I love Afrobeats TAG

Hellerr hellerrr helllerrrrrrr my flowers :P How're you all doing? So a few days ago I mentioned something about doing an 'I love Afrobeats' tag video, on instagram. I chose to do a blogpost instead, becauseeee;

1. I barely have time to film lately

2. I know I'll be a complete haramy and not control myself from dancing and making a fool of myself

However I still wanted to do this very fun tag so here it is! In blog format :D

Background info and disclaimer: I've been listening to Afrobeats for over 5 months now, it's my favourite genre because it's so positive and upbeat & I love catchy music that makes me want to dance. Most (if not all) the songs I listen to are either Ghanaian or Nigerian, but there are many other types of Afrobeats from other West/Central/East African countries. 

[TAG created by LydiasMadness on youtube]

1. Who is your favourite artist? Currently it's Brymo (amongst many); I love his voice (he has that deep dark melting chocolate voice) and his music style is so catchy and meaningful. I also love how he became an artist from absolutely nothing.

Some of my favourite songs:

• Good morning
• Akara
• Down

Other artists I'm fond of are Dammy Krane, Olamide, Wizkid,  Wande Coal, 9ice, Fuse ODG, Bisa Kdei and Terry G (the list goes on..)

2. What are your favourite Azonto songs? Ahhh, I love the azonto! I can sit and watch dance routines on YT for hours on end. Azonto music is so upbeat and catchy. Here are a very few from many;

• Sugar n Spice - Ye Be Sa
• Bisa Kdei - Azonto Ghost Fiesta 
• Shatta Wale - Dancehall King
• T.O. & Stunnakid - Shigege
• 4x4 - Yesi Yesi
• Guru - Alkayida
• Bisa Kdei - Over
• Trojan - Check your weight
• EL - Obuu Mo
• Gasmilla - 3 Points
• Keche - Aluguntugui

3. What are your favourite bum bum shake songs?

Has to be the following;

• Timaya - Shake your bum (durrhhh)
• Iyanya - Kukere
• Wizkid - Jaiye Jaiye
• Timaya - Ekoloma Demba
• Dj Xclusive feat. Timaya - Pangolo

[Bottom line: Timaya makes good bum shaking songs.]

4. Which song always makes you happy?

Trojan - Check your weight Always puts me in a good mood!

5. Which song always makes you cry?

I don't think any! Afrobeats always have a positive uplifting vibe. 

6. What are your favourite love songs?

• Dr Sid - Something about you <3333 this songgggggggggg
• Brymo - Good morning
• Iyanya - Le Kwa Ukwu

7. What is the most embarassing song in your playlist?

I don't find any of them embarassing :P you could be the judge of that...


8. What are your favourite songs right now?

R2bees ft Wande Coal - Kiss your hand

Blackmagic - Repete

May D ft P-Square - You Want to Know me

Dammy Krane - My Dear (all time favourite)

Davido - Aye


9. Which song describes you best?


Fuse ODG - Million Pound Girl *blushes*


*

I hope you enjoyed this post and listened to something you might like!

Habiba x

How to deal with hate comments, i.e. Invalidity

Hello hello hello and salaam girls, I've always wanted to make a post some people might class as 'rants' - i.e. speaking my mind fluidly with no constrictions or conformations. This is just 100% Habiba Da Silva. Let me know if you'd like more posts like this with mention of topics and ideas. Enjoy!

To be behind an array of social networks these days takes a lot of heart and mind strength. The more the popularity, the more people will like you and hate you. This has become a well-known formula and is something everyone needs to take heed of because it is reality. For whatever reason, no matter how much good you do - religiously or morally - people will find reasons to go against you, your beliefs or your appearance. Now I'm not making this post to judge these people or downcast them (Allah and karma are good enough), this post is to enlighten you with a frame of mind I've imposed on myself to the point where I can honestly say no matter how bad a remark is said against me it does not affect me in any way.

Many of my friends try to sympathise with me when they see a negative comment on my social networks and are usually surprised when I tell them that it doesn't bother me. 

As long as you know yourself, your intentions, your capability and have belief in yourself nothing anyone says should bother you. You're the only one who knows you, the false accusations are thus invalid, the rude comments are fuelled from jealousy and the fact that you have something that person wants and cannot have/achieve should in fact make you happy and humbled to be you! 

