Hello Beauties,
September happens to be Sickle Cell awareness month and also my birth month, yayyyy!!!! I noticed this tag going round on instagram and when i got tagged by the lovely +Aretha Yorke to participate in this challenge i thought why not? This challenge is basically to raise the awareness for sickle cell whiles sporting bold lips. This is a challenge right up in my alley; better (in my opinion) than pouring cold water over my body. I have decided to do this challenge weekly for the entire month of September. I normally never wear anything bold so why not challenge myself and also share a couple of looks with you. I will also be giving you some little info each time about sickle cell.
I am also sharing my current protective hairstyle which is a pixie wig cap i got done at First Choice. Something about getting a short do that makes you feel sexy????? Love it!!!!!!!

Smokey eyes and purple lips using ELF Smudge pot and Sleek Studios Lipstain

Sickle cell disease is an abnormality involving the red blood cells in which red blood cells assume an "S" or sickle shape instead of their usual round form. This disease unfortunately is hereditary  and involves the mutation of the gene responsible for haemoglobin and this cause the red blood cells to become sickle shaped. The current prevalence in West Africa is 4% and studies have shown that it occurs more commonly in tropical areas where malaria is common. This disease affects humans possessing the HbSS or HbAS trait.This can lead to severe complications and even death. During the next challenge i will explain further the genetics of this disease. All i can say is that do not think this disease is far from you. My paternal grandmother happened to be AS but thankfully none of her children borne carried the gene. I also have other relatives and dear friends who are AS too and it's not funny at all.


Anyways i wanted to share some details on the items  i used for this look. When i got tagged to this bold lips challenege, i immediately thought of my Sleek Studios Flash a Pout Lipstains and how they would come in handy. Yes the colour i naturally leaned towards was purple so i decided to do that first.
For this look i featured the ELF Smudge pot in Poppin' Party which i recently got from EJbeautystore in a very recent mini haul that i posted on instagram (follow me @beautiquegh_mua). This smudge pot is the bomb.com. Its basically in a gel form but dries matte and is smudge or crease proof. It could be used on its own, which is what i did or serve as a base for another colour. I'm glad i got it! I used it solely for this smokey eye, how simple!
On my lips is Duke, a lipstain from Sleek Studios, which a gorgeous and highly pigmented lip cream which dries extremely matte. If you are one who does not like matte lips this is definitely not for you. However for me dierrrrr, i just love it! I haven't had the opportunity to wear it out yet but definitely looking forward to that day.

Here i added a light purple to the inner lips

Face:
Mehron
Milk of Magnesia
ELF Poreless Face Primer
Mehron Celebre Pro Foundation in MD4 and DK2
Mehron Celebre Pro Pressed Powder MD4

Cheeks:
Sleek Face Form in Dark
Milani Cosmetics Baked Blush in Fantastico Mauve

Eyes:
Anastasia Beverly Hill Dipbrow Pomade in Ebony
ELF Eyelid Primer
ELF Smudge Pot in Poppin' Party
Sleek iDivine palette in Monaco
ELF Gel Liner in Black
Stardel 213 eyelashes
Zaron Kajal in Arabian Knight

Lips:
Sleek Studios Falsh "a" Pout in Duke



So i really did have fun doing something out of my comfort zone and i'm looking forward to what the following weeks will bring. I tag everyone to do this challenge. +Barbara Onianwah  +Evita Joseph +Louisa Mensah +Christabell Fremah +Lape Asekun +Ugo Ukam gosh my mind decided to go blank on me at this point, but yeah i tag everyone!
Untill the next post,
Stay fab and rock a bold lip!
xoxo,
Annette