Orange is the New Black

They say people stick with what's comfortable but as an artist I try to keep switching it up. However when it comes to working with Haleek Maul, I'm definitely willing to make an exception. The rapper was back in Barbados for a while preparing to go on the MartyrLoserKingdom tour with fellow musician Saul Williams so we decided to do another shoot together.

You might remember the last collab we had from one of my earlier blog posts and the fire shots that produced. We set up shop near his home again this time and ended up stumbling on to a pretty cool location I intend to save for future shoots. The shoot was going just fine until I noticed a neon orange hoodie stashed in his bag. It turned out to be a piece from his upcoming collection so I got to brainstorming. I came up with the idea for him to throw on the hoodie and take some shots with the industrial scenery in the background. What comes next was the result of my genius idea.

The Money God himself

Haleek Christ

The only prisoner allowed out during recreation time

Since then Mr. Maul has been pretty active with his own career releasing his self-directed music video, "Money God". Still no word yet though on a release date for Prince Midas

Curls and Prints

 I do believe the last time I wrote a blog post about hair was some time ago so it's about time we catch up!

Since my last post, my fully blonde head has turned into brown roots and blonde ends.

Early 2014 was the last time any harsh chemical was put in my hair.

Since then it's been nothing but deep conditioning/hair masks and learning the lay of the land (or hair. Whichever you prefer...)

Falling in love with yourself doesn't make you vain or selfish. It makes you indestructible.

Living in the Caribbean means heat galore, which means a lot more moisturizer is needed.

During the past year I've tried several products until L'Oreal came out with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner earlier this year.

I jumped on it as soon as it hit the shelves and I've been reaping results ever since.

It made all the difference.

My hair feels lighter and is easier to manage.

I've also incorporated another product by L'Oreal called EverSleek.

It's a humidity defying leave-in cream that works wonders on my hair.

It keeps my curls defined, (they tend to be crunchy at first) and then once the day goes on my curls become a lot more loose and flow effortlessly. 

The newest product that I've added to my regimen is an oil treatment.

MATRIX Oil Wonders' Indian Amla is a strengthening oil which can be used before, during and/or after shampoo and conditioner has been applied.

I use this product to target my ends which tend to lose moisture faster than the roots and shaft.

Don't let anyone determine who you are.

Unfortunately, I'm still on the hunt for a good shine spray. I gave TRESemmé's Smooth & Silky Shine Spray a trial period but found it left a sticky residue on my hair.

No bueno.

I'm currently toying with the idea of getting my hair cut to the shortest set of layers I have, just to see what happens.

I find the top section of my hair is more defined while the bottom still looks straight.

She was the word you wished you could have said.

Whenever I sit and think about where my hair and I would be had I entertained the choir of opinions on what should be done with it, I have a laugh to myself.

The previous length had me feeling like I was drowning. The straightened hair felt lifeless. The dark hair had people questioning my health.

Change was necessary.

Of those who felt entitled enough to try to inform me of what hairstyle should be my next choice, a few said curly hair (my natural texture btw) wouldn't suit me after going away from it for so long.

Feel free to chime in and admit you were wrong any time. 

There are so many types of art but you are my favourite

Trending

Unlike my mother, I'm not a big fan of flowering plants.

I more prefer the unusual, conversation starter type of plants.

This is where succulents come in.

A succulent is a plant that has adapted to become drought resistant. This means there's an excess of flesh on the roots, stems and leaves of the plant. This is due to it developing an excess of water-storing tissue which allows for it to go at least 2 weeks without being watered.

(NB: It is recommended that you use a spray bottle to mist during this time.)

They enjoy intermittent bouts of sunlight but not midday sun as it can sometimes blister the plant.

I've searched for the name of this succulent but I've come up empty-handed.

This was my first purchase and I've had a lot of fun with it so far.

This is the 3rd home it's had since January and it's time to propagate once again!

Below I  have placed a few leaves that either fell or were removed into a separate bowl to grow.

Once miniture rosettes begin to form I will arrange them how I want them to grow.

For now this is just a snazzy resting place for my little plants-to-be.

 Out of all my succulents, my flapjack is definitely one of my favourites.

It was my second purchase for my succulent garden.

I enjoy misting this little joy and watching the water collect in the center.

I also love when it gets the afternoon sun and the leaves begin to turn red.

I tried re-potting and was stunned at the root system.

This entire flat tray dish is lined with nothing but the flapjack roots which then knotted with my aloe Vera.

They're inseparable now. 

Still trying to find other succulents that would compliment these two.

(Front: Kalanchoe Luciae Flapjack, Back: Decorative Aloe Vera)

My most recent purchase is the Echeveria.

I'm still deciding if I wish to place this little guy in with my flapjack or wait for another tray to create a rosette garden.

It caught my eye in the supermarket at the plant section.

