Showing some extra LOVE for my mum on Father's day!

Hey Blog Readers! 

So as I write this it's still Sunday June 21st here in LA which, as we all know, is 'Father's day'. SO all day I've been seeing some lovely posts from people for their fathers on social media and just now an advert for father's day came up on my YouTube which is what inspired me to write this blog post. It was a truly lovely advert which basically displayed the excitement different dads had when their girlfriend/wife broke the news that she was pregnant and they were going to have a baby - some were totally overwhelmed while others were literally moved to tears.. it was really cute! but it made me think of my mum and the total lack of support,help, happiness or encouragement that she was given when having me and it made me really sad... not for me but for my mum! I cannot stress what a wonderful human my mum is (yes I realise I'm biased) but genuinely her heart is so pure and she is simply a truly good person with a heart of gold! she is the most selfless person I know and to be fair I have always really appreciated her and we are, and have always been, ridiculously close but I guess moving so far away has given me more time to actually stop and think about everything she has gone through and what an amazing mother, father, every other relative and friend all in one she has been to me!

Yesterday when I was in the gym the 2002 movie 'Enough' starring Jennifer Lopez was playing and while I had seen it in passing (not paying much attention to it) before, this time it caught my eye, and while it is fictional and it does get a bit ott towards the end it really made me think of my mum and her life with my sister while she was pregnant with me. I won't get into the past too much but all I'll say is when you live through something and through struggle that's what you know..so as the child you just think it is normal but now as an adult I realise how much my mum sacrificed for me and my sister and how much of herself she gave to us. Despite unfortunate situations (I do know there's worse btw) I really never went without anything. Here's one example of many: I remember being in town with my mum and she brought a top for herself (a very rare occasion btw-she never shopped for herself) however I then had a dentist check-up that ended up being more than a check-up so she returned the top she had just brought so that she could pay for me to go to the dentist. This was not an expensive top, my dentist bill wasn't expensive and wasn't urgent either but as a struggling single mother it was the top or the dentist and of course there was no doubt it was going to be the dentist. When I was a teenager she practically stalked me to make sure I wasn't getting myself in danger or into any trouble and while it was so annoying at the time now I think it just showed how much she cared! This woman had a radar which meant I never lied to her about anything because I knew I would get caught if I did so it kept open communication between us even through the stroppy-difficult-teenage years.

I've said before on social media how much it physically, emotionally and mentally pains me living so far away from the two closest people to me - my mum and my sister! but I constantly re-assure myself that I must live my life for me because that's the only life I have!
It actually amazes me to think of how far my small family has come when we literally came from a tough start. I'm not suggesting we have everything now - but we have our health, our happiness, I've a bachelor of education degree and I'm chasing my dreams living in the la-la-land of dreams. My sister is beyond intelligent and currently studying for her Doctorate which she was hand picked to do out of hundreds of people. I think it's safe to say my mum did a pretty good job all on her own and our family could not be any closer. I can't wait for the day when I am able to pay my mum back 10 fold!

me and my sister

me and my sister :)

So to you mum: I love you so much words could never describe! I look up to you in every way - I truly believe you are wonderful and beyond amazing! and in the words of Tupac 'You ARE Appreciated"!x!
I look forward to writing our book ;) haha.

To anyone who doesn't have a dad on father's day, who's dad isn't/wasn't great or who doesn't have parents or is in some other un-ordianry situation - I send you so much love and I hope father's day didn't make you feel down. Know that if you have one good person in your life then you are blessed!x! if you don't have that person yet then be that person for yourself-show yourself some TLC, be the best you and you will attract good people and become that person for your future family and friends.

HAPPY Father's day to all the amazing dad's that are out there! and Happy father's day to all the single mum's or granny/grandad's or anyone else who raised a child - we appreciate your greatness!

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo

If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.

Everything happens for a reason???

Hey Blog Readers!

Random thoughts for you...

Do you ever look back at previous situations and just think as horrible as that was if that didn't happen to me, I didn't go through that, that person didn't treat me that way etc.. then I wouldn't be where I am today? I wouldn't have learnt what I now know and I wouldn't be the person I am...

I always believed that everything happened for a reason until I reached 18 and that's when I experienced my first real loss of a loved one.. that mind-frame can not possibly be put onto such a loss and it makes you question everything you believed before. So with the exception of loosing someone, horrible illnesses or accidents - take all of them out of the equation because I simply cannot include them. Lets just say when it comes to day to day life situations and experiences that you go through - whether bad or good I, at least, truly feel that they happen for a reason!

