Burgundy fever

I love the bare shoulder look and winter wasn't going to stop me from wearing any of my off-shoulder dresses. I made this burgundy dress a couple of months ago and I love that I can wear it in summer and winter .Burgundy is such a warm colour  and adds some life to my winter outfits plus it's one of my favourite colours because it works so well with my skin tone. This is my second winter look and I wanted to add a bit of colour to it because my first winter look had neutral colours. I paired the dress with nude heels which made a perfect combo. For a more layered look you can add a long camel coat on your shoulders and you're good to go.
Dress: House of JM Designs
You can view more of our beautiful designs on IG @houseofjmdesigns or FB House of JM Designs.

Your body is your home

Healthy happy hair

I am so happy to see my afro flourishing. When I did the big chop last year I promised myself I would take good care of my hair by investing in good quality products and adopting healthy hair care habits. In all my years of having natural hair this is the first time I have ever retained so much  length in such a short space of time , I didn't think I would ever get my hair to be this thick and I can attribute this to;
* Protective styles:which keep my ends protected , especially during winter  as the cold weather tends to dry out my hair. By braiding my hair I also allow it to retain length.
* Moisturizing my hair: I  spray my hair daily and nightly with a water based spritz, this spritz helps keep my hair hydrated throughout the day, prevents breakage and keeps my hair soft.
*Deep conditioning: After removing my braids I deep condition my hair with a DIY protein treatment that I have been using for years. It  strengthens my hair, adds moisture to it, restores natural shine to my hair,prevents damage and promotes healthy  hair growth.
* Pre-shampoo treatment : Before I deep condition my hair I do a pre- shampoo treatment with my two favourite oils, olive oil and castor oil. This treatment adds extra moisture to my hair and softens my hair which makes the detangling process much easier for me.
* Healthy eating habits: Whatever you put into your body shows on the outside, so if you adopt healthy eating habits your skin and hair will look healthy. I try to eat foods that will promote hair growth and healthy skin which are  foods that are high in protein, biotin,iron, vitamin c, omega 3, vitamin A, vitamin E, Vitamin D.... (the list is endless). I also love juicing which assists in promoting healthy hair growth and maintaining beautiful, glowing skin.

To achieve this blow-out I used a natural stretching method called African threading and applied Shea butter after undoing the threads on my hair.

Coat season

I love winter because it's the season for layering and coats are my go-to items for a layered look.

I enjoy dressing up more in winter than summer,there's just something stylish about long coats , parkas, scarves, stockings, fur coats...

I made myself this grey coat 2 years ago and I love it, It's my one of my favourite coats and I always make sure I wear it when it's winter.

There's something  so effortlessly chic about a grey coat, it goes with anything. It's easy and cool whether you pair it up with a pair of jeans and a plain top or for a more dolled up look, a formal shirt and a pair of tailored trousers with heels ,you always look put together. A grey coat is a neutral that goes well with a lot of colours, so you will never run out of outfit ideas.

For this look I decided to pair my grey coat with a pair of black jeans, black body suit(that I also made) and a pair of black heels, I prefer keeping my base simple and as minimal as possible.

Flaws

In my zone

I love capturing the creative process of making a garment. This is when I was adding some last minute touches to the pink beaded dress.

The road to loving yourself

Loving every minute of my natural hair journey

I decided to remove my braids about a week ago because my afro was starting to grow out through the braids and I wanted to give my hair a bit of a break. My intention was to do a 90 day hair  challenge which just means I wanted to keep my hair braided for 90 days, but I only stuck to a 60 day challenge. The aim of doing this challenge is to retain length, in between that time I still wash my hair and keep it moisturized. When I removed my braids I was so happy to see how much my afro had grown,I always do a protein treatment after removing my braids(It strengthens my hair) and I did a heatless blowout using the African threading method. I did a mini photo shoot and I love how beautiful the pictures came out ,my afro looks really healthy and thick. I'm really loving every minute of my natural hair journey.

Mould yourself

Pink beaded dress

Happy Friday everyone! Remember the project I spoke about in my shades of pink post? Well I am so excited to update you guys on the project, my business partner and I have been chosen to be part of the design team for a pageant taking place in a town near us. We have to design 15 evening dresses for the contestants and the theme is old Hollywood glamour,we are so excited and proud to see our business progress. This pink evening dress is one of the dresses I made for  last years Miss Teen Vaal winner. I really enjoyed making it(I love anything that involves lace applique) and seeing how stunning the dress looked when it was finished made all the late nights and early mornings worth it. To see more of our beautiful creations please visit @houseofjmdesigns on instagram or House of JM Designs on Facebook.

Self-mastery

Temple and nape gro balm

My hair is constantly in protective hairstyles and sometimes that can put some strain on my hairline. I started using Dr Miracles temple and nape gro balm 2 years ago and that was the best decision I could have ever made.I love this product and the best thing is, it really works. My hairline used to break easily but now it's much stronger and healthier . I normally apply it on my nape and temple two times a day, early in the morning and just before I go to bed.

This is how flowers bloom