remember when I told u I had a bunch of things for you? Well this is the first of many!! I was sent tickets to the natural hair week show 2015 London by the lovely team at NaturalHairweek and I am here to give you the low down of what happened! Stay tuned. Lots of pictures by the way and some YouTube videos! (Channel- Sarahfynn, I am just getting started on YouTube, I know I’m late lol. I always had the channel but never used it, so please support and subscribe. It’s freeJ). Let’s get right to it!
So the show took place in 4 cities: Manchester, Nottingham, and Birmingham with the finale in London on the 9th of May at the London Marriott Hotel (excellent location and venue I should say!). The day was jam packed with workshops, panels, product demonstrations and free hair styling. Also if you’re a product junkie like me (#productjunkie), then you would be spoilt for choice with all the different vendors (just to name a few: Motions, Cantu, Quanace, Grassfields etc) and deals that were there! From 3for£10 on the monoi ORS range to 5for £20 on CANTU line (you should have seen the queues for this stall!), I literally could not make up my mind! Had to stand there and take it all in lool then side bar with myself for 10 minutes as to what I want to buy (hey sometimes you need expert opinion), in the end I went with 4for £10 on the motions natural line, I didn’t know they were in the natural hair game so decided to go with that. Plus they had a product which was every interesting to me. Here’s what I got:
Hydrate my curls hair pudding
2x pre wash detangling butter- now this was what caught my attention. First because it’s a butter and second because I haven’t tried any products specifically for pre washing and detangling, there could be some but I haven’t come across it. And I got 2 because to detangle my 4c hair, I would need a lot. QUICK UPDATE- I have now used this product and I LOVE the smell. Its works well with my hair and left it really soft. Only con I have would be the size, by the way companies should really make bigger conditioners/styling products and smaller shampoos lol. Anyway, I am so glad I got two because honey gurl, I finished one tub! (1 tub is 239ml?!-reallly?)
Deep conditioning masque- UPDATE I have used this product and it left my hair butter soft! In depth review coming soon.
Of course, you don’t even need to ask. Reviews will be done in time lol. I also got a curls unleashed sample pack which I am very happy about because I have always wanted to try that line but just couldn’t (you know when a product excites you and you just wanna buy it? Not this line. When ORS first unleashed it lol I was like greeeaaattttt, then I was like greaaaat now am like great lol. So this sample pack of the products I actually wanted to try, may help me decide if I want it or not.
I didn’t get many samples today probably because there were a lot of offers going on and product demos so samples weren’t really given out or maybe I didn’t ask nicely lol. (I did btw).
So the first workshop which I really enjoyed started with a background of the founders and some product owners telling us about their stuff. Did you know drinking cold water is bad for the liver and kidneys (apparently what I heard) but what I want to really talk about is this man named Kevin (kpthetextureman) and what he is doing lol.
His talk was probably the most informative of them all and the fact that he did a quick question and answer from the crowd put the cherry on the cake for me( you can check my Instagram for a quick snippet @sarahfynn or YouTube for a longer video). He did product demos on stage as well and you could tell the man is really passionate about what he does. After this his stand was jam packed with a LOT of people just wanting to ask questions including myself lol. Water will make your hair dry?! (What he said) I need a bit more research on that tbh but his explanation was something like this, paraphrased of course:
The hair will not want to let go of the water because it would think its moisture and so etcccc lol
His advice was pretty decent. My question to him was ‘ how can I get my twists out to be defined? Because they never seem to work?’ Answer: let’s type your hair first. You have 4c hair, you want to do bigger twists (at thing point I asked but will I get definition?) And use something with a good hold that will add moisture. Smaller twists will not work on your hair because it will just frizz up and look like an afro. He then went ahead and showed me what size of sections should be and recommended products for me and used it on my hair. Good stuffs! (All in an American accent of course which was probably why I stood there for ages hearing him talk because I am obsessed with the accent lol). What I really liked about him was he did product demos on everyone that asked him a question and hair typed everyone too. No lye (see what I did there). His talking would tell you he was really passionate about what he does and I quote ‘look at me I don’t have any hair (takes hat off) so everything I have learnt about natural hair I have learnt listening to you’ check out my video on YouTube for more info also follow him on Instagram, he’s tagged on my page.
After that it was pretty much me going to the stalls, learning about products and talking to people. What I really did was listen to how owners were interacting with their customers- this is what I spent most of my time doing tbh. I did get a few snippets of some of the conversations if anyone is interested. Check my YouTube. In general, most of the interacted well with their customers, explaining their product and its ingredients and offering demos (obvly this is a good sales technique but it also helps to have your questions answered PROPERLY).
blogging duties
I went to another workshop about alopecia- this is real guys. It hurts me to see women/girls with it and still wearing tight braids/styles etc. I am suffered my traction alopecia myself when I was younger and my hair is still recovering. Trust me I hardly do braids now and if I do they ARE NOT BRADING MY EDGES, no matter what they tell me – it won’t look like, am I sure? (Honestly I think some of these braiders/hairstylers should be educated in areas like these. Just because you’re talented or can do some hair doesn’t necessarily mean you should be doing it). When I wear my wigs- I never braid my edges, anyway I digress. I didn’t take and pictures because it was in a small room and I arrived in the middle of the workshop so I thought it would be quite rude to just start taking pictures.
I had fun on Saturday and overall it was a good experience. It was great to see everyone there and how many mainstream brands now carry products for natural hair. If you went to the London show or any of the other ones let me know how it went for you! Thank you NaturalHairWeek for the show and I look forward to it next year! Please do check my YouTube for more videos on the show!
free hair styling
Not hair related. Isn’t that lovely?!
strawberry tart realness.
Until next time guys, have a lovely week! My YouTube video is still loading can you imagine lol. UPDATE- it’s STILL UPLOADING! I didn’t know it could take this long (28% only??! Its been 24 hours), so I will let you guys know via twitter when it’s up!
sarah fynn 
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