PENDA SARR

Transitions

12:50:00 PM

In its simplest definition, a transition signifies “the process or period of changing from one state or condition to another”. I think this...

In its simplest definition, a transition signifies “the process or period of changing from one state or condition to another”. I think this was the perfect word to define this photoshoot and my summer as I went through many changes which have helped my style, myself and my blog work evolve.

The first transition would have to be the location. Most of my shoots are usually minimalistic and familiar. The following look was shot in a place that was unknown to me, which made it all the more challenging, yet rewarding. That place was Médina, one of Dakar’s oldest and most populous neighborhoods. The area is filled with colorful homes, busy streets and graffiti walls; it has an ancient vibe to it, as opposed to the more modern districts in the city. Since it was my first time there I had no idea what to expect. I immediately realized that in comparison to other places in Dakar or New York, this was not one where most people took pictures. You would think with all the art around people would come, but it was the opposite. The photographer and I had to therefore ask permission to shoot around the houses, and be patient as crowds of children and adults surrounded us to question what exactly we were doing.

Next, the majority of my outfits on the blog are Eurocentric and rarely focus on African fashion. This year, I spent all three months of my summer in Sénégal so I really had the time to learn about Senegalese textiles and prints. My aunt also greatly helped me with this style addition; she gave me many traditional wax clothing items and helped me create outfits so I definitely had enough to experiment. The purple and blue peplum top in the pictures below was a gift from her. It's made of African waxprints and has a flared lower bottom and bell sleeves. The material is from Accra, Ghana ; it's quite light so you can definitely move around freely. I paired the top with a pair of black pants, heels, and delicate silver earrings to match the blouse’s simple yet exquisite motifs. I purposely combined a traditional piece with other modern clothing because I think it perfectly embodied who I am: a multi-dimensional and multi-cultural African woman.

The last transition I would have to say was overall, my summer. Living in the United States but coming back to Sénégal to see my friends and family is always interesting; I’ve noticed I’m immediately re-immersed in a different culture as soon as I arrive. Basically, you learn to balance the fact that you are from two places which carry their respective discrepancies, mainly in terms of cultural practices and social norms; I find that it allows you to sometimes step out of your comfort zone and constantly be aware of all your surroundings.

I met with some amazing people who have greatly inspired me this summer. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have pushed myself to work as much on the website. Initially, I wanted to take a break from blogging because I thought, “I won't find anyone in Sénégal who will have the same visions and ideas as me. They'll probably think I'm too weird...”. I soon realized I was wrong, as Dakar in itself is a city buzzing with artistic vibes, which is perfect for a blogger like myself, as I try to incorporate fashion, creative art and direction in my photoshoots. For this post, I owe a huge thank you to the photographer Sidy Mohamed Kandji(https://www.instagram.com/smkandji/). Him and I were on the same page in terms of our creative ideas and I think that's what really brought everything together. We planned this shoot 3 weeks in advance because I really wanted to bring the traditional (the location) versus the modern (myself) theme into existence. We couldn’t have gotten a better area than Médina and I’m happy Sidy suggested it.

I loved doing my work here; it was a nice change from the busy and fast-paced New York City. It’s amazing what a change of scenery can do, and it’s even better when it’s in your home country. I can’t wait to come back and do this again.

Thank you for reading! Enjoy the rest of your summer and good luck with the new school year.

Much love,

Penda

Outfit details:

Top: Kiki Clothing

Pants: Forever 21

Shoes: ASOS

Earrings: Swarovski

Get the look!

Top:

https://kikiclothing.com/collections/womenswear/products/bell-sleeve-peplum-top

Pants:

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?br=F21&category=bottoms&productid=2000220980

Shoes:

http://us.asos.com/new-look/new-look-buckle-barely-there-heel/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=7127999&clr=Black&SearchQuery=black+heels&pgesize=36&pge=0&totalstyles=742&gridsize=3&gridrow=5&gridcolumn=3

Earrings:

http://www.swarovski.com/Web_US/en/5043650/product/Adore_Pierced_Earrings.html

Connect with me:

Instagram : @pendasarr
Snapchat: @pendouchi

Cranberry

11:19:00 AM

Hello, For this post, I teamed up with my little sister ( www.oumousarr.blogspot.com ) to create a full-face makeup tutorial on this color...

Hello,

For this post, I teamed up with my little sister (www.oumousarr.blogspot.com) to create a full-face makeup tutorial on this colorful cranberry look for you guys:

I'll write about each step, with pictures below each description to help you visualize everything. Without further ado, let's get started! :)

EYES:

Step 1: Priming + Setting:

The first step is to prime your eyelids with an eyeshadow primer. This ensures that all the shadows you use for your look will last and won't crease. Simply apply a bit of primer on each eyelid and then blend it in circular motions with your index finger.

After priming, you can use a white eyeshadow or translucent powder to set the primer. Setting it makes a great difference, so this is definitely an important step!

Step 2: Applying the shadows:

The shadows used on my eyes are from the Violet Voss Holy Grail Pro Palette. My sister and I thought using red/cranberry shadows would be fitting for the summer and help us step out of our comfort zone as these shades are usually quite hard to blend. Here's a picture of the colors in the palette, that way you can follow along:

The crease:

The first color is called "Wine N' Dine". Simply dab a crease brush onto the shadow, tap off the excess and apply it in windshield motions all over your crease.

Next, take a fluffy brush and use "Teddy Bear" to deepen the crease. Afterwards, take a blending brush and blend both colors together to get rid of all the harsh lines. Once finished, the shadows in the crease look like this :

The lid:

Afterwards, take a flat brush and apply the shimmery color "Cranberry Splash" all over the lid. Then, take a new blending brush and blend all 3 colors together.

