Thursday, April 24, 2008

MAKEOVER

You know I love to see my Nigerian ladies looking beautiful and will always give them props for that. That said, sometimes I just have to pause and take a deep breath. Rather than criticizing, lets see if we can offer some tips to these ladies and guide them to fabulosity!
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There is so much going on here. The long braids, the jacket, the tight-fitting dress, the lace-up sandals. Actress/TV presenter, Elfreda Rowland has a voluptuous figure and pretty face and am sure can look fab if she changed things up. First up, the dress is a no-no. There are very few girls that can pull off this dress and most of them are Size 0 models.
I would suggest, knee length dresses, nipped at the waist to highlight her assets. Good undergarments including a well fitted bra and some support garments (e.g spanx) can help bring out the best in her look.
Style Guide: Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer has a similar voluptuous body type and looks fab. She has confessed to using spanx and plays around with colours, shapes and necklines.


The makeup, the hair, the outfit (hat, jacket, laces!), the shoes - lets be honest, its a bit of a mess. That said, she is pretty and has a nice slim shape. Therefore, there are so many possible options when it comes to outfits. The main advice will be to strip off all the excess and rebuild her wardrobe and makeup from a fresh slate. For the hair, rather than a blond weave, perhaps honey brown extensions a la Jessica Alba. The makeup, red eyebrows don't look natural on anyone so scrap that. Go for a fresher look. She should let her beautiful skin glow! The clothes - as I keep saying, there are so many options!
Style Guide: Kelly Rowland and Selita Ebanks - Kelly and Selita both have similar slim figures. Small bust, flat stomach and slim hips. Yet they look feminine and fab.



Actress, Cossy Orjiakor is known for her ample bosom and clearly she is not afraid to flaunt her curves.
Its great that Cossy is confident and comfortable with her body. That said, I would advice to Cossy to do it more tastefully.
A V-Neck is neckline is actually good for big busted women but this is way too low. Plus, she is wearing a long necklace which draws further attention to her bust.
My advice - skip the necklace, try something with a higher-V, button-up shirts, wrap tops, strapless can also be a good look as long as its not hanging low on the bust.
Style Guide: Toccara - Toccara has a similar body shape - large bust, smaller waist and hips. She has evolved since she appeared on ANTM in terms of dressing to suit her body.

Photo Credits - Obsessed Hoopla, Purefoto, Bella Naija

That's it!
What do you think.
Any tips?

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Am i First? Goodness! i wish u had a competition on today. Id have won!!!

nice post :)

Shubby Doo said...

when I saw the 1st pic I couldn’t help laughing. Let’s face it not even the gals in Hollywood get it right and they pay a lot of money to their personal stylists.

your critic is good ... i agree totally with the Jennifer Hudson style guide. Also you are on point with Toccara as a style Guide for Cossy Orjiakor. She is wearing a great black number with the right accessories. Her hair accentuates her neck. All that coupled with a bit of panache simply makes a lady radiate amongst ‘copies’

Not sure about the Kelly Rowland one sha!

Anonymous said...

chai mehhn!!! why o why...lol....great advice though Bella!

Anonymous said...

Since u r dishing out d advice, i wonder if u cud give me a few hints. I have dry/ oily face n i need to know wat type of facial wash/ moisturiser and make up is best. Also wat eyeshow can a sista wera that will show but not too flashy. ta. Will be back to read ur reply.

Ms. Catwalq said...

I concur

!!Estella!! said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
!!Estella!! said...

true! no celeb ever gets it righjt ALL the time....

Sugabelly said...

EIGHT!!! I will return!!

chioma said...

spot on bella naija! cossy is pretty and anyone with that much bust always has some cleavage but she has to exercise moderation.

Kira Aderne said...

hello!

i love your blog!
so nice girls and looks!
like them so much ;)

if you don´t mind, i am adding you to my blogroll favourites, if you wanna, add me too!

a kiss and a hug for brazil,
hope to see you soon,
Kira

Anonymous said...

Waow @ Cossy that's just wrong on so many levels... bella you sha try for these people

- anonabovehasleftmeforlagosmissyoubooboo

Unknown said...

i feel like we need a makeover show in naija...because even the so called 'stars' are a mess...

Unknown said...

Adding my extra. Some of the Nigerian celebrities that tone their skin (as some would not accept that they are bleaching; no judgements, whatsoever) should try using exfoliators, for example, sugar scrubs to even out their skin tone. As it does help a lot to attend some pizzazz to outfits; i mean clear skin.

Aside from the tips that Bella has mentioned/given.

Unknown said...

Sorry, i meant "to add some pizzazz to outfits" and not "attend some pizzaz to outfits."

Anonymous said...

aunty oily/dry face ... which part of your face is oily, which part is dry? im currently inbetween moisturizers and facewashes actually, because i have sensistive skin and everythiing goes haywire after awhile, but one great thing i found is visibly even night concentrate by neutrogena, it comes in one ounce tubes is really really really hard to find, but u can get it online and retails for like 13-14 USD, it also has no spf, but its great, absorbs quickly does not leave ur face looking oily and is really really moisturizing. its smells okay to others but i love the smell and also has vitamin c and soy to brighten and even out complexion. you might wanna try the whole line. i have the daily spf lotion but for some weird reason, i think its too strong for me... maybe its the SPF thing that i dont like. here are some others i tried, aveeno - did not do jack, i looked like a hot mess the entire summer i used it, never again. neutrogena face lotion with vitamin treatment or whatever was too strong. when all things fail, i used my standard gentle moisturizer oil free spf 15 from neutrogena, now that i think im reacting to the spf i think i might try the sensitive version but kai, all these creams i keep buyin and will not use again.

anyway in the fall, i will start with the murad line of essential c stuff. and see if that works. to clean my face i use the soft side of olay regenerist, but i think thats too harsh so i might go back to dove, it really really cleans ur face and negates the need for a toner IMHO.

hope that helps. finally no matter, you face will have a little bit of sheen throughout the day, blotting papers and oil control translucent powder will help.

one thing ive started doing is washing my face in the night and putting lotion and then not doing it in the morning, even when i apply moisturizer in the morning just to relieve some tighteness i dont get too oily looking.

okay sorry for the long story. bella i hope u dont mind. later o

Anonymous said...

