CURLVOLUTION 2015- EVENT COVER

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 4^th 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.

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

goody bags for the business of blogging workshop

Laila and Pelui (cfyh and Fusion of cultures)

The Process of WAITING

Hey guys, so this post will be a little bit different from the usual. I want to talk about waiting and how HARD it can be sometimes. This is just to remind myself and to encourage anyone who is in the same situation as me that GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU!

Ok, so currently I have finished uni (it’s been one day so far lol) and of course as everyone at this stage, we are looking for our dream jobs or a starting job to get there unless you’re rich or you already got yours.

LET’S PAINT A PICTURE

Before anyone gets on me and starts saying it’s only been a day since I finished uni so what am I talking about, I am about to paint a HD, 3D picture for y’all. So if you are anything like me, you think you are really smart and the plans you have for you are so amazing so you thought to yourself, let me get ahead and start applying for jobs early. So your goal now is to secure a job before you finish university. Right. So I started applying for jobs at the end of February, about 2 jobs a week. I wasn’t just putting out applications too, I was going to my careers office and re drafting applications maybe up to 3 times for some jobs before my final submission. I was also applying for jobs I knew I would be qualified to do or jobs that provided training or entry level jobs OR jobs I had some experiences in. (at this time you’re thinking you’re setting yourself up for success right, surely). I also said to myself because I am starting early, if I wasn’t successful it wouldn’t bother me much because I was STILL in university so I would not ‘feel’ it as much (you were realistic as well and made provision for this, bravo) as if I had finished and was just at home (fair enough).

You’re with me so far right?

Now it’s middle to ending of March, dissertation deadline week for me plus a presentation and essay deadline and within this same week I get rejection emails at least once a day: Monday to Friday( I’m not even exaggerating), this happened for like two weeks till 1^st week April. On top of that my friends (which I am very happy for, DON’T GET ME WRONG) got their jobs like that (I just snapped my fingers), passed their driving test like that (I failed mine) and am sitting there like GOD? Then someone said to me ‘in your circle of friends, I thought you would be the first one to …….. And I heard this about you about your ….. (Previous relationships) and again I’m like GOD?????????

So I get my first telephone interview(phew! After getting through to so many first stages) 2^nd week of April and two face to face interviews the following week which have all been good but not good enough to get hired. ‘Lack of experience’ etc etc. by my birthday (ending April, which was really HARD) I was just like whatever init (lol)

(Picture painted, HD and 3D, drops brush and struts away like a boss LOL)

Why did I just tell you all of that? (Because this is very personal and I don’t let my business be known like this). Because I wanted to try to relate to someone who is in the same position as me and feeling down or you may have even started earlier than me and still no ‘luck’ and you’re a Christian and you been ‘naming and claiming’ and ‘praising God in the hallway before He opens the door’ and even been ‘binding and rebuking the devil and his demons’ lol BUT still no JOB.

Isaiah 54:4 – Fear not, for you will not be put to shame, and do not feel humiliated for you will not be disgraced….

CLING TO THIS. BREATHE IT, EAT WITH IT, AND SLEEP ON IT. It’s so hard to be in this process BUT the delay is for a REASON. I think sometimes we get so used to thinking this = that, if I praise God in the hallway the next day the door will be opened etc. but it doesn’t happen and you’re sitting there like GOD ???????????????????????????? (Or maybe it’s just me). Our plans, especially if you’re a Christian and have committed your life to Christ, is NOT the same as HIS plan’s no matter how great, marvellous, good they are ( words fail me and I can NOT stress that enough).

God’s Timing

Is the best and we hear that so many times that sometimes it doesn’t have any effect on us whatsoever ( if you are a scientist like me, there is so much substrate that is occupying the active site such that no additional substrate will have no effect whatsoever.)

Habakkuk 2;3- For still the vision awaits its APPOINTED TIME,(the time has not come yet) it hastens to the end- IT WILL NOT LIE(God CAN NOT lie. He will not change his mind). IF IT SEEMS SLOW (it probably feels so slow for you now but), WAIT FOR IT, IT WILL SURELY COME, IT WILL NOT DELAY! (IT WILL HAPPEN)

I just want to end on this: this ‘free’ time you have, you probably will not get once you start working so ENJOY IT. Develop whatever hobby you have, find a hobby if you must, read, travel ( but keep checking your email just in case and don’t go far lol), pick up a new skill , workout its almost summer or whatever you do to keep yourself busy until you start working otherwise been idle WILL cause a whole bunch problems you DON’T want. Keep ANYONE who will speak NEGATIVELY to you even if its with ’good intentions’ away from you, that too is not needed.

Just relax (it may be difficult) but try and connect with your friends, family and GOD. Of course be putting applications in and (just) wait for the right one to come by. Just think of all the experience you will be carrying into that dream job interview. And when you get it drive pass all the places that said no LOOL.

