Good afternoon 🙂

It has been a while since I’ve actually written something here. During the past few weeks, I had a couple of conversations with colleagues and friends around Botox, fillers and what is now being referred to cosmetic enhancements 😉

Never in my twenties and thirties (and to be honest even in my early forties) did I think about or consider such cosmetic treatments. Today there is so much talk and hype around them, that looking in the mirror and seeing the lines and wrinkles, I do give it some thought. As someone who overthinks most things, I don’t act on impulse and book an appointment 😉 So what are my considerations, and these are just my thoughts.

Does giving in to Botox and fillers mean that I am not accepting the aging process?

It would be hypocritical of me if I say that I don’t try to slow the appearance of aging; I dye my hair, I use make-up and I buy aloooot of skincare products which claim reduce wrinkles and lines;) Having said that I do have lines and wrinkles. My fear with the cosmetic treatments is I become addicted, and at some point not all wrinkles can be eliminated, and then…?

Today, there is a trend that one needs to look “perfect”. Pictures are filtered, photos are taken from angles to get the right silhouette and the list goes on. So this frozen look in time fits in with the current trend. What doesn’t go down well with me is that the focus is on the face. Will my face look alien to the rest of my body?

Financial commitment

There is a cost to these treatments, and Botox and fillers last for 3 to 9 months approximately. Apparently, the more you exercise the quicker it wears off . At around 250 euros a shot, one needs to take this into account. The older I get, the more shots I will need 😂

Is this the norm?

Hair dye today is the norm. Females and today even males, dye their hair, both for changes to a look but primarily to cover the whites 🙂 Way back when synthetic hair dye was created in the early 1900s, I am sure not all women went to have their hair coloured. Today hair dye is nothing extraordinary and it is a given. The extraordinary is when a woman lets her hair grow white. Is Botox going to be the norm? Eventually, will we have shots sold at supermarkets to inject our faces?

The younger generation use preventative Botox, and use it in their twenties. So, it does appear that it is going down that route.

Facial expressions

Like anything else, one has to be careful where to go have such treatments done, and how much to use. The expressionless frozen look is not one anyone aspires to have. However, reading about these treatments, and having spoken to people who use them, Botox does (even if a little) limit certain expressions, for example the eyebrow movements when injecting in the forehead (which may not be such a bad thing for me, given my eyebrows look like waves in a force 6 wind when I am speaking passionately about something 😂).

So…what next?

From my end, I am not yet ready to succumb to these treatments. I don’t know how I will feel in 6 months time, or a year or two…

I do not judge people who make use of such treatments, and no one should. It is about how we can feel better about ourselves.

Are there alternatives…? I book my facials regularly and apply my skincare religiously morning and night. It will make the skin look healthy but not eliminate lines and wrinkles as much as Botox and fillers do.

My other alternative, smile more often and laugh hard not to have the frown lines 😜😁

Happy to hear your views…write them in the comments 🙂

Wishing you a great week and lots of happy things your way,

Yan

Xxx

Good afternoon ,

I hope the title of this blog post got you curious 😉

For all those who know me, I feel very strongly on what is acceptable (and not) to wear at the workplace in an office environment. Post Covid, less formal attire has become acceptable, which I have no problems with, but there are certain basic dos and don’ts which I believe still stand…however this post is not about office wear 😉 In summary, all I want to say is that there is a time and place for everything.

The moment I hit forty, I started asking myself…whether I should be changing my wardrobe, now a mature woman with (at times) expectations from society that over 40s should not wear mini skirts, crop tops, have long hair, not too many bright colours etc…

My view today…I ask myself the same questions I asked myself in my twenties and thirties:

• Is it appropriate for the event?
• Do I feel and look good in the outfit?
• Does the outfit flatter my shape etc?

I strongly believe, that irrespective of age, the above should always be considered. Of course, we all have different tastes, and what is pretty to me may not be to your liking 🙂 Some people, and may I add, not all, will judge, will pass comments on your choice of outfit, hairstyle, shoes etc. It is hard to ignore such comments, I‘ve had a few at times, and I do tend to take them personally 😜 But then, what I choose to wear is a reflection of my mood and who I am…so go with it!

So when my hairdresser, who knows me too well, and knows how excited I get with trying new hairstyles, sends me a video clip of hair buns to try out…what better time to try it, if not when off on vacation to a beach place!

