Bonafide Supernova

Image from Eventure Photography

By Vicky Gayle

The dreary winter days are upon us and most evenings would much rather be spent indoors, steaming over a hot bowl of soup than devising an exercise plan. But just as quick as summer ended, no doubt it will be back again before you can even utter the words, ‘muffin top’, so it’s best to start on the summer body pre-winter. Let’s be honest, no woman enjoys laborious cardio training and given a few months of treadmill sessions in the gym it’s likely that even the most fitness-crazed women will retreat back to their usual sloth habits, because it just isn’t very much fun. The answer is to simply find a happy medium - an activity that you enjoy enough to continue, so why not consider a dance class?

Zumba was the latest phenomenon to gain worldwide popularity - originating in Colombia, this Latin-inspired dance had women sashaying to classes all across the UK and is a fabulous workout (so I’m told), but there are so many other styles and each one is guaranteed to make you sweat and smile at the same time.

Unlike a lot of other sports, dance is an all-over workout which means that while it’s encouraging a healthier heart and lungs, you’re losing fat, creating both leaner and stronger muscles, improving flexibility, agility and balance. Not to mention the mental and social benefits attached, like boosting your energy levels, increasing self-esteem and confidence, relieving stress and also being a great place to make new friends. 

I went to a Contemporary dance class myself this week at Sunshine Studios because it’s a hobby I reluctantly stopped and also I want to look amazing naked without resorting to pricey gimmicks. To sum my experience up in one word: painful - I had bumps on my knees from all the floor work and my four-year dance break caused an immense amount of muscle ache that burned from my bum-cheeks up my torso. But no pain, no gain ladies, and the benefits definitely outweigh the initial discomfort - take it that I said so

Classes in your local area can be found easily on Google, but here are some links for you.  

Youth Dance England

Street Dance UK

Dance Xchange, Birmingham

Ace Dance and Music, Birmingham

Zumba-Central, Birmingham

BodyBarre, Manchester

Pineapple Studios, London

 

 

 

Black & White Structured 

Clear Heels

Blue Prints

'Boob' Tube

'Cut-Out' Shoulders

Cropped Tops

Dolly Lace

Draped Pencil Skirts

Hot Pants

Lace 'Floor-Length' Gowns

Meshed Up

One Shoulder Stunner

Pastel Colours

Waist Flares

Fancy Pleats

Floral Prints

Sewing 20's

Rounded Shoulders

Floaty 'Summer' Suits

Glossy Effect!

Bright Tangerine

Sport Trousers

See-through Vinyls

'White' Heels

'White' Lace

ZigZags

Article by Samantha Thodhlana

Good afternoon Bonafide Supernova readers!!

It’s been one of those days when I’m trying to recover from the day before. Last night I had the pleasure of attending the first PR/Blogger Event held in London at the prestigious and might I add gorgeous Vinoplis- “such a beautiful location”.

Brought to you by, The Little Lady Went To London (TLLWTL), it was a chance for PR professionals and bloggers to address particular issues which arise when PR companies want bloggers to promote their clients products or services and how bloggers can build effective, productive and easier relationships with PR’s.

The panel featured, 3 PR’s- Camilla Brown (Manifest PR)- @girlterate; Lily Pickard (Focus PR)- @FocusPR and James Allan (Mission)- @JamesLacey and 3 Bloggers: the lovely JJ Miller from (TLLWTL)- @Love_London; Muireann Carey-Campbell (BangsandaBun)- @BangsandaBun and Cate Sevilla (BitchBuzz)- @CupCate! The evening was hosted by the lovely Vikki Chowney- @vikkichowney.

The panel got the chance to have a 45 minute discussion; covering topics around whether bloggers should get paid for writing posts for particular brands. Another hot topic was around, how PR agencies communicate with bloggers and make sure PR’s research around which bloggers they’d like to work with instead of just sending ‘blanket’ e-mails.

The panel’s discussions encouraged and provoked an array of questions from the audience and via Twitter. Many attendees asked questions around- how ethical or unethical it is for bloggers to request payment for their time; it was interesting to get the panels response as majority agreed bloggers should be paid for certain blog posts but ultimately all three bloggers agreed that, ‘you should write about what you’re passionate about and not anything & everything’!