I hope someone found this encouraging and uplifting and it’s been great for me to write this as well. Drop your comments below if you are in a similar situation and how you are coping or just anything useful.

Until next time, with love

Sarah

P.S – UPDATE- I WROTE THIS ON THE 11^TH OF MAY- TODAY IS THE 21^ST, I GOT A JOB! AND PASSED MY DRIVING TEST! PRAISE GOD!!!! I’M STILL IN SHOCK BUT GUYS GOD IS TOO GOOD!

Those that wait upon the LORD… (fill it in for me!)

PRODUCT FOCUS- MOTIONS DEEP CONDITIONING MASQUE

Hey family, this will be a quick review on the deep conditioning masque from the Motions for natural textures line! (Yes they have a natural hair product line)

So the deep conditioning masque contains shea butter, coconut and avocado oils and is an intensive weekly treatment that claims to ‘bounce back dry parched curls to the manageable rehydrated ringlets you desire’.

By now everyone knows the routine for deep conditioning- apply product, cover with a plastic bag etc etc. After 30 to 45 minutes or longer- I usually apply, pile on the Tesco bags (lol) and go about my day till I realise I have to wash my hair otherwise it won’t dry on time the next day (anyone else do this?? Lol). Guys my hair felt BUTTER SOFT, it’s THAT real. I have 4c hair so it wasn’t super curly or defined but I did notice some clamp-age (lol) of my curls going on. I LOVE the smell too! And you know how some products smell nice but they don’t leave your hair smelling nice? Not this, my hair was left soft and smelling nice.

I’m not sure of the price but check your local BSS (I got mine in a 4 for £10 deal at NaturalhairWeek2015 >>http://wp.me/p1uQOd-sZ. Also check out my YouTube channel for videos from the event: sarahfynn). The only con I have is the size: its only 236ml! Which is small especially if you have long thick hair! This tub will last me two applications so basically my next application will be my last (nice knowing you lol), I am a bit heavy handed when it comes to applying my treatments because I like to make sure the hair is coated from root to tip. Honestly I thought the standard size was 300 to 500 ml, so I am a bit surprised this product is small and it’s the same for the pre-wash detangling butter ( check out my review here >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-t7 ). Now that I think of it, I think all the sizes are the same.

Verdict- It’s worth it. It will leave your hair butter soft and smelling nice. If you have thick hair, you’re going to have to stock up and get two or three tubs if you want it to last a bit longer, my girls with shorter, finer or less hair will probably get more use out of a single tub. Go for it if you want to try something new or want an effective treatment.

That’s all folks. The last thing I got in this line is a styling product which I am still experimenting with so will do a review later.

Until next time

Love Sarah

P.S- if you are at Curlvolution this sat, say hello! your girl will be down there #bloggerduties

PRODUCT FOCUS- Motions pre-wash detangling butter

This post will be a short review on the pre-wash detangling butter from Motions that I purchased from the NaturalHairWeek2015 in London. I will talk about the performance and my thoughts on the product. Let’s get started! If you haven’t already, check out my event cover on NaturalHairWeek 2015. >>http://wp.me/p1uQOd-sZ

So the product claims to and I quote “melt into each strand to provide deep penetrating moisture and instant tangle release. It is infused with shea butter, coconut and avocado oils, this ultra-moisturising butter smoothes over each strand to provide the ideal slip and softness to promote less hair breakage”

You apply it on dry hair to detangle and wash out straight away or leave on for a while for extra dry hair.

So does it live up to its name?

I really love this product. The smell is really pleasant which obviously comes in handy when spending long hours finger detangling your hair! It works really well to detangle you tresses and provide slip. I experienced less shedding than usual, it may be due to the due that I was only finger detangling this time. I left it on for about 30 minutes or so and it left my hair butter soft!

I am not sure of the retail price as I purchased it as part of deal but check the major BSS or online for it. I like the packaging – the gold colours make it look expensive (or maybe it’s just me lol).

The only con I have about this product is the size! Its 229 ml- barely enough to detangle a whole head of hair! I got two tubs and each one lasted for one detangling session. Obviously if you have thicker and longer hair you may need more than one tub per session!

So is it worth it over a normal conditioner? I don’t think so. It’s a good product and works really well but it’s the size that really lets it down. Also if it was in a bottle with a pump that could have been easier to apply. I could get a normal conditioner probably for the same price or cheaper and it could probably work the same.

Final thoughts- I think it is a good product and someone with shorter and less thicker hair will get more use of it compared to someone with thicker longer hair.