Some people may think it is a childish look, maybe. At age 46, I wore my hair buns proudly, I wanted a playful look, I was off on holiday mode, so it was the time to let go of the office look for a short while. Best compliment comes from a 3 year old girl who looked up at my hair and with her mouth wide open goes Woooowww ☺️

So ladies, wear your buns and be who you want to be. Fashion allows us to change style, be creative and feed our mood!

Wishing you all a great week ahead

Yan

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Good afternoon,

This year we booked a holiday to Porto with friends of ours. Luckily we were there before the heatwave in Europe kicked off. In fact it was quite fresh in the evenings that we needed a jacket. How do I go about planning my holiday outfits…here are a few tips which I hope can help you 🙂 My friend Roberta generously accepted to have her photos shared on the blog showcasing our outfits…and funny/fun moments 😉

I have my travel notebook to prepare the list of outfits, toiletries, chargers, straightener etc the likelihood of forgetting something is high if I don’t write them down 🙂 When it comes to outfit planning, I start off with the two outfits I ll wear on the plane, i.e comfy clothes, typically jeans or trousers, long sleeved top paired with trainers or flats (I feel cold on a plane 🙂

Outfit Time-table

I list down the days we’re away, tag the days in which we’ll be doing activities and then…open the wardrobe and scan haha! Two outfits a day, one for the day and one for our dinners (which as group this is an important part of the day and the holiday 😉). Then of course..there are the just in case outfits 😂 which I almost never get to wear…do you do that too…?

Summer outfits typically will include dresses 🙂 I love colours, so as you will see from the pics…the outfits almost all include colour, except for the white dress which is a staple in my wardrobe. Denim skirt and shorts also get into the holiday wardrobe as these always come in handy. Roberta and I did NOT plan the outfits together, however there were days when it appeared we went for the same style or complementary colours. It was just a matter of great minds think alike 😜

Shoes

This is always struggle…shoes take up a lot of space in a suitcase…so for someone who loves shoes I always end up scratching my head and negotiating with myself on which and how many shoes to take up with me…😂 This time round I settled for four pairs. White trainers, they can be paired with practically anything (even with dresses), plus..they’re comfy. White Birkenstock sandals, if it got too hot during the day, I needed a comfortable pair of sandals, and birkenstock may not be the sexiest pair of shoes, but they are great to walk in. I also took my Nike trainers, I didn’t want to give up my workouts, so they had to come 🙂 Finally, I took a pair of low gold wedge ribbon shoes that looked good for the evening however still comfortable to walk in 😉

Accessories and hair products

When it comes to jewellery, I take a couple of pairs of ear rings and necklaces that match most outfits. It’s easy and practical. I’m not fond of hotel shampoo and conditioners, so I take up my own miniatures. My friend gave me a travel pack form the Moroccan oil line, and they are absolutely fab! The hair feels great, good for keratin and smells superb 🙂

Result 😉

Here are the outfit pictures of Roberta and I…the men were behind the camera 😉 I like planning my holiday outfits and I love dressing up, but comfort is always key when traveling 🙂

Finally…

A note in code to our friends…to no more choo choos and more friendship goals…😜☺️

Wishing you all a happy wend, and I hope we have inspired you for some holiday outfits 🙂

Have a good one

Yan

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Good morning 🙂

Today I want to share with you a few tips on wardrobe essentials. I selected five items of clothing which in my view, we should have in our wardrobes and I will give you a few ideas on how to style them 🙂

Black leggings

The beauty of black leggings is that they don’t cost much, they’re comfy, they suit all shapes and sizes (when choosing the right fit) and you can style in various ways.

Firstly, key for all those wearing leggings, whatever your shape or size…is wear the right underwear. Seamless underwear is a must, it can’t be too tight and not too loose 🙂 you will looked pulled together with the right undies!

Curvy figure

Unfortunately women who are big and curvy tend to want to hide their figure, and more often than not wear baggy tops or loose tunics with leggings. Don’t,,,! Show off your curves. You can pair these with a long shirt, a blazer and finish off the look with either a pair of long boots, or plain pumps. Alternatively you may wear a fitted top, a long cardi and close it off with a slim belt…;)

Petite figure

You can style the leggings with a shirt and chunky knit on top. I love wearing the black leggings with a black chunky knit and the shirt beneath in a beige/nude. I find the neutrals very classic and the shirt in a different colour breaks the monotony of black.

