Welcome back compatriots. It’s March, so you know what that means: a new edition of OLTIMEYA. It’s been two weeks with radio silence on my end, but I’ve entered a new era, an era that is filled with less valley, and more hill (by God’s grace), so we shall be back with a vengeance. That being said, there was enough ceremony with the intro last time, so, without further ado, here’s a little peek into my February.

ọgbọn

Like I alluded to in the above paragraph, and in last month’s OLTIMEYA, I’ve been in the trenches. Those that know why, know why, to whatever degree of detail. I’m glad to say that as of Monday last week, I’m no longer in those same trenches. However, because of this, February is, again, without an ọgbọn.

How could I, in good conscience, impart any wisdom from the midst of my trial and tribulation? Life was really beating me up, and I think that would’ve negatively affected the way I articulated anything I wanted to say in the moment. That’s why journals are invaluable. I’m a large believer in the fact that people share too much of their inner, sacred thoughts on the internet (the principle of which I spoke about in my post about bringing back gatekeeping), and I refuse to be one of those people. I rarely share the true inner workings of my mind with people I know IRL (love you guys though xx). I think there is such value in sharing things retrospectively; it gives you a perspective of hindsight that otherwise wouldn’t exist, and I think that’s the most mature headspace to reflect from. Also, it gave me the chance to fully experience my emotions (alone) before feeling incumbent to process in front of an audience. Consequently, I can have a more objective outlook on the entire situation without having invalidated my feelings.

L.E.C

I only did my makeup once this month, and that was for my one day of LFW. I wanted to talk about that makeup look, not that it was anything particularly special. I just really loved it. It also didn’t transfer at all, which is major considering the fact that my top was bright white cotton, and I wasn’t wearing powder on anywhere that wasn’t my undereye.

The heroes of this face:

1. Morphe Continuous Setting Spray. This is the no.1 perpetrator of my face not looking shiny like the sun when I got home around 9 in the PM. I evidently haven’t actually been using enough of this until now, but I spray it at two points in my routine: once after all liquids (foundation, concealer, blush, contour) to blend them together, and then a second time after I’ve done everything but mascara. That second round must’ve been what kept it all in place. My largest (and only) gripe about this setting spray is that it does smell like aerosol, due to the packaging. And that smell doesn’t ever really go away, since I’ve had the spray for over half a year and it’s still there.
2. What I like to call an easy bake. This isn’t the traditional bake where everything gets dry like the sahara desert, but I put more powder on than usual (I use Huda Beauty in shade cinnamon bun – I didn’t realise it was lich called the easy bake powder until I went to find the link. Please note my ‘easy bake’ is in reference to the easy bake oven) under my eyes to set them in this picture, and didn’t feel like my concealer separated at all by night time. The key to an easy bake is to use a good amount of powder, but not to pack it down (with a puff or sponge). Instead, I use a fluffy brush that allows me to easily get rid of any excess once it’s set to my preference.
3. Pat McGrath Blush in Night Bloom. This blush is my OG. I’ve been using it for years, it is the perfect mix of pink and purple for my skintone. Honestly, I think blush is the make or break part of any makeup look for me. A good blush + mascara = a good face.

thots & feelings

I wrote my thoughts and feelings for Milan Fashion Week only because London Fashion Week felt like a blur this season. But, my TLDR thoughts for LFW: I don’t think, generally, the fashion was better this season than last. You would think that a city like London would thrive in the face of autumnal clothes, but… sadly not. SS25 really said something to me, and the only shows that said anything to me at LFW for AW25 were the shows with <30 looks: Harris Reed, Talia Byre, Tolu Coker, and 16Arlington (which was my fave. I LOVED; very me). There was one coat that was shown at Paul Costelloe (the orange one) that I haven’t been able to stop thinking of, too.

** please read vertically ↓, like a newspaper column

inspiration of the month

Job. From the Bible, of course. That man went through it. He is my inspiration because he gave me the freedom to share my outrage with God how I saw fit. Because God, like with Job, was playing in my face in February. Testing, if you will. There’s a lot to learn from Job. Though he and God were tussling, that was still a good thing because he was ultimately still turning to God. Despite his hurt and frustration, despite the fact that God was ignoring him for kicks and giggles, Job still raised his grievances with God. Job did not practise toxic positivity, and God did not smite him dead for it. In times of hardship, be like Job.

MODE

For this section, I wanted to tell you all a brief story about the shoes that almost messed up my week. The whole thing is entirely dramatic, I know:

I was scrolling through the new-in section of my recommended, and I came across this pair of heel by Dries van Noten, in a size 39.5. Now, Dries is a French brand, but the shoes are made in Italy, so I assume that they’re an Italian 39.5, which is my size. I’m a 39 in all flat shoes, and a 39.5 heel fits me perfectly because I have slightly wider feet with high arches. However, as I’ve mentioned before on my instagram story, ideally, I like to buy a size 40 in heels (sandals especially) so there’s a bit of room in the front and back. To avoid what I like to call ‘aunty foot’ – when the toes start to grip the pavement or the heel is trying to escape the back… or both. Anyways, these shoes have been inferred to be an IT 39.5, which will do because I like them. They’re final sale too, and a great deal, so I wait a couple of days to see if they will sell out (in the name of shopping more responsibly) before I pay for them.

