MerilynReverie 02 - 2016 Resolutions

Howdy y'all?
It's been a while and seems like forever since the last post - which was last year!! 2015 is gone.

I took this week to think of things I would want to achieve this year. Not to pressure myself but put them down to act as reminders.

1. Get a solution for my stubborn hair
My hair is at it's 'stubbornest'. It's never been this hard to handle and I really regret the day I relaxed it which forced me to shave. Then I decided to grow it back. Now it's at an awkward stage. It's unproportional. I don't know how to handle it. But I'm not giving up on it yet. I'm employing some tricks I'm learning and I'll brief you when we get results. So we'll be talking hair a lot this year.

2. More turban experiments
If you follow me on social media then you've seen I love my turbans.. Every time I undo my hair, I tie turbans for a week or so before I get it braided again. My mum likes it but le mister doesn't. Lol.

3. Learn a few make up techniques
I think I'm the only one who knows the least about make up.. Face cream and lip gloss is all I do. I got to be all round and I'm aiming on learning every small detail about this sector. Posts on this coming soon too.

4. Learn on Nail Polish
To be honest, I can't give myself a proper manicure. Not only that, I don't apply polish that well. I can do a great job on the toes, but not that great on the fingers. I prefer to go without on the finger nails but I got to get this right!

5. Maximize on my closet
Styling can transform one outfit to fit different occasions. I've got lots of accessories and I want to maximize on using them. Scarves and necklaces. Earrings.. The whole lot. I'll do posts on this to help you maximize on yours as well.

6. Exercise
This must be the number one cliche resolution considering how many people mention it every beginning of the year. I'm just lazy on it. I've got a skipping rope. A bike and a neighborhood I could cycle in but all I do is sit and read novels all the while. I've got to plan my time well to accommodate all things. Amen.

7. Drop the stock take posts
I don't feel like they go with my blog and I just decided to discontinue them. I'll do any posts unrelated under this #MerilynReverie.

8. Wear heels more often
Yes. I'm a flats kind of girl. I last wore heels on Christmas day. They are gathering dust on the shoe shelf and I got to do something.

Bonus :
9.Keep supporting Manchester United. Enough said. See you on the style streets. Be smart. Be fashionable. Be classy.

The Style Chief.

Stock Take - December - 05

The year is over. Goodness. A lot has happened in 2015. But we have a lot to be thankful for.

Reading : I made a mistake of bringing only one novel upcountry - which I was reading here.  I have been reading newspapers and counting days when I'll lay my hands on the stack of unread books I left behind.

Watching : Nothing. Literally nothing.

Googling : Rather being on social media most of the free time.

Drinking : Lots of soda. Every body just buys them in excess on Christmas and when you visit you get a bottle and they can't take no for an answer. Sigh. I've had enough to take me through months.

Eating : Meat. And I mean loads and loads. This is something I've also had enough of.

Listening : To Fourfiveseconds by Rihanna n Kanye. I'm loving it.

Obsessing : Over my family. I love them. Glad to be with them. We've had a good laugh for the days we've been together.

Wearing : T-shirt and jeans. Upcountry ain't no joke with farm work. Loads of chores to do. Loads. By evening you are so worn out sleeping ain't a second thought.

Thankful : For all God has done for us in 2015. Thankful for my wonderful man. We've come from far to this day and we don't take it for granted. He has blessed us. And we can only believe for a better 2016.

I wish all of you my wonderful readers a prosperous 2016.

Much love,
MDA.

Dressing for Travel

It's the Christmas season. The time when most people go on holiday. But getting your dressing all wrong from the time you leave the house could be a headache for you.

How do you dress up for the journey itself? 

1. Be fresh in the morning. 

A good night's rest means a lot on a traveling day and it has to be part of the preparation for the travel. Get your caffeine if that's what you do every morning as a change of routine will be bad for you. 

2. Light/Simple make up

 Go easy on the make up. You don't want to be feeling all uncomfortable as this could be a long and sweaty affair and minimal to zero visits to the bathroom to powder your nose, touch up the lipstick et cetera. Keep it easy and comfortable.