The black dress

When panic strikes and you don’t know what you’re going to wear…black dress to the rescue. Be it a lbd, a shift dress, an A-line style…pair it with a pair of nude court shoes for the day or black sandals for the evening…and pronto you are good to go!

The beauty of a black dress is that you can wear this over and over and style it differently. How…? Think accessories…a scarf and you have a stylish and professional look. A pair of chunky earrings, and red lips and you’re all set for an evening look 🙂 If you want a more sober look, just wear a string of pearls and simple and chic it is!

The blazer

The question here is, what colour should you buy a blazer in? If you are after an investment, I would go for a camel coloured blazer, as you can pair it up with many items, even with a pair of jeans. Today you will find many different styles, from tailored to oversized. The style you choose will depend on your shape and what you’re after, whether you want a casual look or a smart/office look.

This is one item, where I would definitely look at the quality, even if you spend a little bit more…it will go a long way. I ensure that the blazer is lined and of good quality material, and if you go for a classic it will last years!

The white t-shirt

Endless ways of pairing a white tee. Again you can opt for an expensive brand, or go for a budget tee.

Pair it up with a jeans and blazer (the camel blazer I mentioned above will come in handy 😉 If you prefer a rock chick look, replace the blazer with a biker jacket, and you’re rocking. Place a knot at the back of the t-shirt, wear high waisted trousers or midi skirt, a pair of trainers and sporty spice it is 🙂 You want to turn a white tee into a chic outfit…? So, the tee, a pair of beige culottes, a chunky auburn necklace and animal print pumps, e voila 🙂

A pair of nude pumps

It is up to you whether you want to go for a pair of Jimmy Choos or one from the high streets. A pair of comfortable nude pumps are essential to have (in my view). I personally prefer a heel to flats if I had to choose, but that’s a matter of preference. You can wear these with almost all outfits…casual wear, office wear, evening dos..a pair of nude pumps always come in handy 🙂

Basics checklist

I hope you found these tips useful. I refer to these as the basics checklist 🙂 You can choose to buy these on a budget or go for more expensive brands. You can style them in infinite ways, and make the most of them.

Wishing you all a lovely w-end!

Yan

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Hello and hope you are keeping well!

So a couple of weeks ago I put up a poll asking which topic to blog on next, and to my surprise my make-up routine was voted for most! I must admit that I wasn’t expecting it, as I am not a make-up artist and not an expert in the field:) I do however go to a few seminars to learn how to best apply make-up. I will be talking you through what I believe works for me…so have a read 🙂

Enhance not cover

I strongly believe that make-up should be used to enhance our facial strengths, and not cake up our face and look like a completely different person. Some trends I find on-line which show case a made up look is not for me. When I talk about enhance, what I mean is, if you have big beautiful eyes you want to focus on those, or attractive cheekbones, then you need to use the bronzer wisely to make the most of them. I believe we are all beautiful and make-up should be used to enhance our individual beauty 🙂

The basics

In my view, it is essential to always start off with your skincare. Make-up will look much better on skin which is looked after. Likewise, it is soooo important to cleanse your face every night, and remove all traces of make-up…let’s not help the ageing process by sleeping with make-up on. If I know I’m going out, I prepare my night skin care routine in a row, to find them ready and I have no excuses. Skincare is part of my daily routine, and it is now part of the day to day, morning and night. (And wipes are not skincare…😜)

I believe that the base is key for a good look when it comes to applying make-up. So I start off with a priming serum…I asked my sister to bring me one from the US, and I love it. I am afraid you don’t find it here 😦 It is Keys illuminating priming serum. It gives a glow before you apply the make-up. I am sure there are alternatives if you ask your trusted make-up stores 🙂 Then, comes the foundation. I am very very fussy when I choose a foundation, as I don’t like a heavy one, or one which makes my face looks cakey. I also choose the colour carefully, to make sure it blends in with my skin tone. Foundation helps give an even colour and make-up stays longer. My goto foundation is Guerlain, I have been using the brand for years. It is not cheap, but the bottle lasts, and the finish is amazing. I am currently using a matte finish, which for our summer is perfect! I follow up with the Guerlain meteorites loose powder.