Many girls these days like to mask their hate comments as 'advice' especially in the hijabi-globe. Yet don't they realise that their so called 'advice'  is given in the completely wrong method which contradicts their purpose. Therefore their comment is more or less invalid.

Keep that in mind the next time someone comments negatively on your social networks.

Habiba Da Silva x

Project Akhirah & the Spoken Silence two-day event

As many of you (who follow me on Instagram) may have noticed I am involved in a non-profit organization called Project Akhirah - I will not bore you with a long introduction on them as you can read more about PA on their blog here with a touching introduction on the core members of the group (a must read). I first got involved with Project Akhirah when they had their first charity event in June of this year, we were initially only doing a blogger's meet & greet but then decided to organize  a whole fashion show as well (all organised in under 2 weeks only! You can only imagine how hectic it was). After the event I left them feeling very attached - the girls were lovely and their passion to do good really inspired me to keep in touch. Not only did we have a successful event and learn a lot more about becoming better people but I also made lovely friendships with genuine girls. Since then we've stayed in contact and met up for meetings to do bigger and better, and other meetings just for a nice warm chat. 

We are now drawing close to a big two-day event next Saturday & Sunday (16th/17th of November) - the first day will be a free-entry workshop day ranging from life-coaching and poetry to hijab and makeup tutorials. The second day will be a fundraising day with some inspiring performances. 

On the first day I will be holding a hijab tutorial & a makeup workshop. I will be showing you two of my most worn (and most asked about) hijab styles so make sure you come along to see it! And then I will be doing an everyday makeup tutorial with a few handy tips and tricks! It will be lovely to see you guys there - as many of you constantly ask me how I do this and how I do that and since I don't make YT videos this would be a great chance for some insight & answers to your many questions. 

Watch the following trailer for more information!

Follow Project Akhirah on Twitter: @project_akhirah - Instagram: @project_akhirah - or even email them at projectakhirah@hotmail.co.uk

For more questions or inquiries do not hesitate to contact me via the contact form or my email lifelongpercussion@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Habiba xxx

7 deadly sins of beauty TAG

I've been requested to do tag posts every now and then, this was one of the tags requested so I thought WHY NOT? Haha, enjoy.

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

Most inexpensive will have to be my MUA products which cost around a £1 each (lipsticks, eyshadows and blushers mainly). Most expensive... hmmm I'm not sure, it'll either be my Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation which costs around £36/£38 or a big Artist Colour palette by Sephora, and my Emma Hardie cleanser (£34).


2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? 
Dark lipstick shades, I'm only just coming to terms with getting out of my 'nude' lip phase. I'm a big fan of nudes and neutrals when it comes to makeup!

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products? 

My Lush lip scrubs, YUMMY! Best thing is that they're made of sugar and are edible :D

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness? 

Highlighter, every single time. 

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?

Probably foundation.

6. LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex? 

Respectful, easy-going and understanding.

7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

The Urban Decay Naked 2 palette :3

The Ethnicity TAG ~

I've decided to start doing fun tags now and then, beginning with the Ethnicity tag! Enjoy :) and if you have any other tags or different posts then let me know by commenting or emailing me via the contact form on your right.

What is your Ethnicity?
I am originally half Lebanese and half Brazilian. My mother is Lebanese (with Syrian and Lebanese ancestry) and my father is Brazilian (with Spanish/Portuguese/Brazilian ancestry).

When was the last time you visited your country?
The last time I visited Lebanon was less than two months ago, however I haven't been to Brazil since I was two/three years old but I do plan to go very soon.

Name one ethnic food you enjoy the most.
Lebanese food: mashawi, Lebanese barbecue including baba ghannouj and hummous and tabbouleh.

Brazilian food: My grandmother's banana cake and feijao (a sort of bean stew with meat and a side of rice).

Name one household item that best represents your culture.
Lebanon: this was a really hard one! But I've settled with ma3moul molds, ma3moul is a special stuffed biscuit/dessert usually made in Eid. There is usually a mold used to get a certain shape and design.

Brazil: a painting done by my Brazilian aunt of sunset on the beach with palm trees (there's a photo of this on Instagram). And also a crochet tissue holder.

