I've moved!

The time has come again for me to move on and try something new, you can expect to find similar content just under a new name! I'm consistently growing and developing as a person so I'm constantly editing my work...

Click here for my new blog "She Likes Art"

I also have my food blog The Skinny Foodie

enjoy x

Coming Soon!

I apologise for completely neglecting this blog, I've just been incredibly busy over the past few months; the good news however, is that something very exciting will coming soon, can't wait to share with you guys!

Foodie Post: Joe's Southern Kitchen

This week's foodie post is a simple meal for one courtesy of Joe's Southern Kitchen- famous for their pressure-fried chicken, and you know how much I love my fried chicken! I wanted to sample a bit of everything so I instead of ordering a meal I selected a combination of starters and sides including: Southern Fried Wings, Southern Style Mac 'n' Cheese, Fried with Chicken Salt and the Corn Bread Muffins.

Fashion Post: Rihanna American Vogue March 2014 Cover Shoot

You should already know that I am #TeamRihanna, so of course not only am I pleased that she's on the cover of the March issue of American Vogue, but that she is slaying!

Read the article here where she shares some of her tried and true style tips, my favourite of them all is:

"If I'm wearing a top, I don't wear a bra...If I'm wearing a bra, I just wear a bra."

See below for the rest of the shoot.

Visual Post: NEW Kelis - Jerk Ribs (Music Video)

The first single from Kelis's latest album Food. I love this video: not only does it reminds me of a fashion editorial, but also just how awesome her style is! Oh and the song is pretty cool too.

Hair Crush: Nicole Richie's Long Bob!

My post on Nia Long's 'Best Man Holiday' hair has been incredibly popular and I'm still completely obsessed with long bobs...

As I mentioned before I love that this length is long enough to go into a bun, yet short enough to not get on my nerves! I also love pixie cuts, but the grow out phase is a pain. I think Nicole Richie pulls off this look effortlessly...

source: beauty.about.com

Update: I came across a photo of Zoe Saldana wearing a similar style, but with a middle-part. This definitely going to be my summer hairstyle. See below for the photo:

Fashion Post: Bag Lust Louis Vuitton Sofia Coppola Bag

I haven't thought about Louis Vuitton as a brand for quite some time now; ever since the Céline mini luggage came onto the scene circa 2010 I became fixated, but as with all obsessions that has now subsided. I've always been familiar with the Louis Vuitton Sofia Coppola Bag, however as much as I love it, it has always been an expensive bag...as in double the price of the 'average' designer bag.

I still happen to find the LV SC bag beautiful, minimalist and timeless...a girl can dream right?!

Photo credit: stylerumour.com

Foodie Post: Burger and Lobster for the win!

 I love seafood especially lobster, but up until this point I hated Burger & Lobster! After hearing so much about it and waiting 2 hours to eat, it was very underwhelming. A number of things contributed to my bad experience: first the wait, although we went away and came back, I hate waiting for food. Secondly I was seated in the aisle and not the booth, which again I hate and we were right by the kitchen- I would have made a fuss however there was no alternative seating.

As you can imagine I was extremely irritable by the time I was ready to order. Then as per the waiter's advice I order my lobster grilled, which turned out to be a big mistake! He ensured us it was the better option and promised it would be flavoursome, instead we received dry, chewy, possibly overcooked lobster. My friends and I came to the conclusion that either the general public had poor taste buds, or they sold us dreams on Instagram because the food was so bland that we needed the sauce and even resorted to using ketchup!

I say all this as a prelude to my most recent visit to a different branch where the dining is much more comfortable, and instead I ordered the steamed lobster which was much better. I'm still not a huge lover of Burger and Lobster, but I would go back as it's perfect for a day out shopping/a casual lunch. You can't beat the price either...I may even try the Lobster Roll next time as I love Brioche. This should give me my lobster fix until I'm in the tropics!

Of course a dinner date would not be complete without dessert...

Daily Wisdom: TGIF Edition!

"You know you are on the right track when you become uninterested in looking back..."

-Unknown

Look back for what?!

Foodie Post: Sticky Wings

I live for food...literally, and chicken wings remain a firm favourite (blame it on the pigment). This of course means that I'm particularly fond of restaurants that specialise in wings and offer not only a variety of flavours, but also a boneless option.

Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth

I've just finished reading Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to your life's purpose, and a quote regarding the Ego stood out to me which I wanted to share...

"The reason why such acute suffering occurs is concealed in the word 'my', and it is structural. The unconscious compulsion to enhance one's identity through association with an object is built into the very structure of the egoic mind."

I've been interested in the meaning and the cause of (self-inflicted) suffering and Buddhist philosophy for quite some time now. My interpretation is that aside from the basic human needs: food, water and shelter, much of our internal suffering is a result of unnecessary wanting. This often manifests itself in the form of 'first world problems', something which I happen to be very familiar with.

I've included my overall thoughts and more below.

Miley Cyrus for W Magazine March 2014 (NSFW)

It's turning out to be an image-heavy Monday, but I just had to post this Miley Cyrus editorial despite my general distaste for her insistence on cultural appropriation: although that's another story!

I first saw the images on Twitter and actually thought they were of Lady Gaga; in my opinion the editorial styled by Edward Enninful and shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott tastefully displays nudity and is also Miley's best photo-shoot so far.

Source: W Magazine

See below for my favourite image and the link to the rest of the shoot.