When it comes to eye shadow, I go very basic…simple nude colours for me. It’s either beige and browns or pink tones. I follow up with a bronzer (figure of 3 😉), to enhance side temple, cheekbone and jaw. A tad of blusher over the cheekbone. Finally, eyeliner and mascara. If you have big eyes, you can afford using eyeliner inside the eyelid, if you have small eyes, do it beneath. Finally, mascara for the eyelashes.

Next are the lips…I have a bag full of different coloured and finish lipsticks. I am not the biggest fan of matte lipsticks, as lips tend to crack after a few hours, however there are some semi-matte which have an amazing finish and feel soft on the lips. I have many variants of nude colour lipsticks, but I do love a bright red or mauve on occasions, it depends on the mood and the outfit I am wearing. My favourite are the Kiko nude, it doesn’t even cost five euros, and the red must be the Dior 999 red…i love it 😍

If I had to choose three make-up products what would they be?

Foundation, bronzer and mascara. If I want a simple look, it’s not the first time I do just that 🙂

Choosing the right colours

As I mentioned earlier, choosing the right colour for a foundation is key. When it comes to eyeshadows, take into account your skin tone, and the colour of your eyes, I love nudes when it comes to eye shadows, but I have to be careful, as I have dark circles, so the brown shadows may make these look even darker. What I do is use an eye primer slightly lighter than my skin tone as a base.

I hope you found this useful and interesting. There is sooo much more to write about on the application of make-up…but this was my very simple routine which I hope inspires you 😉

Wishing you all a good week ahead,

Yan

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Good morning 🙂

I hope you all had a good week. The temperature seems to be cooling down a little bit (finally!) Now we can start thinking of autumn outfits…yeah! Today, I will be sharing with you three outfit ideas, but what I did is change the accessories for each, and voila a different look is created. The idea is to make the most of our items of clothing. Re-inventing the outfit, make it feel new and different. Have a look below and see what I did 🙂 As an aside, a friend patiently came taking the pics in our beautiful Mdina. We are no professionals but we had a blast, going from one place to another, changing in bathrooms and me trying not to feel uncomfortable posing for the pics 😉 A big thank you to my friend for tagging along.

Jeans and Blazer look

As you can see I went from casual to smart just by changing bag and shoes. I also added a big pair of earrings to the smart look and pulled my hair up. Easy peasy…;)

One dress…three looks

This dress is very versatile…add heels to it and you obtain a smart look. I also added a tailored cap and a trench coat for a more sophisticated look. I then paired up the dress with a white pair of trainers and a casual baseball cap…and it’s ideal to go out and about. Finally, I swapped the trainers for a pair of loafers, and can easily go to work in this dress/look 🙂

From smart to rock chick

I love how outfits can be transformed, just by changing accessories. It is what I love doing! I created two completely different looks with the same outfit. The hairband, blazer and red heels give this a professional, smart look. On the other hand I switched the blazer to a biker jacket and ditched the heels for a pair of studded boots, hair down and who’s the rocker in the house now…? 😉

Be creative 🙂

Look at what you have in you accessory department, and create fresh and different outfits just by changing little details. In these pics, I changed shoes and bags, however think of adding scarves, hats, different belt styles, hairstyles, it doesn’t take much to create new outfit ideas with what we already have…all you need is some creativity 😉

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead

Yan

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Hello 🙂

If this were an exam, I’d fail miserably…I would have a big, red “out of point” on my essay…😜 Luckily, this is my blog and I have the licence to do so…;) What am I on about, you may be (probably) asking. Well, this is a fashion blog, and it appears I will be blogging about a non-fashion related topic. Yeah…but I will somehow fit in a fashion related streak to this blog…;) So read on, and find out.

I came across a number of articles around procrastination, and I found them interesting so I delved a little deeper and also watched some TED talks about it. I am no expert on the topic, but I do find myself occasionally doing it, and it is interesting to understand what drives this.

Very very simplistically, we can have two headings for tasks/matters we procrastinate: those with deadlines and those without.

