Coming into my own has been the most difficult part of my life thus far, figuring out who I am, what I like, what I what, where I want to be...I'm beginning to think that being 19 does that to a person, you know that midway point between being a teenager and an adult. Maybe if I think about it that way, I'll be a bit easier on myself when it comes to having the answers...because well I don't need to, yet.

For now, I'm just gonna flow with life, do new things, go to new places and focus on experiencing as much as I can.



A random impulse after exercising, a spontaneous photographer and a beautiful location, this shoot was beyond fun!




Wearing my Adidas sports bra; H&M pants & sneakers I stole from my mum.
Going again, see you soon..

''The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience'' 

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Photography: Amery Butcher

Thank you,
Love Mel
 Hey loves, so I know summer is over but honestly it's been way too hot here in Barbados for clothing lol, either way we have endless beach/pool weather so bikinis are still a must have. So this swimsuit I got from local store pulse is perfect.



 Necklace and bag from Pulze The Store (Instagram @pulzethestore)
Photography James Clarke (Instagram @alxdrjames)
Yes I know that I haven't talked about my current struggle and conquering strategy but I honestly didn't know what to write, so here are some quotes to help you guys and me understand..

“ Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards ” ~

Soren Kierkegaard


“ Getting lost is just another way of saying 'going exploring ”  ~

Justina Chen
Peace, stay true,
Love Mel
For a while I realised that I have been stuck in the same mentality, a corner flooded with comfort and static. Though yes, sometimes that may be okay  at some point you need to realise the importance of positive movement; movement which may not always be a game changer but in the end that movement can change the game.
I had stopped moving and doing for a long time, I had stopped myself from growing.

 How do you grow when the comfort is so compelling?
 You acknowledge it and then you talk to someone about it. Me, I talked/talk about it to the one person in my life that understands the importance of doing, my boyfriend. As hardcore as he can be about the topic of my laziness and discomfort for things I should do, I need it. I need it so much.
At first it all sounded impossible, too uncomfortable, but as a professional planner, lol, I wrote it all down and I planned (much of it undone but I'll get there). The others, I dived right into with his words replaying over and over in my mind, landing me some opportunities I never before would have gotten. And as I saw that change in my position and felt that drive to seize chance, I slowly started to move (I still am actually). 
Rome wasn't built in a day beauties. 
  
Now this is my first actual swimsuit shoot, never saw myself doing this but I am always striving to get out of my comfort zone so I tend to test the discomfort by meticulously doing.
I am an impulsive planner, if you can help me understand that would be great!
Thanks to the very talented Tremayne of Gap Year Images because not only did I feel sexy but he made me look it too, aha!


Hat - Cave Shepherd; Swimsuit - Surf Shack; Chain and sunglasses - Bounah; Fur Coat - My collection 'Nouveau Renee'
Thank you guys for reading and continuously loving.

Love you, Mackman.
Peace always x

 Hey loves!
So before I actually began to care about what I put in my hair, I would use anything and I mean anything. But now well I have come to the point where even though I may or may not keep my hair short, I want it to be as healthy as dyed hair could possibly be.

Seeing that I have started investing in products that actually work, lol, it had to have been fate that an online hair store would contact me and let me know that they would now be shipping to the Caribbean, yay!

Okay so yes we have a gazillion hair stores down here and they do have some good stuff, but I have honestly never found 'the product' that doesn't work me too hard! 

If any of my local people know any let me know, feel more than free to comment below (I've got a 4B/4C texture).

Here is what makes https://myloux.com/ special - ordering/shipping process is supposed to be easy and well they definitely make sure that theirs is, I didn't even need to track the products; you can literally shop for products, via brand, need and hair type; they also carry various product lines, so if you think you can't find something, I am sure you can get it from them, plus they don't only cater to natural hair (other hair types need love too).

 I ordered the Shea Moisture, Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow and Restore Masque and the Gorow and Restore Leaving Conditioner from the same JBCO line because my hair is dyed and holds little moisture.

The products came within 2 weeks of ordering in the box above. 

Of course I smelled it! It smells like coconut milk creme. 
Now note I have never used Shea Moisture's products before, but I had a lot of expectations cause I know a lot of people who love their products, some with my hair type too!

The leave in, which is supposed to soften, detangle, moisturise and nourish did just that but within a few hours, my hair went back to it's dry state. Definitely not suited for me.

This deep conditioning masque which restores strength and resilience to damaged, brittle hair or chemically processed hair, however left my hair feeling super soft, moisturised and strong (my hair is so brittle so achieving this was great), hopefully it grows it as well. Anyone with dry, brittle hair definitely needs to buy this product from loux.