Vanity Fair 20th Annual Hollywood Issue

This is how you convey diversity in a photoshoot...

Source: @writersofcolour twitter

Of course Lupita is looking regal as always...

Monday Inspiration

No words. Just a visual...

Source: bciacco.tumblr.com

Happy Chinese New Year!

This post is slightly late but...Happy Chinese New Year! On the actual day I attended dinner at one of my favourite restaurants to celebrate, this year is the year of the horse which is supposed to be good luck as it's 'my' year. Last year was amazing so if this year is lucky I can't wait! It's been a good 33 days already!

Yesterday I received a fortune cookie whilst shopping in Selfridges and I must say I love my fortune!

Sorry I haven't been blogging as much at the moment; I've been super busy but I actually have quite a bit of material in drafts that I will release in due time!

Sneak Peek: Rihanna Shooting for Vogue Brazil

Rihanna is consistently fierce and always werking it! This is one magazine that I will be rushing to buy when it hits the news-stands!

(source: dailymail.co.uk)

I just wish that I was on a beach somewhere below the equator right now...

Red Carpet Look: Lupita Nyong'o at the Golden Globes

Lupita looked absolutely stunning last night...I just had to share!

(credit: zimbio.com)

Patty & Bun: The Battle of the Burgers Continues!

Earlier in the week I was out shopping and fancied a burger for lunch, at first it was a toss up between Five Guys and Shake Shack but we ended up deciding on Patty & Bun due to the close proximity at the time. 

On first impressions the restaurant is small and cramped cosy but it was nice; I'm all about the environment and I really enjoyed the music (quite a bit of reggae) it reminded me of Wishbone in that respect which is good. A quick glance at the drinks menu won Patty & Bun a few extra points: they serve Appleton Rum as well as Wray & Ting, it seems the hipsters are catching on to other popular Jamaican beverages as they did with Red Stripe but I digress...

I ordered a 'Smokey Robinson' Burger (which I should mention is served medium rare as a standard) and my companion ordered the 'Hot Chic' Chicken Burger. Our waitress assured us that we could share sides so we ordered the Chips with Rosemary Salt and 'Winger Winger Chicken Dinner' chicken wings between the two of us (yes I order wings where ever I go).

Read the rest for my thoughts and of course glorious food porn!

Flashback Friday: Aruba

I celebrated my birthday in Aruba a few years ago and had such an amazing time; this beautiful Caribbean island has one the best beaches that I've ever been to (second only to Varadero in Cuba) as well as a unique mix of cultures and nationalities (I met less than 5 native Arubans during my visit). The climate is very dry and desert-like climate which is a huge contrast to the high humidity of other islands such as St. Lucia, it was also quite windy and oddly enough there were no mosquito's or any of the other bugs associated with the tropics.

Chronixx - Smile Jamaica (Video)

One of my favourite songs from last summer; such a beautiful and patriotic song which always (mentally) transports me back to sweet, sweet Jamaica!

Tumblr Moodboard: Fashion and Collision

I've made several attempts at blogging in the past with Tumblr being the medium that I actually stuck with the longest. I love the idea of creating mood boards (must be my arts background lol) and decided to create a digital one; I guess that's what Pinterest is for, but I still prefer the idea of micro-blogging.

My latest page 'Fashion and Art Collision' focuses on specific style influences/style icons that inspire me at any particular moment in time. At present there is not an actual art element- but that's liable to change!

Click here to view it and don't forgot to follow; you can also see more looks from yesterday's Style Inspiration Esther Quek.

Style Inspiration: Esther Quek

I first discovered this stylish lady via my Tumblr feed as I'm sure many others have also; it was when I had a short hair cut and determined to go even shorter I looked for inspiration from women who rocked pixie cuts. Esther Quek is the Group Fashion Director of The Rake, and in my opinion has 100 percent nailed androgynous dressing! Whilst I don't think I could pull of most any of her looks, I love how she layers and pays attention to the small details.

Home Cooking: Rib-Eye Steak and Rice!

I'm a huge lover of steak; nothing, and I mean nothing goes down better than a medium-rare rib-eye! Although despite this proclaimed love I've never actually cooked steak at home before, but decided to finally give it a try and I must say it went really well!

I kept the seasoning fairly simple: soy sauce, black pepper, chilli and garlic (although I did add Jamaican All Purpose Seasoning - not the chemical-laden UK version). I seared the meat for a minute either side, then proceeded to fry for a further 10 minutes at a slightly lower temperature, turning the meat over half way through cooking. 

Here are the results:

Excuse the random parsley, I was in a rush to take the pic!

Next time I would reduce the overall cooking time by 2 minutes as a personal preference, but this method delivers perfect medium-well results. I may also try using jerk seasoning as well; I think the powdered version would work better in this instance, but for everything else stick to the paste!

Don't count on this being a permanent feature on the blog as I much prefer to make reservations, but cooking at home is fun nevertheless! 

NEW Timaya feat. Machel Montano - Shake Yuh Bum Bum (Original Soca Remix)

I have to admit I'm not a lover of Afrobeats at all, however the original version of this Timaya song grew on me while I was in St. Lucia and now it's a constant reminder of Carnival Monday and Tuesday! I think the Machel remix enhances the song without taking away from the original.

What do you think?

I've included the original below for those who haven't heard it. Now I just need to find somewhere to play mas this year!