Working With Dionne Smith - International Hair Stylist extraordinaire!

Phew!!!! The last 4 days have been something else. I am so knackered but so excited and happy at the same time! So the 2015 Beauty Africa Expo came by and it was definitely bigger than it was last year - a lot more stalls and products on display; more workshops with professionals giving invaluable advice and in some cases hands on practical tips; more topics were also included in this year's edition.

I got invited by Design Essentials to work at their stand and of course I jumped at the opportunity. International Hair Stylist and Educator for Design Essentials Dionne Smith was going to be showcasing 3 hairstyles for Naturalistas and how could I miss the opportunity to learn! So I happily got myself ready and went off to Eko Hotel. When I got in, 2 of the models had already been prepped so I got started on the third model and did a basic cornrow updo leaving the top undone for the live demo.

Working With Design Essentials Nigeria!!!!

I'm so amazed at how God works and seemingly orchestrates things for His own plan that unfolds little by little before our eyes. For a very long time in my life, speaking in front of people was a MAJOR challenge for me. I remember speaking about it in this post where I said  a few years ago, I decided to conquer my fear of public speaking and signed up for a course at the Lagos Business School - I didn't realise then that I was going to change careers and it would be coming in very very  handy!

I got the pleasure of meeting the representatives of Design Essentials Nigeria last year and it's been a very rewarding relationship so far. Somewhere along the line, I was asked to be a part of the team - starting as a technician and working my way up as an educator which would mean I'd help  train teams of stylists  either in salons where the products are stocked or where there's an event, and also be part of the styling team where necessary when Design Essentials are sponsors. I started the training process and made the team!

Packed weekend at the African Fashion Week Nigeria 2015 and the Nigerian Natural Hair Show!!

Boy! What a busy busy day Saturday was!!! Starting off with my first May bride in Magodo (thankfully, I had done most of the work the night before so there wasn't that much to do on the day of) I was up early so I could get there, and finish styling her.

Her style was pretty straightforward - she wanted loads of curls falling to her face in an updo so we decided to go for some crochet braids in the crown of her hair to give long lasting curls (so she could also enjoy the hair during her honeymoon). Hair was pre curled on small rods before hand and then I swept her hair up, cornrowed and crocheted the curls in. She loved it and everyone was oohing and aahing at the curls and wanted to get it done asap lol.