Celebrate Yourself

For a long time, I was battling with the idea of " Loving yourself" and what it takes to do so. 
This concept takes time, space and a lot of self-reflection, ( by that  I mean you have to look inside of yourself and really and truly think about what you want to achieve out of life and put your needs above others. 

These are the questions you need to be asking yourself;

• Who am I?

• What do I want?

• What do I need?

• Is there anything I really want to achieve?

• What makes me happy?

• Who can I trust and will be there for me?

• What do I stand for?

• Am I doing the right thing?

• When will it be my time to shine?

If you are able to answer these questions and be truly honest with yourself, then you are on the right path and have a game plan to succeed in life. But don't be surprised and get scared if this plan changes, you have to be able to adapt to new situation and keep moving forward.

For me to get to this point in my life, I had to take some time and do a lot of self-reflection and reading these books helped me with discovering my identity as a Black, Muslim Woman. 

So these are a few that I would recommend;

Posted By Urbanista ( Azza Gasim)
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram (@azza_urbanista)

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Life of a bookworm

From a young age, I've always been a bookworm. I feel as though it gave me such a large imagination and empower me to do anything I put my mind to, which I feel is very important for any kid growing up. You want them to expand their knowledge on the world we live in and create their own world out of it.

I definitely think my hobby of collecting books is a trait I got from my dad, who is an avid book collector. His taste ranges from motivational books, football, travel, and classic novels. He always encouraged us to read more and for that, I am forever grateful to him.

Between me and him, we could open up our own store! ( A mini Waterstones )

The best feeling in the world is finishing a book and heading down to the local bookshop and seeing what the best seller is or looking for a particular book in either the fiction, art or poetry section.

With that in mind, I am going to share with you my top books for Poetry lovers, Artists Fashionistas, Activists who want to change the world, as well as uplifting book to help those who need some motivation.

So keep your eyes out for my book recommendations and if you have any I should read or take a closer look at, please let me know. I am trying to expand my library !!

Posted By Urbanista ( Azza Gasim)
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram (@azza_urbanista)

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Rainbow Traveller

Take full advantage of the world we live in and travel to new places and become a Rainbow Traveller. You will get a better understanding on how we are all the same, we just have different environments, religious beliefs, cultures, which makes us unique. It opens our minds and to discover a new persective that we can use everyday of our lives.

For instance, I was given a chance to travel with my dad to Cape Town, SA for 2 weeks, as part of my last annual leave break from work before the busiest season of the year in retail arrives.
It has been a while since I have last travelled and I was excited to explore the southern part of africa. My only issue was the fact that getting there included a 3 hour car journey from Birmingham to Plymouth,  then a 7 hour plane journey from Birmingham to Dubai and then lastly another plane journey from Dubai to Cape Town.

I never understood why it was called the Rainbow Nation, until I visited it and saw such amazing scenrary; such as Table Mountain, Bo Kaap, Roben Island, Aquilla Safari and the Cape of Good Hope and met so many friendly people, who come from different tribes, cultures and religion that finally came together after the Aparteid period that ended in 1994.

This is definatly one place I would love to come and visit again and I highly recommend visiting it.

Anyways, I could go on and on about how amazing it was, but I would rather let the images I took for this lookbook to speak for itself.



Posted By Urbanista ( Azza Gasim)
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram (@azza_urbanista)

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Dear fearless woman....

Dear Fearless Woman,          

I hope that when you read this letter that you are living your best life and sharing love and happiness with all that you have cared for and to the people that deserve it. 

Remember that you are unapologetically beautiful.

Don't apologize for the way you are. 

• You are beautiful.

• You are a rare gem that is hard to find.

• You are a star that shines so bright and has the ability to guide a lost soul.

• You are a goddess, a queen who answers to no one.

• You are a warrior that is willing to fight for what is right.

• You are a dreamer, a creative spirit that is lost in the world of creativity and is longing to pursue their dream.

So don't apologize for being you.

Don't apologize for where you come from.

Be True.

Be You.

Be unapologetically beautiful

                                                                    - Azza Gasim

PS; Also, acknowledge that to be successful, you have to believe that you are successful and can do anything you set your mind to. I know that's easier said than done. But once you have trained your mind to believe this, then you will be truly happy; inside and out and glow like the shining star you were destined to be.