3. Light dressing

Forget the trench coats(in rain or in cold). Otherwise layer up on light sweaters and scarves that you take off easily ones it's hot. Light outfits occupy less space as well so if you are taking them off, they could easily fit into your handbag or carry on bag. Now envision trying to force a trench coat into a handbag.. Get the picture? Good.

Also let the clothing be loose. Tight ones get  a little uncomfortable after a while and our goal is to travel in as much comfort as we can.
Stick to dark colors when traveling. Black is especially good as it will hide spillages of any kind or marks or any crumbled spot. 

4. Low and light shoes

Go for ballet flats. Or better, go for sneakers. These will give your feet comfort as you wear them with socks to ensure minimum strain to your feet. They are also good in case you have to stand for a long time or have to wait at the terminus for hours (you never know. It's better to be prepared).

5. Accessories

Go easy on the earrings. If possible go for studs as opposed to dangling ones. These could get caught in your hair, clothes and will be a distraction and maybe a bother while you are trying to carry your bags. 

6. Hair

It would be best to keep your hair off your face. And tie it up if possible. Just to minimize interference. 

7. Essentials

Keep your essential stuff (phone, passport-if international, ticket, diary and other miscellaneous stuff) in your handbag. This is for easy and fast access in case those things are needed .You can keep your lip balm in here as well and leave space for the scarf and sweater mentioned up there.

Hope this is of help. Now done your sunglasses and walk with your head high. Wish you are relaxing Holiday.

As always,

MDA

Stock Take - December - 03

Diving right in :
Reading : Since last post, I've read Seven up and Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich, Then 'E' is for Evidence by Sue Grafton and today I've finished Remember me by Sophie Kinsella. I feel that Janet and Sue Grafton have a common writing style and their characters are really alike. A bounty hunter vs a private investigator. Both live in sorry apartments. Don't have much. They eat sandwiches for dinner. Don't shop groceries. Etc. Got to do a book review soon.

MS05 - Men's Socks

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between, he wears a comfortable pair of socks" _ Bob Dylan

The basic rule of thumb about socks used to be (or rather, still is) The color of your socks should match the color of your trousers. Black socks, black pants, grey on grey, etc. Which is an okay look for the corporate business setting but too dull for adventurous dressers. 

In this era, socks have evolved from being basic feet covering garments to being king of the whole outfit. They are no longer the insignificant accessory that you used to put on without a second thought. Now we have big brands coming up like the happy socks. 

This is not to say that people are still not getting them wrong. Especially now that they are colorful and

MS04 - Matching Ties and Shirts

 “Looking good isn’t self-importance; it’s self-respect.”– Charles Hix

The tricky act of matching ties and suits depends on several factors, the major one being color , pattern and tonal variation.

Rule of thumb that applies to most of these situations, the tie's color(whether plain or patterned should be a contrast to the shirt color); make sure one item pops more than the other.

1. Pattern

You can pair a patterned tie with a patterned shirt as long as the patterns are not the same.  e.g. if the shirt has a small check, let the tie be a large stripe or large check, and vice versa.

A horizontal patterned shirt should be paired with a vertical patterned tie and vice versa.

Stock Take - November - 03

Howdy? Hope y'all are keeping warm because.. CT!! Can't Take!! (In Yandy Smith's voice). This cold is something else hunni. And the rain. I wish it would just rain during the night then a little sun comes out during the day. Sigh. If wishes were horses.

Let's kick off the stock take:

Reading : If you check my previous stock take post , I was super excited on landing an Evanovich book that morning. But later in the afternoon, I landed three more. THREE!!!!! Yes. I was skipping all over the road heading home.My week was great. I managed to read One for the Money, Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich and also finished on Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark. I'm currently reading Social Graces by Dixie Browning. This is the life. 

Watching: Normal TV programming. No time for extras especially with all these books.. Yes ma'am!

Googling : nothing. Face-booking and tweeting. Let's connect on social media here.

Drinking : Trying to improve on my water intake. 

Eating : Bae's fried beef. It's no surprise that he cooks better than me. And the love he puts into it. I cook more out of routine than to please. LOL. Hope he doesn't see this. 

SS03 - Types of Flats

"I cannot concentrate in flat shoes" - Victoria Beckham

Ahem!! We can. So ;

"I always wear flats because I can't walk in anything else" - Sadie Frost

Most of us love a good pair of flats.. Anything flat. Ballet, sandals, boots, as long as it is flat. Sigh, getting used to the comfort.