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HOW TO ORGANISE YOUR ROOM PART 1

Hey guys, how’s everyone doing? Good, I hope. This post will be quite different from the usual (I told you I can be random), but I hope someone finds this helpful. So today’s post will be tips and tricks on how to organise a small bedroom- any size would do. You can also apply some of these pointers to your kitchen, bathroom or even living area if applicable. I call myself a master of organisation because I have had to do this so many times I have picked up a few tips and tricks along the way (trial and error is a fantastic way to learn). Let’s get started

The main goal is to create space, make use of every space available to you without making it look crammed and to create an illusion of a bigger bedroom. This would mean clever storage, colours, shapes and patterns- although I am not too fussed about the later 3 because it may be out of your control and quite expensive to re paint your room or buy certain things. By all means you can go ahead if you have the budget, but this guide is really budget friendly to no cost at all.

Who doesn’t love a walk-in closet like Carrie’s? A spacious walk-in closet full of the latest fashion! Unfortunately for most of us, the size of the wardrobe is not a factor to consider when looking for a new home.

The Wardrobe is probably one of the biggest areas in the room we tend to hoard stuff! You’re not a hoarder you say? Let’s see. Go through your clothes and pick up ones you haven’t worn in a long time- I’m talking 6 months to 1 year. I’ll wait. Most of us tend to hold onto clothing we don’t wear anymore. Go through your clothes, pick out stuff that you haven’t worn in 6 months to 1 year, ones that are in bad shape, clothes that are too big or too small (if you have to jump 150 times to wear your jeans and you look like a stuffed sausage in them then it’s time to let it go). Tip for jeans- if its faded really bad, I’m talking it was originally blue and now its white and you don’t want to let it go, put a few slits in it and boom! You have ripped jeans! Also pick out clothes that are out of your style. Divide these into

The charity pile- these are the clothes that are in good shape but you don’t wear anymore. Give them away to charity or to friends and family you think may like it
The bin pile- these clothes are in such bad shape that it won’t be nice to give to anyone so you have to bin them. Period. Subdivide these into a re-decoration pile but only ones with pretty patterns or colours, I will tell you why later.
The eBay/depop pile- if you’re short for cash, instead of giving the clothes away, sell them online. You will be surprised on how much you can make (this is now my side hustle).
The second chance pile- I know there will be some clothes you may want to give another chance, this is completely fine – raised eyebrows if you don’t (lol). Conduct the 4 week test. This essentially placing the clothing at the front of your wardrobe and plan an outfit around it or where to wear it to. If that event comes by and you completely forget about it or change your mind and this happens more than 3 times then chances are you won’t wear it any more. Your heart let it go lol and its time in your life is up.

Another tip is to use those ultra-thin velvet hangers (you can get them from amazon- JVL Black 50 pack thin velvet space saving non-slip coat hangers). Those are really good in getting a lot of things in your wardrobe. Also arrange clothes from short to longest i.e. tops to jeans/trousers, if you can. You will then be able to store shoes/bags maybe underneath the tops where you can see them (I’m a bit of an exhibitionist, I love to put things on display and I like to see all my stuff). You can also get a hanging storage thingy (lack of a better word atm) from ikea for all your bits and bobs- socks, tights, bras etc. Some of them come with as many as 10 sections so they do fit a bunch of stuff (I got mine from ikea for £4 I think).

If you have space between the top of your wardrobe and the ceiling, use that space for your bags or shoes. You can also get some pretty storage boxes and stack them there- with bits in of course or recycle old shoe boxes or containers and stack them up as well. This is where the redecoration pile comes in handy- you can use the material to cover the boxes if you want uniformity in your stacks (DIY lovers holla!).

Even the priciest of foundations cannot mask an ugly heart.

Makeup/Vanity. We are all guilty of hoarding makeup items that we no longer use or empties sitting on our vanities. Did you know makeup has an expiry date? Yes! The little container at the back of the product with an open lid with 12M written inside is the expiry date! Gurrll I didn’t know myself until recently, then proceeded to declutter my makeup! Obviously some makeup products don’t have that e.g. lipstick I think, but after 2 to 3 years, if it’s still as new as when you first got it, give it away because chances are you won’t use it! When it comes to storage, I love the acrylic trays you can get cheap from eBay/amazon (Glam Cosmetic Organiser) also repurpose certain containers e.g. candle glasses or pretty tins for storage. For instance, I once bought sweets in this cute cupcake container and loved it so much I decided it wash it and use that to store some lip balms- this container came all the way from Spain! Tip- go to the 99p store/Primark (surprisingly) or wilko, you will find cheap and pretty containers that you can use to store all kinds of stuff. Be creative though and recycle packaging where you can for instance, I am currently using a watch box (yes, a watch box and no don’t ask me why or how lol) to store my bobby pins (the ones I can still find smh) and hairbands. I also have an old marshmallow jar I use to hold all my combs.