Here are a few books that I would highly recommend!!
(Each one has taught me something different about myself. 

For example;

1.  #GirlBoss - By  Sophia Amoruso

Lesson: This book taught me to work hard on my craft, however long it takes. Even when the world is telling you "no", if you believe in it, keep going

2. What A Time To Be Alone - Chidera Eggerue

Lesson: Every decision you make has consequences and how to be able to deal with yourself and other people.

3. How To Be a Bawse - Lilly Singh

Lesson: Everyone has a gift. It takes time to find it and once you have it, nurture it. You never know what could happen in the future.

4. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Lesson: This book taught about finding your true destiny and how everyone has their own journey. We all go through trials and tribulations and have people giving us their options on what they think is right and wrong. But you know yourself, you know what you want and need and that's what matters.

5. Act Like a Lady,  Think Like a Man - Steve Harvey

Lesson; This book really made me understand men and relationships a lot more. In the sense of what a real man is looking for in a relationship and what it takes for it to be a successful relationship between both parties.

Posted By Urbanista ( Azza Gasim)
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram (@azza_urbanista)

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Box'ed Up

This summer I decided to try out something new and braid my hair for the first time. I had no idea what to expect with the duration of getting it done, how much it would cost and how to maintain afterward. I mean, we have all seen videos on YouTube from different "curly hair bloggers" with their experiences, but the way I see it, your not gonna know what it's like until you experience it for yourself.

So with having the unexpected in mind, I managed to get connected with someone who does braids in Dubai and as soon as my cousin's wedding in Sudan was over, I traveled there on my way back to the UK. It took 4 hours with 5/6 packets of hair extensions to complete the full look.

Having these braids in, made my life so much easier and I was able to spend less time on my hair and focus more on my outfits, makeup and everything else.

I even tried to style up the braids in different ways; Swept to one side, Up Do Buns, high ponytails... etc

For anyone who wants to get it done, try it out! But remember the following;

• Keep it healthy by washing it with shampoo and make sure you keep your roots clean.

• Oil it with Argan, Coconut or Avocado Oil to retain its silkiness and make sure to oil the roots too.

• Try not to do too many top-heavy hairstyles, the may result in hair damage to your roots.

• If you feel it's getting too tight and see some dirt building up, speak to the hairdresser that did it, to see if its time to take it out.

• When you take it out the braids, keep in mind the length of your natural hair and chop off the excess extension and undo the braids. Use a wide tooth comb and some leave-in conditioner to detangle your hair. Keep in mind we lose 100 strands per day so there will be quite a lot of hair coming out. Give it a good wash with shampoo and conditioner and it should be all good.

•  To make sure your hair is all healthy, try a deep conditioning DIY hair mask. I normally mix avocado, banana, honey, and mayo and it works like a charm after giving my hair a good clean.

Posted By Urbanista ( Azza Gasim)

Follow me on Twitter/Instagram (@azza_urbanista)

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Azzmeraki X Afro Hair & Beauty Live

Last weekend was one of the best weekends in my fashion career!!!

      Why you ask?
      
I was given the opportunity to showcase my talents at the Afro Hair and Beauty Live. 

Not only was able to sell my t-shirt line Azzmeraki , but I was able to showcase in their fashion show. I haven't had an opportunity like this since my days at Esmod Dubai, back in 2010-13. 

I have been on this long winding road of fashion design, social media and art for so long, so for someone to finally recognize my talents now is such a blessing and it means all of my work has paid off.  

So here are some digital lookbooks that I created inspired by their  "Soul Train" inspired fashion show.

Digital Lookbooks...  

Exhibition Experience...

Posted By Urbanista ( Azza Gasim)
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram (@azza_urbanista)

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Introducing Azzmeraki....

Introducing....

Azza is a UK based interdisciplinary artist, who is ready to take the design world by storm. Her garments embody the spirit of streetwear and the style of hip hop industry.

She is obtained Ba fashion and has done internships at .Esquire Middle East, Music World Cup and AnzStyle, as well as continuing her love for the arts by launchingAzzmeraki. 

She is rare creative soul, who has been blessed a gift and she would like to use it to empower and inspire others and bring light and love to their lives.

Digital Lookbooks...  

Posted By Urbanista ( Azza Gasim)
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram (@azza_urbanista)

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