The one thing I was extremely glad about, was my vibrant colour remaining...I always tend to lose the colour of my hair in a span of 2 washes so this was a relief.
.
Let me know what you guys think of myloux!
Love, Mel x.



Welcome back guys! 
So two weeks ago I, along with my former classmates showcased our portfolio collections at BMEX (Barbados Manufacturer's Exhibition). 
Now anyone that studies fashion design knows how absolutely amazing portfolio day feels! As you take your walk out on that stage, feeling nothing but relief, knowing that all your hard work paid off, you begin to reminisce on the tiresome nights, the feelings of doubt and the endless hours behind a machine and then you realise, it's all over. Though the moment came and went, I learnt a great lesson and as obvious as it may sound, I learnt that I should never give up, lol ridiculous I'm now learning this, I know. 
My collection, Nouveau Renee is based on the theory of self and inspired by my interpretation of the art nouveau art style if it were a form of fashion. Nouveau means new, something that is modern and fresh and I really wanted to portray this in my designs by giving a contemporary feel to the runway. I used my middle name, Renee to incorporate my theory of self.
 I have a love for risque, sexy and confident clothing and I really saw it important to represent this in my pieces.
However, the below post is just a stylised version of my collection where we wanted to show you guys how we would style some pieces from my collection
.







 V wearing 'Nouveau Renee' fur jacket and double split, hand cut skirt. 


 I'm wearing Nouveau Renee's all in one, leather neck collar and pants. My sheer jacket was made by me but it isn't a piece from my collection and somehow it suited so perfectly !








Thanks for viewing, stay blessed x.
Love, V x Lanie.
Sometimes it is okay to distance yourself from situations and really evaluate how it's affecting you; positively or negatively.
Everyone from your past isn't meant for your future and maybe what you were supposed to learn from them has already been taught. Realising that the situation has had more negatives than positives is the hardest part and knowing how to handle it is not ever easy either.
But relieving yourself of this burden in the end will allow that room you may have needed for your personal growth and will surprise you with the new positive situations you could develop.
On another note, hey guys, hope you've been enjoying my posts! I recently had a lovely shoot and sit down with Tremayne Blackman of Gap Year Images. We talked about theBarbados fashion industry and what influences my style. For more, visit his blog http://tremayneblackman.wiz.com/






Wearing my white pants, top taken from a friend, (lol I do this too much), my Chinese laundry shoes, vintage jacket and amazon glasses frames.




Thanks for viewing, peace and love x.
Hey loves,
So I big chopped my hair (again lol) and as I was doing it, I felt so proud of myself for doing what was healthy for my hair, rather than keeping it for keeping it sake, and doing it gave me the most liberating sensation..all that good stuff ya know?
I was free of unhealthy hair! But mostly I was free from people's stigma! Or so I thought.
However, life is not always that simple and when it isn't just you and your mirror, other people's opinions can be so strong and matter so much that, whatever your personal opinion was....what even was my personal opinion? Exactly. 
It is sometimes so hard to not care about what people think but when you begin doing positive things for you it is honestly the first step of liberating you from them. 
Enjoy :)

Nathan and I shot at the coziest restaurant/bar called Elbow Room in 2nd street, St. James. This mahogany door was everything, it added such a serene and antiqueness to the street!



  
I'm wearing a shirt I borrowed from my mom, a dress I made into a skirt, Chinese Laundry shoes, jewellery from random store in NY and a bag from L&M Touch of Class, contact them via landmtouchofclass@gmail.com






Hope you guys enjoyed,
Much love! x.



Heya!
Have you ever experienced moments where you just sit, meditate and reflect on your life?
Like actually sit and think about why negativity is consistently coming your way or what is causing it?
Why your relationships may be failing?... Why your life is on pause?
Furthermore, why good things may have been happening for you in the past but just can't figure out why then and not now. Well this was me a few days ago, super confused and conflicted! But I had to get real with myself and study what I may have been doing differently or what place I was in at the time and realize that bad or good things begin with you furnishing the space for these atmospheres. It is so sad that we don't realize the welcome party we are already planning for these energies in  our life... I didn't!
At the end of the day all these things begin with you, me and the appraised objective...
Man, being aware of your thoughts is so important... 


So Nathan and I shot at Limegrove, Barbados' local high end mall...


I'm wearing a pants and top that I bought off Amazon; a hat from Cave Shepherd - a local department store, Coach sunglasses, some really random jewelry, shoes from Chinese Laundry and my bag is from L&M Touch of Class, which you can get through me or emailing landmtouchofclass@gmail.com 






 ''Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds'' ~ Bob Marley
Peace & love x.
See you soon!