Hey Bella, your blog is still as good as ever. This was one of the blogs I used to get info from on things happening in Nigeria before I moved back. Keep up the good work.

To my Sugar Mama Snowdrops aka madame sitsacrossfromanonabove.....Miss you too boo. Dont worry, i'm gonna come back for ya boo....I promise....lol

Nwanyi Ocha said...

Top 20!!!

... still got it...

nice one, bella!

Hair Azara said...

the first girl needs to contact me ASAP!! because those long braids ain't cutting it.

Bella I completely agree with ur suggestion, someone let them know please.

I know we love fashion and what not but ladies really??

Anonymous said...

KELLY ROWLAND NO LONGER BELONGS TO THE 'SMALL BUST' GROUP, BABE GOT IMPLANTS!

Anonymous said...

Bella how now :D great post today! More grease !

**********
Dear miss oily face -

welcome to the club. Now quick, I said quick, run, don't walk to the nearest www.sonyadakar.com and watch miracles begin to happen on ur face ok! ok.. nuff said... after you use the mud eucalyptus facewash walahi talahi you will come back to thank me here ;D
except of course something terribly goes wrong in which case you are allergic to any ingredient in it but ASIDE from that... I am talking about 17 years of looking for a product and finally finding one that works so...
Best of luck dear!

Anonymous said...

Honestly i think these ladies just don't have the money to buy the right clothes. i mean they don't live abroad and because the clothing stores in nigeria charge a fortune for their clothes, they ladies are forced to wear whatever they can afford. i'm not saying it's a good look but there isn't much they can do about it...thats what i think anyway.

Just keep in mind that they are not in America or London where they can get nice clothes for reasonable prices....xxxx

Anonymous said...

Anon 1.33 cracked me up. That is sooo not true, and sooo not an excuse.
These ladies dress that way because they want to. We all can't be fashionistas and look the same. What a boring world it would be if we all dressed "properly" and conform.

xoliquoricexo said...

get it, bella! LOL.

Anonymous said...

ya. Nollywood actresses definitely need some style advice. Tired of seeing Uche Jombo and others squeezing into clothes too tight and too young for them.

Unbiased said...

lol @ Bella.
Where do you come up with this stuff.
With cossy i think she would go topless if you let her. Her boobs are her biggest (and some say her only) asset.

Anonymous said...

BUAHAHAHAHAHAH....ROFL - Is ANON 1:33 for real?

Anonymous said...

THE FASHION CRITIC IS ON THE SPOT BELLA...

Anonymous said...

Please advice them. There are more people that need to be put on blast. There are so many foolywangs that need to burn down their closets

Anonymous said...

We need more posts like this. Please do one for every body type with pictures of outfit suggestions. I could use a few tips myself.

Nigerican said...

I all for fashion and everything but i have a better suggestion for these ladies... ready... how about everybody dress their age and be happy. Number 1 needs make-up, a smile and to take off that drape look. Number 2 gets three words from me "Less is More". Lastely , number 3 bless her heart... she simply needs a stylist.

Girlie said...

loving the posts.....woohoo......u should do more make over posts....its hillarious.....wooohoo

In my head and around me said...

This was a good tack: providing advice and not running them down as is usually the first instinct.

Great advice. I especially like the one for Cossy. I hope they all get to read this and follow the style guides.

Good one.

Unknown said...

bella.... is the yellow TRUE LOVE the May edition. Im just about to order from top up nigeria cuz i see its the diaspora edition but i cant make out the month.
cheers hun.

Naija Sutra said...

can the nigerian ladies really put more effort in their dressing or at least hire someone to do it for them.


it hurts my eyes and soul when i see what is going on, truly.

Morountodun said...

Bella I beg left dese Naija celebrities alone ke. If they wan show bust let them (says Morountodun with his lecherous grin while drooling...)

pamela said...

Well at last... Ive always thought these style critique sessions pointed to a new business opportunity for stylists in Naija. I hope as I speak links are being made and services provided.
This is the sort of post I almost never comment on but I cant resist... Bell your recomendations are great but for one thing... all these ladies (Ive seen them in many other pictures) like to be OTT over the top! Your style choices are classy and body type appropriate but will not satisfy that OTT attitude these women all have. What to do?
I believe personality must shine through and thats why I detest most red carpet lets all be six categories of clones style critiques. (not yours Bella! :-))

btw Cossy is a brilliant actress (i glimpsed her in a super story episode once)her boobs actually distract from her talent

shhhh said...

spot on. the more women realise that they have to dress to their strengths instead of weaknesses the better for them overall.

Anonymous said...

hey bella. whats ur email i have some business for you
contact me on itsnaija99@yahoo.com
or qbeatsent@yahoo.com