We will see the different types of flats we have:

1. Loafers: These are shoes that do not have lacing or any fastening system.

SS02 - Types of Heels

     “If you haven’t got it, fake it! Too short? Wear big high heels, but do practice walking!”

Victoria Beckham

Heels are a wardrobe essential. Most of y'all own a pair, pairs, many pairs or a loooott of pairs. Create that mental picture with me. 

On Victoria's quote, I say too tall, wear heels too. The walking bit is subject for another day. lol.

Let's see the different types of heels we have:

1. Kitten heels: These are low heeled shoes that provide comfort on top of fashion. They are great for occasions where you have to walk around a lot and for days when you don't need the extra height. 

2. Pumps : The most common for of heels hence being referred to as just high heels. They are narrow to the front and about 3 inches high.

3. Stilettos : Have a staggering heel heading to almost 7". Some have an added platform to aid in walking.. Leave this to the experts. 

JS04 - Jewellery Cleaning

Totally Unrelated.. The rain is here.. Woop woop.. I can layer up all I want. But there is still some heat in the air that almost made me sick when people decide to keep all windows closed in a bus and it was a process of 'I breath out,you breath in' kind of situation. Great thing I made it to town without throwing up. God bless me with this or a car. Amen.

Moving on to jewellery.

1. Silver Jewellery

This can be scrubbed. But you got to do it right. You can use toothpaste. Take a toothbrush that you don't use and scrub the paste softly on the silver. Then rinse with warm water.

Another method is to take a bowl, lay aluminum foil on the base of the bowl. Then let your silver lie on the foil. Sprinkle baking soda on it. Then pour hot water on it. Bubbles will come up and you have to wait till they die down. you can then fish out your silver. Sparkling. 

2. Gold jewellery

Gold plated jewellery should never be scrubbed or soaked at all. Pure gold can be scrubbed. Warm water, dish soap and a toothbrush is all that is needed. Soak it for like 3 minutes and scrub gently focusing on crevices where there could be dirt. Then fish out and rinse with warm water inspecting whether it need another round of soaking.

Stock Take - October - 01

How soon is Christmas approaching?? Jeez. All I am waiting for is the rain since I can't stand the heat. Too much. But I don't want the El-nino. .sigh. Wish we had choices. 

Kicking off this month's stock take:

Reading: I have become a major fan of Janet Evanovich and I just read another book of hers Metro Girl and she did not disappoint at all. I love love love the way she makes women heroes.

Watching: The Haves and the HaveNots season 4, If loving you is wrong sn 1 and I can't wait to lay my hands on season 2 of blood sweat and heels later on today. Weekend set!!!

Stock Take - September - 03

A saying goes that if you are a reader you get to travel with the characters and have their experiences. That's why reading has become one of my best pass times.

Wassup people, hope you keeping off the Nairobi heat.

Reading : As I write this, I have just concluded reading Dan Simmons 'Fires of Eden'. It is an interesting read but a bit too detailed on history which I don't like. But it's intriguing talking about ghosts living in volcanic mountains in Hawaii. And a line in there goes,  Trumbo looked at the little woman as if she had began talking in Swahili. I like it when some writers touch close home.

Watching : The Haves And the HaveNots. Addictive. Le mr has been late for work twice because we watched this till late in the night and slept past the alarm. Lol. All good though.

JS02 - Necklaces for Necklines

          "I'm a big believer that accessories can make or break a look" - Nina Garcia

Hello everybody,

Necklaces are great accessories that most people throw on without a second thought. Have you asked yourself why we have pendants, chokers, bibs, chains, etc?

It's because each has it's purpose and time to be worn.

Below is an image of the different necklines that come with most outfits.

To accessorize each neckline,

Stock Take - September - 01

            "Change can be scary, but you know what's scarier? Allowing Fear to stop you from Growing, Evolving and Progressing"  - Mandy Hale

A lot of change is about to happen in my life and my routine and a lot of things. I am scared of all the changes and this quote is all I needed to pick myself up and inject a triple dose of confidence to ensure that I grow, evolve and progress.

