If you want to get fancy clothes at low prices, Wait for Nairobi peddlers in the evening! Yes! I said wait for Nairobi peddlers in the evening. These hawkers of new trends in the city are usually all over the town in the evening. Clothes usually go for as low as Shs 100, whether trousers, skirts, sweater tops, smart tops, jumpers, tights, jeans, jackets, dresses, shorts among other many kinds of clothes. Those peddlers mostly take advantage of rush hour, when people are a lot in town while heading home from their places of work. The sellers of the commodities shout around about what they are selling and at how much it is going for to attract buyers. Passersby are usually attracted by sale of unique items or cheap prices. The clothes and other items sold by these people are usually in most cases second hand but unique items in Kenya. The peddlers in Kenya sell the items to everyone equally.

Among clothes, the hawkers in Nairobi also sell shoes, boots, accessories and jewellery, kitchen items, towels, novels and other books, nail polish, phone covers, and many other things. If there is a person who has a sweet tongue, it’s a hawker in Nairobi. You can just buy anything, including items you don’t even need. They know their business, and it is indeed an art! It has become like a way of life, and the law enforcers in Nairobi have taken a reluctant role in chasing the peddlers in Nairobi away hence allowing the sale to continue. Probably because they benefit from it too!

It’s a huge advantageous craze to buy from the peddlers! Your shopping distance is reduced, you get various places to choose from, you get the items at a low price, and you could also negotiate the price! Kenya is a place of plenty. It shows right from the streets of Nairobi. The Nairobi peddlers are usually found all the way from Ngara to Nairobi town  along the Murang’a Road and then to downtown towards Muthurwa area in Nairobi. Make your way one of these evening and you can get all you need just from the streets!

Shopping for babies in Kenya, especially unborn babies, can be such a hustle. This is because most people start shopping for babies in Kenya when they are about to give birth. It is hard to move around at this point especially at thrift shops and stalls in Nairobi. Most pregnant women rely heavily on the use of the internet in Kenya at this time. Shopping for babies online in Kenya is better than sending someone to do your shopping for you from the shops and stalls in Kenya. This is the beauty of online stores in Kenya. They bring the shopping experience in the comfort of your home through the internet in Kenya. One can simply add to cart, pay and deliveries for the online shopped items in Kenya will be made at your doorstep. Here are a few online and virtual baby shops in Kenya:

Smart babykenya.co.ke

Smart babykenya.co.ke is an online store in Kenya. The Smart babykenya.co.ke website is colourful and has a vast array of kid’s clothes, shoes and toys. The prices are very affordable at Smart babykenya.co.ke. This online babies shopping haven in Kenya is usually open 24 hours and 7 days a week, 24/7. The best thing about this online baby store in Kenya is that they deliver across the country. The online baby store in Kenya even deliver in Kisumu and Mombasa. The delivery fee of the online baby store in Kenya is Kshs 150. They offer dedicated customer care through email and phone calls to check up on the process of buy and sell at Smart babykenya.co.ke. The Smart babykenya.co.ke store in Kenya is however located in Gichugu Road in Kileleshwa in Nairobi. The Smart babykenya.co.ke in Kenya accepts payments via Mpesa and delivery take from 1to 3 days. The online website is www.smartbabykenya.co.ke

Kenyakidz.com

Kenyakidz.com is another colourful online shopping website in Kenya that is very personalized in service. Kenyakidz.com website in Kenya deals with all things for children and mothers to shop online. Kenyakidz.com has a section for news where they inform Kenyans of children events in Kenya. For example if there is a fun day in a certain area in Nairobi, details about the children event will be uploaded on Kenyakidz.com website and parents and guardians can decide on which events to attend. Kenyakidz.com also has a column about kids’ health and it informs parents on useful tips to bringing up a child in Kenya. Kenyakidz.com website also caters for school going children. Kenyakidz.com is a website that every parent should read on www.kenyakidz.com