What part of your country are you from?
Lebanon: Tripoli
Brazil: São Paulo

What song reminds you of your country?
Hahaha this was a fun one to do!
Lebanon: I chose this song because it was being played 24/7 in Lebanon this summer, it's such a funny song that reminds me of good times - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN8g8q3awtA

Brazil: This is a song that never gets old - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmI0JRcz5Kw

Can you speak the language of your ethnicity?
Arabic: Yes very fluently.
Portuguese: No, only very basic words but I understand better than I speak.

Answering your Instagram Questions

Salaaaaaaaaaaaam guys, so I recently told my followers on Instagram to ask me random questions since I've never done a post in which I answer your personal questions so here they are - enjoy!

- When did you start wearing hijab?
 I started wearing hijab at 9/10 years old by choice, I thought it was so beautiful and always told my mother I wanted to wear it. I found it fascinating how I had to cover up in front of non-mahrams. Alhamdulillah I haven't taken it off since.

- What type of clothes would you wear in the summer? 
I tend to wear flowy skirts and loose tops in summer which keeps me looking modest yet stops me from getting too hot too :)

- How tall are you? and how would you describe yourself in 5 words?
I am around 5'4/5'5, ermm creative, thoughtful, humorous, attentive, easygoing 

- Favourite mascara?
My makeup favourites usually alter from time to time, but my current favourite mascara is L'Oreal's Volume Million Excess, it's best used after it dries a little. 

- Where do you live now?
I live in Birmingham

- Where were you born?
I was born in Birmingham

- Is there any blush that doesn't contain shimmer?
Yes! theres loads, the cheapest being MUA blushes priced at £1 (they are really good quality) and then there are the Sleek blushes which are AMAZING, some are matte and some shimmey.

- What's your favourite drugstore foundation?
L'Oreal True Match, I'm in the shade w4 (I have a review on here)

- What is your favourite make-up? And who inspires you fashion-wise?
If you mean favourite foundation, at the moment I'm really loving MUFE HD, it is pretty pricey but I always believe that high end foundations are better quality then drugstore. The foundation is truly amazing and very natural looking. No-one really inspires me fashion-wise, I just pick and choose things from what I see, there's not a certain person.

- How old were you when you started blogging?
18, I only started blogging January 2013 :)

- Do you speak Portuguese?
Basic

- How do you tie your scarf?
I can't really answer that here :/

- I would like to see how you do your makeup so please make a video on it
Inshallah I plan to soon :)

- Can you show us your skincare routine?
I first use a good cleanser - The Sanctuary Spa fresh faced cleanser is my favourite, it really gets rid of all the makeup and impurities on the skin without drying me out. I then use the Clarins Cleansing Milk for Combo/Oily skin to further cleanse and also soften my skin a little bit, I then dry my face and use the Clarins Toning Lotion for Oily/Combo skin which is an AMAZING product and smells like heaven. I then moisturize using either steamcream or my Elizabeth Arden cream :)

- What bronzer/blush do you use?
To contour my face I use the Sephora matte bronzer in deep (amazing product), my favourite bronzer is the one in the sleek face form kit in 'Medium' or the Mac 'Refined Golden' bronzer. My current favourite blush is the MUA blush in the shade 'cupcake' a beautiful warm pink perfect for warmer skintones. 

- What are your hopes for the future? Both personally and professionally?
Personally, I would love to keep inspiring young women positively, I would love to have a loving and supportive husband who can somehow handle me and I wish to be a mother. Professionally I'm not completely sure at this moment in time, but I would love to open my own makeup Salon, maybe make my own makeup brand, keep freelancing? I also aspire to publish my written work.

- Where did you learn to do makeup? What primer do you use? What do you use to make your makeup look flawless? Are you going to start doing tutorials?
I'm self taught, mainly by research, watching videos and loads of practice. I currently do not use a primer, I just use Mac fix plus as a base and after applying makeup which makes my foundation look much less cakey and more natural-looking. Not sure yet.

- Would you ever do YouTube? 
I think I get asked this question ten times per day, lol, erm I'm not completely sure yet. But I might do :)

- What was the first makeup item you bought?
Black eyeliner

- How old were you when you started wearing makeup?
I started just wearing eyeliner at 16 then I started wearing foundation etc at 17 - so two years ago

- Do you usually reply to emails even if they're sent a month ago?
I sometimes get really busy and don't answer emails on time, if you feel like your email still has not been answered please email me again. I get a lot of emails so sometimes some emails get lost.