Kicking off this week's series:

Reading: The Cousins by Rona Jaffe. A book that focuses on cousins and their families and how their parents always emphasized on them living together an running family businesses and how the children finally married and scattered all over getting together only when necessary mostly during funerals. It also touches slightly on a spouse cheating on their partner and the partner retaliating on the same and realizing it's not worth it.

MDA WISHLIST

Everyone has those things that they really want and other people can't seem to really understand the obsession. BUT ... Never apologize for your obsessions.   As long as they hurt nobody.

Here are mine..

1. Speed Bike

This has been an obsession for a very long time. I can picture myself cruising at top speed all 'armored'  then stop and remove my helmet and flip my hair. Yes. That's my motivation towards achieving this goal.

I want a Kawasaki in green, grey or black and white. Can't choose. Can someone buy several 'bodies' of it and be changing once in a while?

Don't forget about the gear!!! Classic!!!!

2. Designer Bags

My love for handbags surpasses my love for any other accessory. A few years ago jewellery would have been taking this position; but after having lots of it and not feeling like all chunky this time, handbags win big time.

It takes a lot of saving for some of us to be able to afford the bags in designer(knock offs are plenty in the market) but we got to deal with the 'inspired' versions of the real stuff.

Looking to owning the YSL, LV, CC, Chloe, Givenchy, Dior, the list is endless.

JS01 - Types of Jewellery

     "Jewellery has the power to be this one little thing that makes you feel unique"   -    

                                                    Jennie Kwon

Most of us love jewellery. Be it a simple pair of stud earrings or a chunky attention grabbing piece, we all own a piece of jewelry.

We will look at different types of jewelry so that the next time you go looking for something you like, you will know it's name. Not calling it 'that thing worn here(pointing to a body part)'.

Kick off!

 Anklet

This is worn around the ankle. It is mostly a basic strand but you can go all chunky if you want it to be the statement piece.

Band

This is a ring that you wear on you finger. eg. A wedding ring. 

Bangle

A stiff circular bracelet.

Bracelet

 A piece of jewellery that you wear around your wrist.

Brooch

A piece of jewellery with a pin on the back that you fasten to your clothes.Brooch is British. American name is pin.

Cameo

A piece of jewellery with a raised  design, usually in the shape of a woman's head, on a background of a different color.

HS05 - Handbag Carrying Styles

Apparently, the way you carry your bag says a lot about you and your personality. We will look at the different styles and what they say about people and you can see where you lie

The Twofer 

 You hold your strapless bag in front of you coyly and cross your legs. You’re shy and defensive.

The Schlepper 

 You have tons of bags hanging off of you randomly stuffed with belongings. You’re disorganized, spaced out, and exhausted.

The Hands-Free

You wear a purse with a long strap and let it hang in front of what you’re wearing. Apparently, you’re youthful and nerdy.

Stock Take - August - 03

Wassup good people!!

I traveled upcountry over the weekend to celebrate my sister's graduation party. It is always good to take it there where all the oldies and grand parents are. Seeing the joy on my grand pa's face when he says 'my grand child has been crowned' is the ultimate moment. People cherish graduants over there.

You can check my instagram for photos from the event.

Kicking off the stock take:

Reading: Supposed to kick off a new book today after the short break for newspapers. I got the book yesterday but unfortunately I have not been keen on getting the name well. My bad.

Watching: 2 broke girls. Been watching it for some time now. Getting to season 3 now and the sitcom is so hilarious.

Stock Take - August - 02

 Week 2 is here and I am excited to be sharing the first stock take after my birthday.

Kick off!!

Reading: I took a break from novels to read the newspapers that were piling up unread. And to play candy crush and rail rush. Lol. We'll have something else to talk about next week.

Googling: All about ulcers. I am scared to bits because I went to a doctor yesterday only to be told to avoid spices, acidic foods, etc. I can't believe it is happening at just 23.

HS04 - Handbag Storage

Keeping on with the handbag series, we now talking about how to store your handbags.

Some of you might have seen that handbags lose shape or seem old while in storage. Apparently, this is because you store them wrongly.

The best method is where the bag will not be strained or come into contact with dust.

A cabinet divided into sections which can hold between one and three bags(horizontally) is the perfect method. This ensures that the bag is sitting well and the straps are not strained. You can also put the bag inside the wrapper it came in to prevent it from dust.