If you can, you can elevate some products e.g. perfumes or nail polish (especially if you have a lot) on shelves. This will then create space on the table which will come in handy if it’s the same table you use for your work. If you’re sharing the worktable with your makeup but you really want to maximise space, reach for your shoe boxes (it helps if you love buying shoes lol) and use them as pull out drawers if the table has shelves. You can also use them to divide any other stuff you may want to store underneath. If you don’t have a bookshelf but still want to show of your book collection like me, use a bigger and slightly deeper shoe box to store them. Arrange them shortest to tallest with the backbone/spine clearly visible like how libraries arrange books. Mini library on fleek!

So guys, I think I am going to end here for part one. I am by no means the tidiest, I have just found ways to organise my chaos lol. I wanted to do a very short post but as I started writing I realised I had so much more tips in store so I have now decided to split this into two parts or more. I hope someone found this useful and can incorporate some of the tips for their own room. Feel free to adapt as and where necessary and drop me an email or comment to let me know how it went. You can also tell me your tips and tricks when organising a small area, it will be fun to get other people opinions! Look out for part 2 where I will be going into much detail about the use of shoe box (does anyone notice a trend here? Lol, am I encouraging you to buy more shoes? Lol) and what they can be used for and also how to declutter hair and skin products! Yikes!

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Until next time, love

Sarah

BIOTIN 1 MONTH UPDATE

It’s officially spring! And almost Easter!

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well and has had a fantastic week! I just quickly wanted to do a one month update on my biotin hair challenge so let’s dive right into it! But first check out my previous posts for more information on my hair journey and past challenges!

Hair growth 101 & 102 >>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-qx , http://wp.me/p1uQOd-qM

Hairfinity final update>>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-re

Introduction to biotin>>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-rn

PhotoGrid_1426819839548 — left-biotin , right- hairfinity measurements

It looks like I didn’t have that much growth and here’s why. I trimmed my ends after my hairfinity measurements and I FORGOT (more like I was lazy and in a hurry) to measure them again. I would say I cut off about 1 to 2 inches of hair. With that been said I still feel like I have experienced some growth. I added Sunny isle’s Jamaican black castor oil on the 1^st of March to help my hair get THICKERRR (yass hunty the bigger the better and closer to heaven! Jheez!) So I will also keep up updated on that

In terms of any side effects etc. After two weeks, I did notice my nails were stronger and looked healthier. I previously had my acrylics done and kept them for about 6 weeks (I do not recommend, again I was lazy, wait I had exams! Perfect excuse!) And when I took them off my nail bed wasn’t too happy about that. So they biotin really helped my nails grow and become stronger. In terms of breakage, I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary apart from my usual break outs when I’m stressed etc no extras. I have been drinking at least 1 litre of water daily which may have contributed to that but there has also been some days where I have slacked on that big time! My skin looked a bit brighter too.

I read on Amazon (reviews for this brand of biotin) that it really helped with their energy levels throughout the day and people were swearing by this etc but for me I didn’t really notice a change. On two occasions I took the pills quite late in the evening and I had difficulty sleeping but I find it hard to sleep anyway. On two different occasions I took the pills in the morning after breakfast and didn’t really see that much of a difference in my energy levels during the day although sometimes around 4/5 pm I get really tired (because my body thinks it’s had enough but it doesn’t know I am the master lool, you wanna sleep now but be awake at 3 am, nah sweetie) And this time around I wasn’t so tired? Hmm. I will keep experimenting with this and let you know the out. I don’t really mind if it doesn’t help my energy levels or not because the primary purpose of getting the biotin was for my hair but I guess this could be an added benefit. I will keep you posted!

I also did a mini experiment to see how long it takes for the biotin to break down in the body so I sacrificed one pill and timed how long it look to dissolve in water. After 24 hours it had pretty much dissolved but there was still some ‘white residue’ at the bottom of the glass, so that if you stirred it you could see the particles. I did take some pictures but they turned out really horrible so unfortunately I won’t post them, but I am hoping to repeat the experiment again and let you know the outcome. However the problem I had with that is 1. How long the biotin is ‘sitting’ around in my body for and 2. Just water alone is not an accurate presentation of the conditions in a cell (don’t let me go full scientist on y’all. You aint ready. Team scientist by day, blogger by night, poet by 3am LOL)

*thinking of anything else, in the meantime here is picture of a RAINBOW UNICORN NINJA*

*nope! Epic fail*

That’s all folks! It’s been a positive first month for me and I am hoping for it to continue. I did cut off 2 inches again (I maybe growing through something major if am not afraid of cutting my hair like this!) so my next update may not look like much! Please, please follow me on instagram so I can keep you updated with products, discounts etc – sarahfynn.

Apologies for this late post and minimal activity on this blog, uni been CRAZY! Final 4 weeks! BUT I have so much planned for this summer!

Have a fantastic day and enjoy your weekend and please remember just because its sunny that don’t mean pull out your denim shorts haha

Love Sarah

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