iWearAfrican: Bazin

For those of you who don't know what Bazin is, it's the stiff cotton material that many african clothes are made out of. It's so funny how growing up I use to loath african attire, I would have rather died than to actually go out in public wearing African clothes but all that has changed. I am now a lover of african fabric and I wish that I had more clothes made out of it. Honestly I could see myself wearing African clothes everyday if I get pants, shirts, skirts and dresses of the material. Back to the point, I wore this sky blue bazin with Asian inspired gold detailing to meet none other than the president of my native land, Guinea! Now how many people can say they met the President of their country?

It's all in the details^^^

Slaviya.

Had dinner with a friend at one of my favorite restaurants in Adams Morgan called Slaviya, many may know the place as it also serves as the lounge for DJ Chick's famous Thursday night parties. The restaurant has a Eastern European or "Slavic" based menu and also many traditional dishes. They renovated the place not too long ago and the new decor is quite trendy. I love the feel of the place,it has a certain je ne sais quoi atmosphere about it. Ordered their delicious steak (well-done) with a side of sauteed spinach and mash potatoes...so yummy. I am definitely a steak kind of girl. For dessert I had their nutella filled crepes w/ strawberry slices to-go.

Lace and Things.

Okay I'll admit, I have been abusing this hat! I wear it alllll the time. But can you blame me? It's perrrrrrrfect! It's stylish, protects me from the blazing hot sun, and it's great for those days when I'm too lazy to brush my hair (yes, I have those days). Wore it out for a day of running errands with my bestfriend Shieley aka @TwatchNdListen and gurl I couldn't have asked for a better friend in this life, love you always. Anyway doe I also wanted to mention how happy I am that lace is in style so that I can wear it during these hot summer days and not be looked at like a hoochie. lol Now any girl who goes out wearing a lace top, dress, skirt, sans bra/panties well that's a story for another day.

Summer Glow.

I will bet anything that there isn't a single fashion forward girl in the world who doesn't have the orange and pink color block in their closet for this spring/summer. I picked up this cute little multi ruffle tiered skirt from H&M that I love to pieces. Wore it out to lunch with my friend Rama since she is going back to Indiana tomorrow :( She told me that she has never been to Chipotle before and being the humanitarian I am 

*side-eye*

 I decided to take her there to give her what she's been deprived of all these years.lol

Oh yeah, and for once I look dewy in my photos...I used Fruit of The Earth Aloe Vera Skin Cooler instead of my  usual Avon Moisture Therapy lotion and it's been working wonders. I have this natural summer glow to my skin now and I love it! I suggest you guys try the product.
Also for once I decided to post photos of me having fun in front of the camera instead of choosing the best ones or the ones where I think I look perfect. Just to show you guys that I'm only human and imperfection is beautiful:)

Her FIRST bite of Chipotle ever!

Bed of Roses.

Met Ghanian actors John Dumelo & Majid Michel at the premiere of their new movie Bed of Roses last night. I got a chance to hang out with them and it was cool, they are both nice and humble.

Aldo-Forwood

I absolutely love these shoes, two of my friends Fifi & Rama own them and I don't wanna be a steez biter but I swear I have to have a pair. They have the torquiose but I may order the green to be different. Either way I'm ecstatic that African print has gone mainstream. Never thought I'd see shoes like this at Aldo's but I'm really happy that they have them.

Preview: MGNA 2011

Last night I turned over my crown to the new Queen and it was a little sad because I really loved being with the girls all week and now it's all over. They were all beautiful and unique in their own ways and I will miss them so much and wish them all the best luck in their future endeavors! Here are some photos from a photoshoot with the contestants of Miss Guinee NA 2011, we collaborated with BHF magazine on their jewelry line.

All these photos are behind the scenes except the beauty shot below that the photographer edited.

Sunhat.

I bought this hat for $2 at the thrift store and I absolutely adore it! I wore it with my favorite one shoulder maxi dress from Target the day I did a photoshoot with the pageant contestants. I really liked the make-up artist too I have to work with her again in the future, she made me look stunning.

The photographer Paul Hance took these two photos above using my Nikon but his lens that's why they look different.

AfroExposure.

My friend invited me to the AfroExposure event last weekend and I was pleasantly surprised. There were many great local African artists and designers, my favorite being Cote Minou. Their clothes are gorgeous, I see them all the time in the DMV and they are BIG. Anyways I snapped a few photos of the show and I hope you guys noticed how many camera skills have improved, they didn't allow flash at the event but I thought I did a pretty good job. I've noticed that lately whenever I go to an African event there aren't too many people in attendance unless it's a party. We all know that Africans party hard but I think we should work even harder and support eachother, that's the only way we as a people progress. Okay, I'm done preaching and sorry there are no photos of me I didn't like any of the ones I took.

TruVision

My buddy Paul Hance and his friend Joe have started their own T-shirt line called TruVision. I really like the design of the shirts and they are both stylish & comfortable. I did a shoot for them a while back and they just posted the pics on their Facebook page so I thought I would share it with you guy guys. You can check out and purchase the shirts HERE and don't forget to like their fan page http://www.facebook.com/TruVisionClothing 

Photo credit: Paul Hance Photography

The Queeeeeen.

One year ago on this day I was crowned Miss Guinee North America. It's been a whirl wind adventure going from young girl to young woman. I feel that the Miss Guinee NA Organization has placed me on the right path to achieve my goals in life and I want to thank them and of course God for the blessings I've been given this year. I honestly can't believe it's been a year already, it seems like just yesterday I was backstage getting ready to compete. There have been ups like my successful Dreams For My Daughter charity event and there have been downs like my highly criticized video about Facebook. But the important thing is that I have learned and grown from this experience. I'm sure that there is a lot more in store for me and this is only the beginning. So this isn't goodbye, it's see you later.

Click the jump to see a few photos from my reign.

My Babies.

My favorite role that I play... even more than being a daughter, more than being a sister, more than being a model or a restaurant hopper, I love being an aunt to my two precious babies Marietou, 3 and Amar who will be one this month! These kids mean the world to me and I can't wait till I have my own kids (at the right age of course) Getting married and having beautiful babies is one of my biggest life aspirations.lol

It kills me that we live so far away but while I was in Georgia I took a billion pics of them!

Emeralds & Sapphires.

The colors of my dress ofcourse!

Wearing this 50's style dress with modern print makes me feel so grown up. Paired it with Dolce & Gabbana Tassel purse and my favorite choker, the color scheme seemed so perfect.