When you are in the middle of a negative situation it can be so hard to see beyond it, it can be so difficult to see what good will come of it.. but put it this way: think of something you went through; perhaps a fall out with friends: yes at the time it felt horrible but then a few months later look back at the situation - see where you are now and think would you be the same if that hadn't happened.. would you be in the same place? think of a relationship that went wrong and resulted in a nasty break-up.. would you have met the person you're now with? or if you have yet to meet someone would you have discovered yourself that little bit more the way you have - would you be who you are today?

Now I'm not saying that if you go around acting like a 'dick' and being nasty to your friends (for e.g.) (you being the cause of the fall out) that it's right to think "oh well everything happens for a reason, frig'apologizing, I'll learn from this in a few months" ha, no! if you think that's what I'm trying to say then you have me completely wrong! What I' trying to say is if you apply "everything happens for a reason" and think of situations where it has already come into play for you then life becomes easier and difficult situations become a little easier to handle. The pain is a lot less than if you didn't apply this idea and took a "woe is me" approach.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately... in terms of the things that have led me to this point in my life and the person who I am today! Granted I have not yet accomplished all of my goals or dreams or done everything in life that I have ever wanted to do (I'm in my early 20's how could I have). Even when I do accomplish current goals/dreams I'm sure new ones will be set and it will be a never ending task until the day I am no longer here on this earth (what a scary thought that is) but I am very confident in the fact that I feel I am on the right track and I am exactly where I should be for this moment in my life. There is something very comforting about that feeling. Don't get me wrong I am impatient at times and I think - I should be doing this that and the other, why hasn't this happened yet etc... but all I can do is trust that I am where I am supposed to be, that everything does happen for a reason and that my life is perfectly imperfect :)

YOU are also exactly where you should be! and if you feel you are not, you still are, even if it's simply the time to make you think this is not "where I want to be", to realise that, and decide to make a change in your life. If you are unhappy you can change it around and take your life in another direction whatever right now may be saying to you it is still this moment in your life that has made you discover what you need to know for the future and your past experiences that have molded you into the person you are right now and taught you the lessons you were destined to learn.

Food for thought :) 

Lots of love,

Shahira xo 

If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.

TYME iron - video demonstration

Hey Blog Readers! 

So I finally made another YouTube video! it was meant to be my new years resolution to make them more regularly but then I moved house again and got really busy so it's been difficult to keep up with! Anyway, things have calmed down in my life and I'm settled once again so hopefully this is the start of more videos to come!

So as you can see above my newest video is a demonstration of the TYME iron!

What is the Tyme iron?
The TYME iron is basically a hair straighter and curler in one! I realise that some of you may argue that you can curl with a flat iron anyway.. but this iron has extra features that definitely make it a lot easier! and the curls are more like what you would expect from a curler rather than simply a straightener that can curl.

The creator of the TYME is Jacynda Smith who is a professional hairdresser - her idea came from styling hair at work and after a lot of research and handwork she was able to bring her idea to life and bring the product to the market! While the TYME was built for professional use the team behind the TYME expect it to be in households all across the world in no time!

Why the TYME? 

1. One tool for all your styling needs - curling, straightening and even finger waves!
2. Save time getting ready and space when travelling! 
3. High quality design and construction including titanium plates for efficient heat transfer and a smooth glide along the hair strands.  

The gold plated titanium plates that glide easily down the hair and produce a higher negative ionic charge than ceramic plates as well as more efficient heat transfer to the hair. Negative ions neutralize positive ionic charge on the hair strands, all hair carries a positive electrical charge caused by dryness. This positive charge increases over time causing more hair cuticles to open creating ‘ragged’ unhealthy looking and feeling hair, smoothing down the cuticles with negative ions will seal in your hair’s own natural oils and moisture allowing the cuticles to lay flat and frizz free. An increase in natural oil creates more vibrant looking hair that is healthier, more manageable and full of shine! 

According to the creators these are the reasons why the TYME Iron differs from a flat iron? 