- What is your favourite YouTube channel?
My favourite YouTube channel has got to be Wayne Goss', he is such a down-to-earth person and I love his tips and tricks.

- Do you know any products to get rid of acne?
I've never really had bad acne so I'm not so sure, but I advise you to try tea tree oil it's really good for spots and try to steam your face regularly.

- Are you studying? Are you married?
Yup I'm studying, no I'm not married.

- Looking for a very good and pigmented eyeshadow palette, any advice?
Try Coastal Scents, they are amazing!

- Would you get married to a non-Arab guy?
Yes, definitely 

- What inspired you to study Creative Writing? Who's your favourite writer?
I was inspired by poetry and by reading stories, I've been writing stories since I learnt how to use a pencil. I started writing poetry when I was 14 and it became a passion at 16. Once we were supposed to write a creative piece for English at college, I wrote a poem and my teacher was struck by disbelief that I wrote it and accused me of copying, she then made me sit after class and write a poem on the spot to prove that it was my work. lol, good old days. My favourite author/poet is Sylvia Plath, she's been my biggest inspiration from the beginning, I'm really inspired by her imagery and her word use.

- What skincare/makeup brand would you recommend?
That's really a difficult question, all makeup/skincare brands have their flaws and their good products. It's just a matter of finding what you feel works for you. I would recommend Illamasqua, Mac, MUFE, Nars, Revlon, Krylon, Sleek for makeup and for skincare I would recommend Sactuary Spa, Clarins, Elizabeth Arden.

- Are you a student? What are you studying?
Yup, I'm studying English & Creative Writing.

- Do you ever feel like you're wearing too much makeup? Do you feel insecure about how you look with it on?
Sometimes I do when I put on eyeliner or really bold lips which I try not to do all the time, no I don't feel insecure.

Get to know me TAG

Since I'm in the midst of writing up a big collective review before I head off to Lebanon, I thought I'd keep you anticipating with this fun post and maybe you can learn a thing or two about me that you never knew? Enjoy! And if you have any other tags in mind that you'd like me to do then feel free to drop me a comment below or email me using the 'contact me' form on your right.

1. Are you named after anyone? Yes, my grandmother (from my mother's side) was called Habiba, she passed away in the midst of her youth and since then many of my aunts and uncles as well as my mother have named their daughters Habiba. I am one of 6 in my mother's family, they always call me by my surname in Leb. 

2. When was the last time you cried? erm... a month or two ago maybe? can't recall

3. Do you have kids? Nope

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? Yes I suppose so ;)

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? a lot lot

6. Will you ever bungee-jump?  no... I'm afraid of heights :(

7. What’s your favorite cereal? this is a hard one since all the way through my childhood I was a massive Cereal eater, I'd say frosties, Lion and branflakes maybe? it really depends on my mood.

8. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Facial features, hands and their smell.

9. What is your eye colour? dark brown

10. Scary movie or happy endings? Scary movie 

11. Favorite smells? roast chicken! musky/fruity perfumes, some Sudanese perfumes, bakhoor.

12. Summer or winter? summer, definitely. I cannot stand the cold :( (Brazilian blood)

13. Computer or television?  Computer, I barely have time to sit down and watch TV

14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? Brazil, even though that is somewhat home. 

15. Do you have any special talents?  erm... I'm an artist and poet.. is that special enough? 

16. Where were you born?  Good old Brumtown

17. What are your hobbies?  Pencil drawing faces and beauty, Makeup, trying new things, eating P:

18. Do you have any pets?  Five kitties <3

19. Favorite movie?  WHITE CHICKS .... 'making my way down town..' :'D

20. Do you have any siblings? Yup, one sister and three brothers

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? a mother, a well known author, maybe have my own makeup brand? ... who knows...

Thanks for reading!

Bisbis; my cat, her story.

Good afternoon readers, I wanted to dedicate this post to a soul very dear to my heart; a celebratory post for a recent very prominent event in my life. My little Bisbis.