I was browsing looking for cacti when I came across this little cutie.

I'm excited to grow some more of these as I'm intrigued with the rosette formation.

(Echeveria runyonii)

 I HAD a haworthia limifolia but my puppy thought it looked better out of the soil and chewed to smithereens. 

He's okay and I hope and have been trying to help the plant recover.

FINGERS CROSSED.

I will do an update post at a later date with new growth, re-potting and the process.

Hopefully I can find a reliable supplier for my new hobby.

I look forward to building my succulent garden.

Have any suggestions, leave it in the comment section below!

Happy Gardening! Stay inspired.

RHOMONA

"Let's shoot before I leave again!" said Mona

The human body is magnificent and I'm fortunate enough to be able to capture it.

I'm fortunate enough to have people in my life who believe in my dreams.

Being able to practice shooting with your friends is really a time-saver and I'm forever thankful!

Black is beautiful.

New projects & beginnings

Grab a drink and get comfortable, it's time for an update. 

I'm starting this year off with quite a few projects.

The first one I will mention in this post is my Self Love project.

I posed the following 3 questions to any female that was interested in the project.

What is self-love to you?

How does self-love make you feel?

What factors are holding you back from practicing self-love?

The responses were very detailed and very personal and will not be shared.

However, the images should convey well enough what was discussed.

A young woman who is able to love, trust and respect herself, to me, is a very strong individual.

I want that for every little girl, young lady and woman I come into contact with.

I want them to trust in their decisions.

I want them to love every inch of themselves.

I want them to respect themselves more than anything else.

All of these points pushed me to start a project that could enable these things.

So this is for the little girls, the young ladies and the women who need that extra push.

This project shines a spotlight on women who are willing to be an inspiration for those who need it.

This project is that push to help get your journey started.

Happy learning my loved ones, become the change you wish to see in the world.

May your light shine bright always.

xx

Hair Journey #1

Why did you start taking better care of your hair?

My hair has always gone from one extreme to the other: extremely oily to extremely dry. I'll be honest, during 2012-2013 I really neglected my hair. It was in a horrible state, split ends galore! I was constantly putting chemicals in my hair and that really wasn't helping either. (Talk about adding fuel to the fire.) At the beginning of this year however, I came across Aisha Thalia on Instagram and she really inspired me to take a serious interest in my hair. I'll admit the thought of cutting my hair didn't seem like an exciting path to take because the shorter the hair the more time you need to invest in keeping it healthy. However the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted my hair to look its best. I wanted my curls to come back and look more defined. So I took the jump.

Do you have any hair challenges?

My main hair challenge is the difference in thickness and the fact that my hair has three different hair textures: the roots are kinky, the middle section is wavy while the ends are straight-ish. Also, I struggle to find cute styles that are quick and easy to do.

At this point, what is more important: Health or Length?

At this point of my hair journey I'm focused on health. 

It's all about falling in love with yourself.

What are your two favourite products?

I'm really loving Curls Unleashed moisturizing conditioner and TRESemmé's smooth & silky Shine Spray.

What is your favourite part of your hair regimen?

Co-Washing 

What is the most annoying part of your hair regimen?

Detangling 

Learn to embrace the messy stages of curly hair

If you could change one thing about your curls, what would it be?

I'd love for them to be more defined/tighter and less frizzy.

When was the last time you visited the salon?

August, 2014

How do you style your hair on a regular day?

If it's during the week and I'm at work, it's usually in a banana clip, any other time my hair is usually out.

Rules are made to be broken, not every hair tip will work for you

Do you have a hair crush? If so, who?

Aisha Thalia and Stacey Hash

What advice would you give to someone now starting their hair journey?

Keep it simple, don't expect miracles during the first 6-12 months. Be very patient and loving because with health comes length.

"that's why her hair is so big because it's full of secrets."

 Any tips or tricks for managing curly hair are much appreciated. I'd like to gradually move towards using organic treatments instead of products that may strip the natural keratin from my hair. Thanks for reading, stay tuned.

Haleek Maul x Life's a Beach

A couple weeks ago, rapper Haleek Maul hit me up asking to do a last minute photoshoot for him. He needed a photo of himself for the article on Fact Mag about his new single "Brainscan" and seeing as we went to high school together, he remembered I was a photographer and asked if I was available. In just a little over an hour we were meeting up at the beach near his house. We decided it would be easier and more productive to do a full photoshoot than focus solely on the headshots he needed and these photos were the result.

The plantlife on the beach added a great backdrop to Haleek's camo look for the day.

Haleek decided to get a little adventurous and take some shots in the backwash.

Unlike most rappers I know he wasn't too concerned with his sneakers getting wet.

As you might have noticed the emcee is quite fond of the streetwear brand МИШКА

Maul took a risk this day with his wardrobe choosing to ignore the "No Camo" law in Barbados.