New In II

Hey Guys & Dolls,

Welcome back to my blog.

In addition to the crazy British summer we are experiencing, I have been crazy busy this last week and as a result, I won’t be publishing an OOTD.

I will, however, be showing you a few new additions to The Black Mannequin’s Closet.

In my last ‘NEW IN’ post, I showed y’all what I was using on my face to tackle my hyperpigmentation and I am happy to say that the treatment is working even though I am not as committed to the cause as I oughta be.

As a result, I have decided to kick things up a notch and add a few bits to my skincare. Previously, I stated that I was using the Rodial Super Acids X-Treme acid rush peel in the evenings. As I have finished that round of treatment, I decided to try the PIXI 20% glycolic acid glow pads to aid skin cell renewal. In addition, I also bought the holy grail of all Holy Grail cleansers; it is the MURAD AHA/BHA exfoliating cleanser. I have been using this for 3 years and my skin just loves this stuff. I can’t wait to see how this works out together with my other products.

Next up, I picked up a new Limited edition MAC Cosmetics lipstick called ‘INTOXICA’. It is described as a bright raspberry red shade with a matte finish. In my opinion, it can be compared to ‘All Fired Up’. However, 'All Fired Up' may be a little warmer/darker.

If you’re like me and have a thing for lipsticks but don’t like owning two shades that look the same, you should check out TEMPTALIA.COM

She has a feature on her website that lets you compare two shades of most makeup products as well as an extensive list of dupes for every makeup item released. It is such a money-saving handy tool to have. ps, if you do visit the site, tell Christine ‘The Black Mannequin’ sent you.

I picked up a pretty fuchsia piece, similar to my new lipstick from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s lingerie line at M&S. I don’t need to tell y’all that Lingerie is a weakness of mine but Rosie for Autograph is a real problem for me, especially when they have gorgeous colours like the one photographed below.

Another item I picked up from M&S was these pair of leather brogues from the Autograph range. They were originally £55 but I got them in a staff sample sale for just £2. I literally couldn’t contain my excitement. I mean, who doesn’t love a bargain when it comes to shoes?

Finally, I picked up two items from ASOS and one of them is this gorgeous crown headband. I literally obsessed over this crown for days until I checked out my cart and even before it got here, I had warned my manager that I would be wearing it to work. Now, I won’t ever have to convince people that I’m royalty. Hello, I have a crown. I am Licensed to RULE!!!

The second item is a pair of sunglasses from Quay Australia. I absolutely live for these pair because I have been lusting after cat-eye lenses for years but could never find the right shape. I am still on the lookout for my perfect white cat-eye sunglasses but until then, this one will do me just fine.

Until next time folks, I am Destini Monet and you have been reading ‘The Black Mannequin’ (but if you really can’t wait that long, follow me on snapchat @BLACKMNQN)

Lights Out

“I don’t do things for the response or the controversy. I just live my life.” –Rihanna

Hey Guys & Dolls,

I have to applaud y’all. You have all had to go through some changes with me this month and this post is no different. I got my whole life in this outfit.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little in touch with my dark side to the point where some people have actually called me ‘savage'.

Me; I am just living my life, breaking all the rules, LOL

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the rules 99.9% of the time but sometimes, you gotta change your good girl status, break a couple good habits and leave a little smoke in your tracks.

Jacket: Topshop

Dress: H&M

Necklace: Topshop

Shoes: ASOS

I wanna hear from all of you. What happens when your lights go out? I am Destini Monet and you have been reading ‘The Black Mannequin’.

The Beat, The Heat, The Bittersweet

”As a little girl, I was always fascinated by art and the ability to create. To create was to live. There was and is nothing more beautiful than seeing words sway on a page, hearing music travel at the speed of light and being seared with the effusion of passion through dance.” –Destini Monet

Hey Guys & Dolls,

I wanted to share a different part of myself with y’all. Before I was a fashion blogger, I was a writer.

And when I experienced writers’ block, I’d listen to music and I’d dance. There was always an avenue for me to express myself and say the things I wanted to say. Every word, every note, every fluid movement was a color, a stroke painted on a page. Every feeling was a masterpiece.

Below is a piece I wrote a while back. Maybe one day I’ll tell you the story behind it.

THE BEAT

I danced to the rhythm of his heartbeat

An unquenchable fire, lit under my feet

Fluid movements with limbs so petite

Where my allegro symbolized his upbeat

And my allongé his downbeat

Oh yes, his cardiac rhythms and arrhythmias were mine to interpret

I danced to the rhythm of his heartbeat

An unquenchable fire, lit under my feet

THE HEAT

A dance I thought I danced alone quickly became a fete

Although there was only the two of us, everything was in replete

Limbs entwined, we generated a heat, so elite

Encapsulated in his abrazo, I’d never felt so complete

Though we moved together in a forbidden dance in a war of the feet,

Against each other, we compete

THE BITTERSWEET

So bitter to say goodbye to a love that was once oh so sweet

What is love, what is love I repeat?

I don’t know but I know I danced to a beat,

I felt the heat and when it was over, it tasted bittersweet.

I wanna know what y’all think. Leave me a comment below.

I am Destini Monet and you have been reading ‘The Black Mannequin’.

Mirage

“The goal of an artist is to create the definitive work that cannot be surpassed.” –George Bernard Shaw

Hey Guys & Dolls,

I have been people watching and that is the inspiration behind today’s outfit. As previously mentioned, I have a new Style Icon and as I have been trying to draw inspiration from her style, I discovered that it isn’t that much different from what everyone else is wearing. She just wears everything with confidence.

Going back to my statement about lacking inspiration, I found that it was my overthinking and trying so hard to be different from the massses that overcomplicated my thought/styling process. I am almost in a better place for it. I started this blog documenting how I picked my outfits based on my energy, my flow regardless of the event/dress code and/or people’s opinions.

However, in trying to fit in with current trends/ everybody’s standards, I drove myself crazy. I finally understood that creating the definitive work that cannot be surpassed was about reaching my level.

So here’s a figurative glass to me going back to creating something extraordinary.

Bomber Jacket: ZARA

Tee: Marks & Spencer

Necklace: Topshop

Denim: Topshop

Sandals: ZARA

I am Destini Monet and you have been reading ‘The Black Mannequin’.