Step 3: Eyeliner:

Once you've applied the eyeshadows, you can take a black eyeliner to create a wing. If you want your wing to be sharp, you can put some tape on the outer corner of your eye.

FACE:

Step 1: Primer, Color Correct, Foundation:

Primer:

To create a smooth base for your makeup, always use a primer before. I used the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, which is ideal for those with oily skin. Afterwards, I let the primer dry on my face for about 3 minutes and then I start color correcting.

Color correct:

You can use an orange concealer to cancel out any darkness on the face. In my case, that includes : the spots around my mouth, the sides of my nose, and my under-eye circles. If you're confused about color correcting, I have a post on it here : https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5696931638250446159#editor/target=post;postID=7326306334472274874;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=7;src=link.

Foundation:

Since it's summer, my skin has gotten a bit darker, which means I have to mix foundations. For this look, my sister used the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation and the Clinique Foundation on me. I first applied it on my face with a stippling brush to get the airbrushed look, and then I used a wet beauty sponge to blend everything.

Step 2: Highlight and contour:

To highlight and contour, you can use concealers. I used the L.A. Girl Pro Concealer in the shades "Fawn"(highlight) and "Dark Cocoa".

To highlight, apply the lighter concealer shade under your eyes, on the bridge of your nose, your chin, your forehead and cupid's bow. For the contour, apply the darker concealer on your cheekbones to get that chiseled look, and on your upper forehead.

Afterwards, blend everything. Because you did a cream highlight and contour, it's important to set the highlighted parts of your face with powder to prevent creasing( I used the powder from the ULTA Contour Kit) ; let the powder sit on your face for about 3 minutes and then wipe it off with a large brush.

Now, you can move on to the final touches. I usually go back to my eyes and apply some eyeshadow on my lower lash line, and a regular eyeliner on my waterline to make my eyes pop. Afterwards, I put some mascara on my upper lashes.

Step 3: Blush, highlight, lips :

Since this is a summery look, my sister and I went with a mix of blushes: we applied a pink and purple-toned blush from E.L.F. Cosmetics. Once you're done with your blush, you can take a golden-toned highlighter and apply some on the bridge and tip of your nose, and the highest part of your cheekbones.

For the lips, I suggest applying a lipliner first before you put on a gloss or lipstick. In my case, I applied a brown lipliner from NYX and a nude gloss.

Step 4 : Set:

This is the final step. Setting your face smoothes out all the products and ensures your makeup will last all day or night. In my case, I used the MAC Fix Plus spray to bring the powders together and the Urban Decay Oil-Control Setting Spray to set my whole face. Here's the final look:

I hope this was helpful! This was really fun to do with my sister. It took us like 3 hours to finish everything because we were dancing and fooling around, but we managed to finish everything haha!

Here are the links to all the products used, just click on the word and it should take you directly :)

Products used:

Eyes:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Violet Voss Holy Grail Eye Shadow Palette

Revlon Liquid Eyeliner

Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner

Too Faced Mascara

Face:

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Urban Decay Setting Spray

Lips:

NYX Lip Pencil

Chanel Lipgloss

Connect with me:

Instagram: @pendasarr

Snapchat: @pendouchi

Rise...and Shine?

1:02:00 PM

Hello and happy August! This has probably been the most productive week of my summer so far(hence the title of my post). I'm sp...

Hello and happy August!

This has probably been the most productive week of my summer so far(hence the title of my post). I'm spending the majority of it blogging, catching up on news in the fashion world and finding outfit inspirations - among others things. Shoutout to Beyoncé because her lyrics have definitely inspired to "grind till I own it".

Let's talk about dressing during the warm weather. I find it quite hard because of the lack of layering. I have to resort to simple clothing whilst trying to create #ALOOK and I have to say, I'm not fond of it. I've therefore realized that combining basic pieces and accessorizing well can make a difference. Blouses are nice, but I'm currently in a tropical country so I definitely can't wear those 24/7. That brings me to my new obsession(you're probably like "Penda you're obsessed with every type of clothing")...v-neck tank tops!

Because I'm www.extra.com(if you know me well you know haha), I obviously opted for a shiny, metallic-ish tank. It's probably the most frivolous and cute thing I own right now. I love it so much, it's the perfect thing to wear during a busy week.

It was extremely humid during this shoot so a comfortable top like this one made it somewhat more bearable. I still had to pat my foundation like 50 times during it though, because girl, who wants to look oily?

Initially, the shirt was untucked. After looking in the mirror and tucking/untucking, turning sideways and doing a full 360 (ladies, I'm sure you've had this experience) I decided it looked better this way. To be honest with you I'm not sure what this outfit falls under, I guess the "I have a lot to do but I still want to look cute and comfortable" category?

See, this I love this top so much that I had to smile in these photos, which I never do haha!

Oooh and this is Anna, we also like to call her Coco . She's one of the dopest and most stylish people I know. She's a model and is also into fashion so I thought it would be cool to have her participate in the shoot. Her outfit is simple yet colorful; the cap is what makes it stand out. I wish we got a picture of it, because it says "thick thighs save lives"(amen to that).

We've had others together but the pictures above are my favorite because of the color contrasts.

Like the previous post, the photographer and I shot in the same hotel. I purposely did that because I think the greenery behind makes the shiny silver top stand out since there's a stark discrepancy between the color tones.

This look and shoot were one of my favorites. I played around with accessories, color schemes and poses. Shooting here is different from New York City because there's less of the street-style feel. However, I like that because it means I get to find new locations and experiment with them.