LET'S EAT: LA TERANGA RESTAURANT

11.18.2015


Hi everyone! I recently moved to Seattle (more on this later) and quickly began searching for the nearest Senegalese restaurant. You know I love Senegalese food! 

La Teranga came highly recommended on yelp. Seattle has a lot of Ethiopian and Eritrian restaurants than anything. This is partially due to the high number of immigrants from those coutnries. 




My friend Koko was in town for dance gig and we decided to meet up at the restaurant. I started off with the fried plantain and red sauce (pictured). Delish! 



My main course was the Thiebou yapp (seasoned lamb with jasmine rice). I've had thebou yapp and thiebou djeun (fish) in Senegal. I have to say that my food at La Teranga came very close to what I've had in dakar. It was very good! I know that most African restaurants change up the ingredients a bit to please the non-African customers or those not too familiar with the dishes.



My drinks of choice were the kinkeliba (Combretum micranthum) tea and tamarind juice. They were both really good. My favorite was the tamarin juice.

Have you been or do you live in Seattle, what African restaurants do you recommend? Respond in the comment section below. 





Dîner en Blanc 2015

10.21.2015







Off the bucket list! Last year, I wanted to attend but I couldn't because of work obligations. After seeing all of the amazing photos on some of my favorite blogs, I knew I couldn't miss it this year. 


I sent the invitation to my friends as soon as it hot my inbox. The tickets were sold out by the next morning! 

We quickly got into action and decided on who will bring what. One thing that many people don't realize is that this is pop-up dinner- you bring your dinner and tableware. Only the tables and chairs are provided.  Some attendees were surprised to learn this and some actually found out last minute.














Launching Shop Awntaa

7.01.2015


Having fun on set with my beautiful friend Shannah! 

Oh the journey of being a Side-preneur! Here is a little background on my new baby, Awntaa. It took about two trips (flights aren't cheap) to Bamako to put Awntaa together- creating relationships and partnerships. This isn't easy in Africa! I wanted to work with only the locals-those who work and make a living by being creative and using materials found around them in Mali. Those artists who learn the craft from generations ago (all of the artisans involved have never sat in a classroom) either through their parents, family members, and or mentors. Why? Because those who don't have some sort of school certifications and being artists as their only job, they don't make much. Most make less than $5 a day to feed their families, but they get up everyday and create. 


Genuine leather with wool, handmade by skilled artisans in Mali. 
This is a collaborative effort. I may have been the mastermind behind it,  but it wouldn't have been possible without their creativity and knowledge. I sketch out the designs and they brought my vision to life (we are working on some more really cool stuff-stay tuned!)  

Handmade by local artisans in Mali using Vlisco fabric. 


Genuine lizard skin bag, all handcrafted in Mali by skilled artisans. 

Also, If you've been to Bamako, chances are you've seen many children running up to your car to beg you for money or for food. They are everywhere! Most of the time, the parents are sitting nearby waiting for their children to bring over whatever they were able to get from you. I would always give money, but I know that's not enough and that's not the solution. So, I partnered with Adep-Mali to give 5% of any of my Dina leather collection so we can get the kids off the streets and educate the parents by teaching them skills that would allow them to make a living. 



Please take a moment to like our facebook page, share it (will you?), Send us a tweet. If you have any questions, please contact us info@awntaa.com


REVIEW: NYX Cosmetics

6.09.2015

Hello beautiful people! it's time for yet another review. I haven't done one in a long time, apologies. 
I love trying new beauty products, and I enjoy reviewing them so you know what you're getting into if you're thinking about purchasing them. I have used all of these products for than a month. Keep reading to see what my thoughts are for each product.


Studio Perfect-photo-loving primer: My skin is very oily and I don't think this product works best for me. Although it doesn't say it controls oil, I was expecting a smooth finish once I had my makeup on. I didn't get that. I don't think my skin is dull so I didn't notice much change here as far as the anti-dull aspect is concerned. Will I buy again? Probably not. 




Lipsticks- haute Couture & Shiva- The two colors are very similar, but I knew this. However, what I didn't know what how  shimmery they were. The colors are nice at first, then once they start to rub off you're left with only shimmer on your lips.  I hated these two. I'm not a big fan of shimmery lipsticks or lip glosses, so I would not be buying these again. 

Lipstick-Eros: This was my favorite one! It's bit glossier than most of my lipsticks but I actually didn't mind it. It stays on longer. When fading, it fades to a less dramatic red.  I would buy this gain :-)


Bohemian chic-nude matte collection (S126): This is a nice nude palette for brown skin. I've used almost every color included, and they all look good on my skin tone. It goes on natural and you're able to increase the intensity of the colors by applying more. I think this is great for an everyday use-either for work and after work events. See more photos below.





Final thoughts- The lipsticks are ok, I still prefer my mac lipsticks though. I really don't like shimmery lipstick and the first two photos above are very shimmery. They look bad when fading, not my cup of tea. The palette is cute and last all day when I apply it for work. I like that you can barely see that I have on eye shadow, but it still gives me a nice, natural coverage. 

Did you try any of the products? If yes, Comment below


TRAVEL DIARY: GOREE ISLAND, SENEGAL

6.02.2015



Welcome to Goree Island!  Of course I had to visit the Island while in Senegal. It was actually one of the main reasons why I wanted to visit Senegal as an adult. 

Let me just say that this place is amazing! It's filled with so much history that'll definitely change your life. You can read all about it in books and online, but nothing compares to physically being there to experience it.

Once off the boat from downtown Dakar to the island, we were greeted by tour guides (there's a lot of them). We decided on a nice gentleman named Gaoussou Ouattara and he was very helpful. His father's side is actually from Goree and he knew the history very well. He took us everywhere and gave us so much info...I didn't want to leave. I think I'll want to spend  several days on the island the next time I'm back because I didn't want to leave at the end of the day :-)

Enjoy some of the photos I snapped while there :-)








Meet Fatoumata, jewelry designer in Goree. 


Goree of Castel Memorial site


Meet Babacar Drame, the sand artist. He's apparently the only one in Senegal who can design/make sand bottles. 


Sunset in Goree


Habibi! <3

Sunset in Goree


























...Being tourists