Totowrapslingskenya.com

Totowrapslingskenya.com is a great online shopping website in Kenya that focuses on one product alone. Totowrapslingskenya.com focuses on the kids` carrier. Carriers are a great way to move around with your baby in Kenya. A kid carrier in Kenya enables you to carry your baby on your front or your back. Kid Carriers in Kenya comes in handy especially on the cold seasons when one does not want the chill to get to the baby. Babies are very delicate and they easily catch colds especially with the cold weather in Kenya. It is essential that babies are always shielded with baby carriers in Kenya. Totowrapslingskenya.com website has a range of designs to choose from depending on personal taste. Totowrapslingskenya.com website is on www.totowrapslingskenya.com

Totosclothingkenya.com

Totosclothingkenya.com is a website that is hosted by wordpress in Kenya. Totosclothingkenya.com also has great products like baby walkers and toys. The best thing is that this baby shopping website in Kenya has various categories to choose from. The children products available for shopping online in Kenya on Totosclothingkenya.com range from children shoes, baby clothing, baby accessories, baby feeding pieces, baby toiletries, nursery furnishings and maternity products. This site is colourful and accessible through www.totosclothingkenya.com.

Shopping online in Kenya is the new craze in town. These are not the only sites to get baby stuff in Kenya. There are a variety of groups on facebook and also individuals that engage in social media marketing in Kenya and one would find great things to shop there. There are also various sites like OLX in Kenya where one would buy toys and baby walkers from a seller within your location of residence in Kenya.

Make up is used to enhance outer beauty as well as hide a few flaws. It shouldn’t make you look like you had fallen into a can of paint. To throw in my two cents to the matter, I say “The less, the better”.
It would be interesting to note that as I write this piece, I do not wear any make up,save for a simple touch of lip gloss. Not because I dont like make up but probably because my “less”_as explained  in the paragraph above goes as far as zero. However properly applied make up is totally smashing. It makes one look like “a glass of water with ice to a man stranded in a desert at noon”as Dr Mich Egwang would put it.
Eye make up is what’s most eye-catching- (pun intended!)
Eye shadow goes a long way in defining a natural or a dramatic look. I am not sure if eyeshadow should extend to the brow though. I personally think that it should not. It should be on the eyelid and just slightly above the lid-crease.
Then we get to the eye liner. Yes an eye liner shows the outlines of the eye and should most certainly not be overdone. It is advisable to stick to a colour that complements your complexion. Ashy grays and white eyeliners are not my cup of tea. I vouch for brown or black-perhaps.
Mascara beats lash extensions face down. I would go for mascara anytime!It tends to have a naturally elongating effect on the eyelashes. Fake eyelashes could not look any faker!(if such a word exists). We would not want eyelashes melting away especially in the sunny Nairobi weather as did the wax fixed wings of the character whoflew very close to the sun in some old tale.
A nicely trimmed pair of eyebrows is the coating on the cake. You are likely to get away with this- even with no eye makeup. Nicely shaped and neat eyebrows simply give you the edge!! Eyebrow shaping is a cost effective affair. Kenyan salons would have them trimmed for as low so 150shillings or thereabout but ranging higher in upmarket salons. It is definitely worth the investment. There are some people who can do this only with a set of tweezers and a mirror! To them we say…Lucky are they!
And for the divas! There i something I hear referred to as the “Smoky Eye”. (Why Smoky???anyway…..). It involves blending in lighter and darker shades of eye shadow so as to have a fading overlap. Applying mascara on the upper eyelash and a soft sweep over the lower lash is the last step. I advise that this should be done by a professional lest you end up doing it wrong.

Now, as I sign off- there is one thing that I have up to date never understood. Why would anyone shave off their entire eyebrows, only to redraw them back with eyeliner?
I leave that to the experts!