From a very young age I've had an obsession with felines, I loved cats so much I used to make a prayer to God every night to summon one and place her in the middle of my room, haha. But my father and sister are really allergic to them and my father hates cats in general so I never experienced the luxury of owning one. In the end of September/October a little black and white kitten no older than 7 months appeared in our garden. At first we didn't think much of it, she had a pink collar with a bell around her neck so we thought she had an owner. Me and my siblings used to pet her and play with her, she was very friendly and far from hostile. Gradually we began to realize that she wasn't leaving our garden, she sat and meowed day and night so we started feeding her. She was so unbelievably lovable and so cute, I instantly fell in love with her. I began to realize that she had some sort of skin infection on her ear and called RSPCA in hopes that they would take her in for the winter as the weather was getting colder. When RSPCA eventually arrived they told me that she had ring worm and it wasn't life threatening or anything but we were able to get it from her, which I did. They also told us if they were to take her in she would be put down. I instantly realized that this was meant to be, God answered my prayers after 10 years! That was the last time I contacted RSPCA. 

The months to come I took as much care of her as I could, although it killed me that I couldn't bring her into the house in the freezing cold. She's a really strong girl who just wants to be held and fed and loved. At around the beginning of January I noticed 7 different large male cats coming into our garden and sniffing her up, in the course of the week they did their business. It killed me to watch it, it really was horrific; she's so small compared to them, but she survived through it all alhmadulillah. It's nature I guess. I called her Bisbis, it means 'kitty' in the Lebanese dialect, not creative I know but it stuck. 

The crazy snow came, but she survived it alhamdulillah. I think it was the first time she experienced snow because she was so amazed by it haha. 

Contemplating life

She sits on the windowsill of my bedroom and meows till I wake up

Then one day, whilst bringing her into the kitchen to feed her I noticed her stomach was slightly swollen  just a little bit and told my mother, she said her being pregnant was a possibility but not to jump to conclusions. In two months it was very apparent that Bisbis was pregnant, she was usually very slim but then had a teardop-shaped lower body. Two and a half months in and I started feeling kicks in her stomach. We were so excited yet so scared that her pregnancy wouldn't be successful. Usually when cats as small as her have their first litter the kittens are usually stillborn, or they are very few of them. 

A week before labor, she liked to lay down on her back

She became extra affectionate a couple of days before labor

It was a waiting game for us, we saw the signs of nearing labor but we had no idea when it would happen.  I made a box for her with soft material and wool in it, and I fixed it so that it was above the ground and sheltered from above. I trained her to sleep in it, and she really liked it and was very responsive which made me feel at peace. Around this time she had made it a routine to wake me up at 6/7am and made me sit with her and comfort her, I felt like she was nearing, and the kicks were getting more frequent. Around 1pm on Friday, 5th April I went out to the garden to snap some photos for my Womanityshop review and fed her. I noticed a thick yellow secretion nestled around her woman area, I got really worried when I Googled this and read 'urinal desease' everywhere and that it was life-threatening, I sat down and prayed to God after every prayer to make everything alright. I didn't see her for the rest of the day, and she didn't make an appearance on any of my windows. 

The next morning she wasn't at my bedroom window either, my anxiousness grew and pessimistic images flashed in my head. The events that occurred after that play in my head in slow motion, I opened the garden door and looked to my right where the box was in the corner, I saw her tired eyes peering at me and surrounding her stomach were these tiny, squealing, furry kittens; I was over the moon. She didn't have three kittens, or four, she had FIVE healthy, breathing kittens. 

This is the first photo I took, I was so excited I couldn't even focus, as you can probably see there is dried up body fluids around the right of the box, we changed the box straight away as it was soaked in her fluids.

She had already given birth and cleaned up each kitten all by herself, I felt immensely proud, happy and thankful. 

Each of them is treated equally by Bisbis, they're all feeding very well

There faces are so adorable! They make me cry!

It was so surreal, I couldn't believe my eyes. Bisbis did it all on her own, and so far she's been an amazing mother. She spends most of her time feeding and nursing them and only leaves to grab a bite.  She trusts us with her babies and usually only leaves her box when we're there. 4 of them are Tabby cats and one of them is solid Black, I've taken a shine for the black one so far, it's face is so cute! And it camouflages in it's mother's fur. I still haven't seen their genders as I'm not planning on handling them until they're at least one week old.

I will make sure to update you guys with more photos and news on how the kittens get on!

Habiba xxx