The black history month is packed with events this October celebrating our African heritage. One of the event this month is the prestigious BEFFTA Awards. The most talked about award within the African/Caribbean and black community. The event is going down this weekend, the 24th and 25th at the Hippodrome Golders Green and its a two days extravaganza. As everyone is hitting up, getting ready for this event, we found two beauty and fashion gurus based in London. Dorothy Osei, well known as (Dee Matt) and Libeks Beauty Consultant to share their tips with the ladies on how to prepare for this event. Here is what they had to say.
“The BEFFTA UK Award ceremony is here again, yay! and the lovely and hard working lady Pauling Long and her dedicated team are preparing for a great evening.
Ladies before you go for an award ceremony , its important you know the history of the award, the founder and every details about the ceremony. This is because you can be pulled by the press on the red carpet at any point in time to say something. So for me this is the first rule. Being prepared before hosting, attending, or accompanying someone to an award event is key to success. Understanding dress code is key.
The important tips to adhere to is as follows:
1. The Dress
For me I think the first rule in dressing for an event is to understand the invitation and the ceremony. Determine the importance of appropriate dress through the invitation itself is important.
A floor-length gown is the best way to go for upscale events, like formal award ceremonies, and charity galas. Be a celebrity for the night and strut your stuff in a gorgeous satin, taffeta, or beaded number. Some good colours to pull off are red, navy, emerald green or even purple, this colours stand out from black and complements many skin tones.
2. Accessories
For accessories, “choose a dramatic necklace or dangling earrings, but never both. Wearing both will be way to much and clumsy or even distracting. You can always go for classics, like diamond drops or a pearl necklace is ideal. Keep it simple , neat but very elegant.
Ladies, an evening clutch is a must! invest in one metallic or nice glittery clutch that to complete your elegance for the night. It’s also important to be wary of trains and fishtails if you are going to wear long dresses/gowns. (because when you trip, is will be a great embarrassment)
3. Shoes
A nice shoe is a must, however please make sure you wear shoes you feel comfortable in. If you are wearing a very long dress/gown, it’s advisable to wear a shoe that lift the trail a bit, so you don’t trip or step on the tail of the dress or gown.
4.Pedicure/Manicure
Please make sure you nails are perfectly manicured and a nice nail varnish is used. Nails should be a perfect length as you don’t want to look tacky. It is glamorous to colour match your nails with either your dress, shoes or clutch bag. If you are wearing a short dress, Open toe shoes can really make you stand out, mostly when you’ve got that lovely hands and toe nails well manicured to perfection.
5. Make-up
Smokey eye / Blue smoky eye makeup is always the best for an evening ceremony. You can also wear eyelashes to bring your eyes out, but please remember to use a natural eye lash and correct length. Too long eye lash will make you look tacky and not very elegant. Finish it up with a red lipsticks or nude undertones with a gloss top and you are rocking the evening.
6. Hair
A particular hair style for a special occasion can look amazing but the downside is that it is very hard to maintain and keep looking good throughout the night, this applies when you wear your real hair . Hair extensions are usually the easily way out, you can go for curls, ponytail or ban on the side. Please keep your hair style simple and elegant, so your beautiful dress /gowns can stand out. If you are wearing your long hair down, it’s advisable you stay away from a statement necklace, as you don’t want to look clumsy.
Award ceremony is an important event, so always try to look elegant, speak nicely, walk elegantly, and always have a mint in th your mouth instead of a chewing gum. In other words present yourself decent and don’t forget to finish up your look with a nice perfume, this is a must, as you may meet old friends, that will definitely need a hug.
Lastly be especially mindful about not spilling out of necklines and slits.
Dorothy Osei
Founder : Style Check bY Dee
So there you have it! We thank Dorothy Osei and Libeks Bc for thier tips and advice. We hope we helped you out with one or two things above. We guess majority of you ladies are set and ready for the night with your styles. Did we miss anything important? drop us a line, otherwise, see you at the red carpet.
Some Pictures by: Libeks Bc & Dorothy Osei
Dee Matt:stylecheck by Dee. You really understand fashion. Great tips for every woman. It’s obvious that you put a lot of time and effort into your work.