Ladies in Nairobi seek to get their faces enhanced by going to beauty parlours and salons. Eyebrow shaping, putting eye make up and having facials within Nairobi can be done in many Beauty palours in Nairobi city centre. Some of the beauty parlours in Nairobi city centre include Salons located in Kenwood House on Moi Avenue opposite Nation Centre and Salons in Kenya Cinema along Tom Mboya Street near Afya Centre. Make up in Nairobi is used to enhance outer beauty as well as hide a few flaws. Make up in Kenya then should not make you look like you had fallen into a can of paint. To throw in my two cents to the matter, I say `The less, the better`. It would be interesting to note that as I write this piece, I do not wear any make up,s ave for a simple touch of lip gloss. Not because I dont like make up but probably because my `less`_as explained  in the paragraph above goes as far as zero. However properly applied make up in Kenya is totally smashing. It makes one look like `a glass of water with ice to a man stranded in a desert at noon` as Dr Mich Egwang would put it. Eye make up is what`s most eye-catching- (pun intended!)

Eye shadow in Nairobi goes a long way in defining a natural or a dramatic look. I am not sure if eyeshadow should extend to the brow though. I personally think that it should not. It should be on the eyelid and just slightly above the lid-crease.

Then we get to the eye liner in Kenya. Yes an eye liner shows the outlines of the eye and should most certainly not be overdone. It is advisable to stick to a colour that complements your complexion. Ashy grays and white eyeliners are not my cup of tea. I vouch for brown or black-perhaps.

Mascara in Nairobi beats lash extensions face down. I would go for mascara anytime!It tends to have a naturally elongating effect on the eyelashes. Fake eyelashes could not look any faker!(if such a word exists). We would not want eyelashes melting away especially in the sunny Nairobi weather as did the wax fixed wings of the character who flew very close to the sun in some old tale. However, for those who prefer having fake eyelashes, there are beauty salons and parlours which offer such services in Nairobi. 

A nicely trimmed pair of eyebrows is the coating on the cake. You are likely to get away with this- even with no eye makeup. Nicely shaped and neat eyebrows simply give you the edge!! Eyebrow shaping in Nairobi is a cost effective affair. Kenyan salons would have them trimmed for as low so 150shillings or thereabout but ranging higher in upmarket salons. It is definitely worth the investment. There are some people who can do this only with a set of tweezers and a mirror! To them we say…Lucky are they!

And for the divas! There i something I hear referred to as the `Smoky Eye`. (Why Smoky???anyway…..). It involves blending in lighter and darker shades of eye shadow so as to have a fading overlap. Applying mascara on the upper eyelash and a soft sweep over the lower lash is the last step. I advise that this should be done by a professional lest you end up doing it wrong.

Now, as I sign off- there is one thing that I have up to date never understood. Why would anyone shave off their entire eyebrows, only to redraw them back with eyeliner?

I leave that to the experts!  

Since time immemorial, women have always been mesmerized by hair and beauty in Kenya. From all corners of Kenya, especially in Nairobi, women are fascinated with the prospect of enhancing their beauty. Weaves, braids and wigs in Kenya are usually used to enhance the outward beauty and to hide flaws and shortcomings that are often associated with natural kinky African hair in Kenya. Weaves, braids and wigs in Kenya are usually the main hair products availed by Bestly Cosmetics Retail shops in Kenya and they come to the rescue of many Kenyan women who, for personal reasons, choose not to deal with the hustles of caring for their natural hairs every day.

Products of Bestly Cosmetics Limited in Kenya

Bestly cosmetic limited in Kenya is a well stocked consumer retail and wholesale supermarket in Kenya that deals with designer cosmetic brands that include hair care and accessories, make up, body care, skin care and nail polish that comes in several colors. Bestly cosmetic limited in Kenya stocks a wide range of weaves, wigs and braids and many other hair products in Kenya that comes in different styles and colors hence reducing the need of moving from one store or supermarket in Kenya to another for a wide range of hair products and accessories. The customers’ main dilemma is choosing their preferred hair accessory depending on the type, taste and color for the ideal look they want to pull. Synthetic fashion hair accessories in Bestly Cosmetics Company limited in Kenya range from naturally elegant accessories for that sophisticated look to the daring dramatic hair accessories for a dazzling chic look. The prices of hair products in Bestly Cosmetics Company Limited in Kenya range from Ksh 55 to Ksh 245 for braids, Kshs 350 to Ksh 1,500 for weaves and Kshs 1,500 to Kshs 3,000 for wigs in Bestly cosmetics supermarket in Kenya.