1. This iron requires little to no movement of the wrist which causes less strain on the wrist.2. Small adjustments can make big variations in curl!3. You can get curls closer to the scalp because the turn is already in the tool.4. You can curl more hair per pass saving lots of TYME!5. Finally you are able to draw in the exact curl you want. (The shape allows the curls to form by using heating and cooling, instead of tension, allowing the “drawing” capability)6. The TYME Iron curls by heating and cooling the hair, flat iron curls are created through heat and tension.7. The TYME Iron gives you the ability to easily create many different variations of looks, anything from ringlet curls to big wavy curls as well as silky straight hair!8. Many users, especially anyone who struggles curling with a flat iron, will find this technique is much easier to learn due to the design of the tool itself. Furthermore many will find they can create the styles faster than with a flat iron/curling iron/or a wand due to the ease of technique.

Temperature setting 

The temperature on the TYME is set at 400*F. The creators of the tyme discovered that this is the optimum temperature for achieving beautiful curls across all different hair types! Instead the speed of glide is what needs to be discovered for the individual's hair type - thinner hair will have a faster glide as it will curl easier than thick hair and so on.. 

For more information check out the FAQ section of tymehair.com by clicking here! 

For ease of mind when purchasing the TYME comes with a 30day money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied along with a full 1 year warranty!! 

A heat sleeve is included with the TYME for ease of storage and travelling!

In my video using the TYME iron I half straighten and half curl my hair! It's worth noting that this tool is new to me so I am still getting the hang of it! My hair is poker straight naturally so curling it can be difficult - I fly through this video as it is simply a demonstration but if I was using the TYME to get ready and go somewhere obviously I would take my time and make sure I got every single piece perfectly!x! (the video has been speeded-up to double time) 

Here are some pictures from the TYME website of looks that were created using the TYME!!

To shop or find out more about the tyme visit the website by clicking here! 

Or follow them on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook!

HOW WILL YOU USE YOUR....

??? :) 

Remember to subscribe and give a thumbs up on the video if you like it! & follow me all over the web @ShahiraBarry :)

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo 

If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.

Kendall & Kylie Topshop Collection = disappointment?

Hey Blog Readers! 

Sooo I was super excited when I heard that Kendall & Kylie Jenner were releasing a collection this summer with Topshop.. I was sure I would be in love with everything! After all I'm a big Kardashian/Jenner fan - I love both girls style and I love topshop so what would be not to like?? but I have to admit on first glance my reaction is purely "mehh!" I can't see myself running to TopShop at the Grove (the only TopShop I know of in LA) to pick up these pieces and that's with disappointment that I say that and not with any hate! They are both so incredibly successful, beautiful and stylish but for me I don't feel like this collection reflects that and what you'd expect from their pairing with such a cool clothing store such as TopShop...
In a statement released the pair were quoted as saying...
 "When working on the inspiration, we very much wanted to capture the essence of our own lifestyles and create pieces that would fit perfectly into our wardrobes," "We hope you have as much fun wearing the collection as we did designing it!" 
Personally I don't feel that this collection does reflect what we see the girls wearing in their amazing Instagram pics or on their show 'Keeping up with the Kardashians'. In my opinion Kylie is a lot cooler and hipper than these pieces reflect while Kendall is more chic... 
Judge for yourselves... 

Now don't get me wrong.. I don't think that any of the pieces are ugly - they are all nice in general but for me they are not exciting or what I would have expected from the girls, especially the girls working with a cool, hip, young shop such as Topshop. In my opinion they are all pretty plain and too expensive for the every day person to be buying when there's nothing distinctive or different about them... To me they look like pieces that could have been brought in Primark (you all know I love Primark but you get what I'm trying to say). 
Anyway, there are two pieces that I would want to wear or at least try on from the collection and they are...

 

This white duster coat ($150)

And I'd also be interested in seeing what this floral jumpsuit looks like on.. (could be a hit or miss at $105) 

Look how cool and edgy kylie's style is in her personal life... 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that the Kendall/Kylie Topshop collection (apart from maybe the Duster coat) reflects Kylie's known gothic/edgy/cool style at all! In that case maybe it could be said that it looks like more of a reflection of Kendall's chic "model off duty" style... but even then it's not as fashion forward as we's expect from one of the world's top models of the moment.. Let's look at some of Kendall's personal style for comparison... 

Anyhow... not that it matters as I'm sure the die hard Kendall/Kylie fan's will still make all of the items in their collection fly off the shelves! But personally I would have expected more from these two young style icons. I don't feel that the collection we've seen so far captures and reflects their style as well as say the Michelle Keegan line with Lipsy reflects hers!

Let me know your thoughts... what do you think of the Kendall/Kylie collection with Topshop? What's your favourite/least favourite piece? and will you be making a purchase? :)

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo

If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.