Ultimately, I’d say the event was a great success and proved to me that blogging is become more and more of a phenomenon. Traditional PR is no longer the ‘be end and end all’. Consumers are looking for much more than just recommendation from traditional media mediums like print advertising or from journalists; they want personalised opinions on products & services from individuals who provide a new perspective.

As a blogger myself, just starting out it was useful to gauge how successful bloggers utilise other mediums such as PR’s, effectively building relationships and a mutual understanding with those in that industry.

It was great to travel to London and leave feeling excited! Do make sure if you get the chance to attend the next event- get a ticket!! Worth the money for aspiring bloggers and PR's. 

 

Logo for TLLWTL taken from the website: WWW.THISLITTLELADYWENTTOLONDON.COM

 

Article by Samantha Thodhlana

Good afternoon Bonafide Supernova readers!!

It’s been one of those days when I’m trying to recover from the day before. Last night I had the pleasure of attending the first PR/Blogger Event held in London at the prestigious and might I add gorgeous Vinoplis- “such a beautiful location”.

Brought to you by, The Little Lady Went To London (TLLWTL), it was a chance for PR professionals and bloggers to address particular issues which arise when PR companies want bloggers to promote their clients products or services and how bloggers can build effective, productive and easier relationships with PR’s.

The panel featured, 3 PR’s- Camilla Brown (Manifest PR)- @girlterate; Lily Pickard (Focus PR)- @FocusPR and James Allan (Mission)- @JamesLacey and 3 Bloggers: the lovely JJ Miller from (TLLWTL)- @Love_London; Muireann Carey-Campbell (BangsandaBun)- @BangsandaBun and Cate Sevilla (BitchBuzz)- @CupCate! The evening was hosted by the lovely Vikki Chowney- @vikkichowney.

The panel got the chance to have a 45 minute discussion; covering topics around whether bloggers should get paid for writing posts for particular brands. Another hot topic was around, how PR agencies communicate with bloggers and make sure PR’s research around which bloggers they’d like to work with instead of just sending ‘blanket’ e-mails.

The panel’s discussions encouraged and provoked an array of questions from the audience and via Twitter. Many attendees asked questions around- how ethical or unethical it is for bloggers to request payment for their time; it was interesting to get the panels response as majority agreed bloggers should be paid for certain blog posts but ultimately all three bloggers agreed that, ‘you should write about what you’re passionate about and not anything & everything’!

Ultimately, I’d say the event was a great success and proved to me that blogging is become more and more of a phenomenon. Traditional PR is no longer the ‘be end and end all’. Consumers are looking for much more than just recommendation from traditional media mediums like print advertising or from journalists; they want personalised opinions on products & services from individuals who provide a new perspective.

As a blogger myself, just starting out it was useful to gauge how successful bloggers utilise other mediums such as PR’s, effectively building relationships and a mutual understanding with those in that industry.

It was great to travel to London and leave feeling excited! Do make sure if you get the chance to attend the next event- get a ticket!! Worth the money for aspiring bloggers and PR's. 

 

By Vicky Gayle

It's been a year since their inception and to continue the momentum, FabAfriq plan to celebrate their first birthday in style with their official magazine launch this weekend at the cultural Drum Arts Centre, Birmingham.

FabAfriq is an online, African lifestyle magazine that aims to embrace and educate about black culture, with particular emphasis on African inspired contents, contemporary fashion, culture, cuisine, health and tourism, development and the arts.  

Catering for more than 300 guests, the champagne launch event will feature live performances from both popular and up and coming international artists within the African music scene, a live fashion show, an arts exhibition showcasing the works of FabAfriq’s hand-picked selection of artists, and a ‘silent auction’ with proceeds going towards FAIMM (Foundation Against Infant and Maternal Mortality) - a charity initiative, geared towards reducing neonatal and maternal mortality rates. Read more here.

As huge supporters of niche publications, the Bonafide team will definitely be in attendance at the event - in fact we can’t wait to get our hands on a FabAfriq print. Plus we were specially invited, so we’ll see you there. 

For more information visit FabAfriq online: www.fabafriq.com 

Like them on Facebook  

Or follow them on Twitter for updates of the fabulous night to come.

Images sourced from Getty