Location of Bestly Cosmetics Company Limited in Kenya

Bestly cosmetics limited company in Kenya has several stores located throughout Kenya. In Nairobi, the Bestly Cosmetics retail store is located along Ronald Ngala Street in Nairobi, off Tom Mboya Street next to Ukwala Supermarket. There is also a Bestly limited company retail shop in Nairobi along Moi Avenue next to Bata shop. There is also a third Bestly Cosmetics shop in Nairobi at Nyakio Road along River Road in Nairobi. Bestly cosmetics limited company in Nakuru town in Kenya is located near KANU Hall in Cigma Plaza along the Nakuru Nairobi Highway. Bestly wholesale store In Eldoret town in Kenya is located along Oloo Street in Eldoret and just opposite ArcEldoret. Bestly Cosmetics store in Mombasa town in Kenya is located along Digo Road in Mombasa just opposite the Bank of Baroda Mombasa Branch in Kenya.

Kenya has shown progress in the Fashion Industry through having creative fashion designers in Kenya with glamorous pieces from our traditions and in the latest designs. These Kenyan fashion designers participate and showcase their pieces during functions such as fashion week event in Kenya. A fashion week event in Kenya is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers from Kenya and abroad to display their latest collections in runway shows, and buyers and the media in Kenya to take a look at the latest trends. This is a good way of marketing the fashion designs in Kenya that are for that particular season. Most importantly, these fashion events in Kenya let the fashion industry in Kenya know what is in season and what is out for the season in Kenya.

In Kenya, the recent 2013 Fashion Week Event in Kenya was the 4th season of the event in Kenya. Fashion week in the world usually happen twice a year in the major fashion capitals of the world such as Paris, Milan, New York and London. The Kenya Fashion Week emulated these fashion capitals in the world, where all the fashion designers in Kenya and those in diaspora came together and organized the Fashion week event. Fashion Week events in Kenya are held several months in advance of the season in Kenya to allow the press and media in Kenya, the buyers or Kenyans and the varios fashion business entreprenuers in Kenya to preview fashion designs in Kenya for the following season. This also allows retailers in Kenya to arrange for purchases or incorporate the Kenyan fashion designers into their retail marketing in Kenya. During Fashion Week Event in Kenya, the latest innovations in dress designs in Kenya are showcased by renowned fashion designers in Kenya or from other parts of the world, and all these latest fashion collections in Kenya are covered in magazines and newspapers in Kenya. Most magazines in Kenya such as the many fashion magazines in Kenya such as Kenyan Stylista, Fesheni Magazine, pulse, L & S Fashion Magazines among many others usually cover the Fashion Events in Kenya.

Kenya Fashion Week started under different names in season one to three; it was Trendz Kenya Fashion Festival, then became Sub Saharan Africa\’s most beloved Fashion Event, and in season 3, it was called Brain Child of Sonu Sharma. Now on to its forth season in Kenya, the event gained the name Kenya Fashion Week. The Kenya Fashion Week event has become a focus for a broader base of fashion linked activities with mainstream regional and international designers, high profile labels, sponsors in Kenya and media choosing to align with this event. This has opened doors for the growth of Kenyan fashion to keep up with the ever revolving world. Kenya Fashion Week sponsor is Brand Vaseline which is co-sponsored by Samsung Electronics and Jameson Select.

Well, the Kenya fashion week has the aim of exposing Kenya as an established fashion and urban lifestyle capital of Africa. This makes Kenya a target of many buyers and promoters of the Kenyan fashion designers. The fashion week also attract competition which leads to growth of fashion in Kenya. Other objectives of this fashion week include building relationships, creating opportunities and encouraging excellence in quality. When there is a place to show your designs and get to attract retailers, buyers and the media, then the designers are motivated to work hard and come up with new pieces for different seasons.