Tasks/matters with deadlines

Think about work deadlines, where a project needs to be completed by a set date or a thesis you need to submit. The list goes on. A number of people start such tasks closer to the deadline. This happens because we give priority to other matters as the deadline appears distant, and some are masochists and state that they work better under pressure;) I personally, always start off with good intentions and plan to prepare my presentation, which I know about three months in advance…but alas I always find other tasks taking over as they require my immediate attention. Well, the truth is that once the deadline is looming…I just get down to focusing on the presentation and complete it. The close deadline “makes me” do it…so probably that pressure does have some impact.

Matters with no deadline…

Other matters, such as putting an email to one side or a certain project on the back burner, could be the result of the said project not being exciting, or the fear of failing in it, or anxiety around expectations. There could be various reasons, but putting it aside won’t make it go away…and the feeling of satisfaction one feels when such a project, even a simple e-mail is out of the way is great (at least to me:)

Well to me these are the real issues, these are matters I believe we procrastinate because we do not want to face the potential consequences, the thought of it may feel overwhelming…and so we postpone making a choice, taking a decision. Fear, anxiety and overthinking prevails. If I can make it more tangible, these would relate to matters such as career changes, relationships, moving to another country…you get the gist 🙂 My experience…I had instances where I found myself in a situation in which I wanted to make a choice…and sometimes it took over a year for me to take the plunge. What I can say is that if something is irking us deep inside…it’s irking us for a reason. When I took the decision to make a change (which to me was important) I was scared…the fear of the unknown but I was also excited. The result…amidst the effort, thought and strength to make that change…the results sometimes, most times are worthwhile. If things don’t turn out as well as hoped for…we rise up and move on.

I feel that sometimes we look at these decisions, especially the life changing ones as mammoth tasks…so the solution is let’s not think about it and stay in the comfort zone. If we look at it as a process with stages, we may find it easier to do something about it.

And finally…

I promised you a fashion element to this…;) if you open the wardrobe, and you know you need to go through it and organize it, to recycle old items and see what you want to keep and what not…one tends to close the wardrobe and postpone this task for another time…

Plan the day you will be doing this, picture the end result of an accessible colour coded wardrobe and get motivated. On the day, put on some music and start. Once it gets done, an organized clutter free wardrobe will make you feel good 🙂

I believe if we push ourselves to do the little, less important matters, we train ourselves to postpone less of the more important ones. This takes me to the famous clip of the naval officer on making your bed everyday..it gives us a sense of accomplishment of a task completed first thing in the morning.

I hope I didn’t bore you too much 😉 I’ve been wanting to write this blog for a while… but I procrastinated out of fear that it will not be well received. One has to try…if I fail, I try again 🙂

Enjoy your public holiday (to all Maltese readers)

Take care

Yan

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Good morning 🙂

You must be wondering what this blog post is about…😉 It’s interesting to see what people think of us, or how they perceive us and what they believe we are. Of course, this is based on what we show or want to show the person we’re interacting with.

So I found it quite amusing that for some I’m seen as one who wants to be in pretty dresses all day and surrounded by people attending to my requests…(who wouldn’t…?😜) I can see where this princess version of me came from. I do like my pretty dresses and having my hair done and putting effort in co-ordinating and creating outfits.

But…I do put my hair up in a bun and clean my wash hand basin drain…;) I also work hard and I give my all in what I do, that is how I was raised. I was also taught to enjoy the benefits of the hard work, which means yes I do enjoy dressing up to the nines and going to a fancy restaurant. It’s not my everyday, it’s the pleasures I enjoy.

I guess we all have different facets of our personalities, and some people get to see some of them. Quite frankly…I discover a little bit about myself on a daily basis. So, there will be days I feel like a princess and others like a Cinderella…but hey we grow, we evolve and work to better ourselves.

So wear your pretty dresses or your joggers if that’s who you are and never judge a book by its cover 😉

Have a lovely week everyone…😘

Yan

X

Hello and hope you’re all having a lovely wend 🙂

Sooo, today’s blog is one, which I’m sure we all have different views and “rules” on. When is one too old to wear a mini skirt or crop tops…? Can you were bright colours when over sixty or seventy ? And so on and so forth… Below are my views and none of them are rules, but these are the basic principles I like to follow.