The shoes now arrive, and I’m pumped. Nothing like a touch of retail therapy to make one feel a rush of serotonin. I take the shoes out of the bag, note that they look a touch petite, but check the size and confirm it says 39.5. I then revel in the feel of the ponyhair leopard print, ignore the fact that I’m in dire need of a pedicure, and put the right shoe on. Most try shoes on their left foot, because the right shoe is typically manufactured to be the slightly smaller shoe – the heart being on the left makes that side of the body slightly bigger, but my feet are the exact same size, so it’s the right foot that dictates whether the shoes fit. Only, instead of rushing to put the left heel on and trot to my mirror because they fit like a glove, I feel the caress of wind on the back of my heel. While the shoe is on. I look down, and, horror of horrors, though it says ‘Made in Italy’ on the sole, they DON’T FIT! To make matters worse, it’s not even half a size too small, something manageable (not true tbh but I was trying to gaslight myself into thinking I could make half a size work). No, the heel of my foot is committing serious aunty foot atrocities. In these FINAL SALE SHOES THAT I CANNOT RETURN. These shoes that SHOULD fit me but don’t. These shoes that I broke my no buy for!! Technically not, because I gave myself the grace of two pairs of unsanctioned heels in 2025, but still. These shoes, must indeed be, French sizing. And French sizing is a full size smaller than Italian. So, instead of being a 39.5, they fit, and probably are, like a 38.5. A tragic loss for my closet, but if anyone has or has seen these wedges (pictured below) for sale from last season in a size 40 or 40.5, please send them my way. I now need to sell mine

enjoyment

I took almost no photos this month, apologies x

I thoroughly enjoyed the four walls of my room, the warmth of my blanket, and the bricks of my house. And jazz. A lot of jazz music. They really used to lurveeee back then. They used to YEARN. I’ve really only been able to stomach instrumental music (classical or jazz), or jazz love songs in the past couple of weeks.

yucks & YUMS

For this section, I just wanted to shout out the brand Something and Nothing. I was at the Ray Chu presentation during LFW and they were serving these “premium sodas” whilst there. Unfortunately, I stuck true to my nature and liked it. I say unfortunately, because it seems like my body is hardwired to have expensive taste. A pack of 12 is basically £20, but you can also get a 6 can taster pack for… £15 (like its perfume). Pele. I had the yuzu flavour, and it was good at room temp, and I detest room temperature drinks. I can imagine that it will taste 5x better with a bucket load of ice and a straw. It adds to the experience. They also have a cucumber flavour as well as a hibiscus and rose flavour, but obviously I haven’t tried those and therefore cannot explicitly recommend.

P.S. Baking update: I’ve decided that this year will be about cookies. Or brownies. Or carrot cake, but maybe all of the above. Experimenting! Not limiting myself to one dessert for the year LOL.

anything

Finally, for the anything of the month, I’m going to pat myself on the back… preemptively. For some context, if you don’t know, I play the viola. I have played the viola since I was 7 or 8, so the vast majority of my life. Looking back, the level I used to play at was super high (I have a performance diploma but it never really struck me in the thick of it how difficult that repertoire was), but being a Nigerian babe, the possibility of going to school for it was nonexistent. Not that I particularly think I would’ve enjoyed doing that in the first place. Blah blah, moving on. In the throes of university, there wasn’t enough time in my life to continue playing. Actually, that’s a lie. If I had made it a priority, I would’ve been able to find ways to continue, but I made no such efforts.

I digress. I took a brief (four year long) hiatus from it, but started teaching again last year. Teaching has been so interesting because I’m realising how well I have been taught in the process. It made me think about playing in a way I never have before, having to be conscious of every single thing that’s grown to be innate over the years of my life, teaching from the very beginning. In this process, I’ve felt drawn to playing myself more and more, to the point that ultimately I have decided to host a charity recital next year. I’ve already started practising for it; almost every day. I have the programme basically confirmed, it’s an hour and a half of music. And I’m super excited about it. Honestly, the whole situation is incredibly ironic, because I cannot remember a time when I was doing ANY of my formal education in music during which I practised so willingly. You never know what you could have until you look back I guess.

I’m excited to be excited about it. I’m excited to be serious about it. I’m excited to add viola back to my lore and be that mysterious girl™️ again LOL. Of course, once dates and venues are finalised, I will share more details. I just wanted to take this time to celebrate one of my small wins, it’s a goal of mine this year.

I hope the first week of March has treated you all well. The first quarter of this year has felt like the longest of my life, with some of the fastest days interspersed. But we have four weeks left, so much can happen in that time. I’m feeling hopeful.

That’s all 🙂

P.S. I also wrote an article about the Ray Chu presentation that you can read here 🙂