The last Kenya fashion week was held on 24 Aug 2013 at Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi. Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel in Kenya is located in Westlands in Nairobi. Kenya Fashion Week 2013 consisted of various fine designers from Africa and around the world showcasing exquisite collections, world class entertainment, exhibits of lifestyle and luxury products and services, VIP Red Carpet Dinner and reception and the after party. The efforts of these fashion promoters in Kenya should be recognized as they strive to contribute to the world of Fashion with the endearing support of the Fashion Fraternity in Kenya and organizing this event.

Such a fashion week event in Kenya includes exhibits, runway shows and the party part for exchange of ideas and where the designers get contacts and contracts from potential buyers in Kenya who are in attendance. This is a way of contributing to togetherness of Kenya and a way of promoting growth of our economy. This allows Kenyans to become aware of the designs that can be created within and from outside our country and for them to choose from a variety. So the next time a fashion week is held in Kenya, ensure you attend, you might get that particular design that will set you apart in the crowd!

Through the Diaspora fashion designers invited to The Kenya Fashion Week in Kenya, who choose to market their country while living abroad, Kenya will eventually gain more fame and popularity in fashion industry in the world. This will make our nation to be the target of many to get original fabrics from Kenya and designs which are traditional and from our own Kenyan culture. We indeed have beautiful cultural fabric and designs in Kenya; all we need is a little more exposure to the world.

It is Tuesday, and sassy Sally hastily struts into her office premises in Kenya. With a folder in hand she has to get to her office in Nairobi, do a few emails before attending the crisis meeting with the human resource officer in charge of organizational management. Luckily, she got to the office in Nairobi in time, thanks to her carefully tucked PDA that buzzes to Merimela every week day at 6am- religiously. Sally had forgotten about the pop up mail she received yesterday on her Outlook window notifying her of the intended meeting. She had left the office a tad bit early, feeling rather sickly on account of her wild weekend escapades.

Sally is adorned in a bright blue blouse and orange chingo pants. To say that she likes colour is an understatement. She has a “teardrop” statement necklace and an orange strapped watch to match with her pants. On her left arm are three chunky bangles in a mix and match colour sequence. She also has a pair of drop chandelier earrings dangling down her robes and 6 inch Jimmy Choo heels that are doing a bad job at maintaining the serene silence in the corridor as she struts to her office on the first floor.

This gets me thinking, “What is the appropriate way to dress to an office in Kenya?”

Most NGOs in Kenya do not have guidelines on choice of clothes to wear to the office and as such one can wear practically anything. In fact one of my friends who works in an NGO in the suburbs of Nairobi was asked to wear anything that makes her comfortable on her first day at work.

Chunky and noisy statement pieces are however a downright NO! NO! The bright coloured earrings and necklaces should be kept for the weekends and not to the office in Nairobi. Earrings should at best be kept to say diamond, gold or silver studs. Hoop earrings are allowed on a dress down Friday if need be. Earrings should be most unobtrusive and pendant necklaces as simple as they can get. An occasional tennis bracelet can also be worn if necessary.

Six, or is it nine, inch shoes in Nairobi are not very formal- and more so in our Kenyan set up. We would all agree that a nice polished pair of a two or a three inch heel is more formal than a six inch pair of metal studded Louis Vuitton shoes. Stiletto heels are and strappy hells look attractive on a date and not as office wear. Ladies do everything in moderation. Heels that shockingly exaggerate your height or leave your calf muscles sticking out and mistakable for a marathoners’ are not the way to go. Clearly, I am no fashion guru but I think ladies need to differentiate an office in Nairobi from a bar of a club in Nairobi, and a week day from a week end. I am not saying colour is bad-but do it with moderation. Anyone who meets you on the street should be able to tell that you are going to an office- not to “Rumours” on the busy Moi Avenue.

Image matters!