Styling the outfit

Some people believe that once you hit forty mini skirts and crop tops should be thrown away😮 Mmm..then I should have done so myself already but I didn’t! I believe that it is how you style mini skirts and crop tops, and quite frankly…at any age! If I wear a mini skirt, I make sure that I do not wear anything skimpy at the upper body. I would pair up a mini skirt with a shirt, blazer or polo neck. I am also careful on what shoes or boots to style it with. When it comes to crop tops, I don’t opt for very short ones, also because I don’t have the abs…;) But I do like having just a little mid riff out for the summer, so I pair a shortish top with high waisted trousers. So the skin actually “appears” with movement. I believe it is key to look at your outfit in totality.

Colours

I heard this very silly notion that people over seventy should not wear bright colours…😩 I’d love to know who comes up with such rules! My mum is seventy five and she hates black and loves a bright coloured outfit, and she doesn’t look silly but actually stylish and smart. Key here is knowing what colours flatter your skin tone and then play around with those colours. I find that what I wear is dependent on my mood and sometimes I need colour to lift my spirits. So, there is no age when you should stop wearing colour! Go for it…😊

Confidence

One positive thing about aging, is that with it comes confidence and the older one gets…the less you care what people say and think about you. These rules around what you can and cannot wear at a certain age is because some people judge and feel that some items are inappropriate at a certain age. I think that some people will always find something to criticize others about, so firstly let us not be that person. Secondly, look at your whole outfit and think…is it flattering, does it enhance and flaunt my body shape? If you feel uncomfortable in it…don’t wear it, even if everybody else tells you to do so. You will rock and outfit only when you feel comfortable in it. That doesn’t mean you should not go out of your comfort zone, but do so in small steps.

Get inspired

There is more to write about on this topic and I will definitely get back to it at some point. In the meantime, I recommend you follow fashion bloggers of your age group and you will be inspired with many cool outfits. So let’s not think about rules and restrictions but outfits and accessories to make us feel good 😊

Here’s wishing you a lovely Sunday and a great week ahead!

Lots of love your way

Yan

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Hello all!

It’s been a while. My focus for the first two months of this year had to be elsewhere and I could not dedicate the time to the blog. A couple of weeks ago my friend and director of the flamenco school I attend “Algeria” , asked me whether I’d like to join her for a few days at the flamenco festival in Jerez. I gave it some thought, and when I learnt that a Maltese dancer was performing at the festival, the decision was easier 🙂

I spent literally three days in Spain at the festival, just enough to switch off for a while and escape the realities the world is going through. Even though my photos mainly consist of Ingrid and myself at a table in a plaza in the sun, with tapas, in truth it was much more than that.

The shop owners, restauranteurs and artists who had gotten used to the Maltese ‘delegation’ going year in year out to the festival (especially our Miss Ingrid;) , but did not see us for the past two years were overjoyed to see that we were back. You could tell that it was not only a matter of finances and this year they finally started seeing some activity but also because their art was being celebrated and the atmosphere which the festival brings with it was not present in these last two years, due to travel and other restrictions. You’re back, you’re back is what they were telling us and the emotion amongst us could be felt!

The performances were spectacular, the song, dance and music mesmerizing. You come to realise that during the hard times, art was put aside, neglected and it is the time when people need it most. The arts are a form of expression and either if you are performing or watching a performance you can relate to those emotions which are being transferred from performer to audience. I find it healing and a place where I am true to myself, a cathartic process.

At this time when watching a country being invaded and people’s lives being turned upside down, one feels a sense of guilt of leading a normal life and enjoying even the little pleasures. I don’t know what little I can do from my end, bar sending items of need or donate and it makes me feel helpless. What we can do is focus on the changes we can bring about, small changes. Think of the confrontations we can avoid in our daily lives, empathize with others, understand that we all could be going through challenges and battles. If everyone could do their little part, the world would be a much better place!

Flamenco is about song, music and dance where technique and rhythm are key…however it is much more than that. It is an art form where the suffering or joys are expressed through the beautiful song accompanied by the melody of the guitar which the dancer expresses with the most beautiful of movements. Today more than ever I feel the need to dance to let out the anger, frustrations at this insane state of the world. I want to watch the artists relate these emotions to fill me with hope for a better world.

I am not all about fashion…as you can see 😉 This was definitely a different blog post, which I felt the need to write.

The beauty of flamenco is that it encompasses so much…as my teacher says…flamenco is a way of life…

Wishing you all a good weekend ahead

Yan

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