Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, Titi. This week's subjects: Don’t Forget Texture Play: Blue and brown get even better when you mix textures, Tattoos, Carbohydrates, and Saffron Saga Indian Restaurant

Don’t Forget Texture Play: Blue and brown get even better when you mix textures: Satin blue blouse + matte brown trousers Navy crepe dress + suede brown heels Light blue cotton shirt + structured leather bag Texture makes the outfit feel expensive—even when you’re shopping smart at the big city boutiques like FashionGhana shop Asylum down. Why This Combo Feels So Right for the Corporate Girl Blue represents trust and intelligence. Brown represents reliability and stability. Isn’t that exactly what the modern Accra corporate woman embodies? You’re navigating traffic, meetings, side hustles, networking events—and still showing up impeccably dressed. Blue and brown understands that duality. Style Note : If black feels too predictable and red feels too loud, blue and brown is your sweet spot. It’s classy. It’s mature. It’s fresh. It’s corporate confidence wrapped in warmth. So next time you’re standing in front of your wardrobe thinking, “How do I look powerful but different?” Reach for blue. Add brown. Walk into that office like you own shares. Because honestly? You probably will soon.

Tattoos. We see them more and more, but I do suggest you use stickers which can be taken off after the party. Tattoos affect your immune system in ways we're just beginning to understand. From wrist designs to full sleeves, body art has become so common that it barely raises an eyebrow. Tattoo inks contain pigments that give colour, liquid carriers that help distribute the ink, preservatives to prevent microbial growth, and small amounts of impurities. But most of these pigments were originally developed for industrial applications such as car paint, plastics, and printer toner, rather than for injection into your skin. Some of these inks contain nickel, chromium, cobalt, and occasionally lead. These are toxic and are well known for triggering allergic reactions and immune sensitivity. Tattoo inks can also contain organic compounds, including azo dyes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which can break down into aromatic amines which are linked to cancer and genetic damage. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are produced during the incomplete burning of organic material and are found in soot, vehicle exhaust, and charred food. Tattooing involves injecting ink deep into the dermis, the layer of skin beneath the surface. The body recognizes pigment particles as foreign material. Immune cells attempt to remove them, but the particles are too large to be fully cleared. Instead, they become trapped inside skin cells, which is what makes tattoos permanent. Tattoo inks do not just remain confined to the skin, pigment particles can migrate through the lymphatic system and accumulate in lymph nodes, small structures that filter immune cells and help coordinate immune responses. Tattoo ink is taken up by immune cells in the skin. When these cells die, they release signals that keep the immune system activated, leading to inflammation in nearby lymph nodes for up to two months. Tattoo ink present at a vaccine injection site alters immune responses in a vaccine-specific way. Notably, it was associated with a reduced immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine. Thus tattoo pigments can interfere with immune signaling, the chemical communication system immune cells use to coordinate responses to infection or vaccinations. Many cancers take decades to develop, making these risks difficult to study directly, especially given how widespread tattooing recently has become. All this can be avoided by using stick-ons. But if you really insist to put his name on your buttock? Nothing is permanent, but a tattoo is.

Carbohydrates. There’s a lot if them in cassava, plantain, yam, maize, millet, and rice. Typically about 70 % of our diet consists of carbohydrates, call them a form of sugars. That may have been fine when we lived in the village, got up early, walked to the farm, used hoe and machete to plant and weed and harvest, walked back home with some food and firewood when it was starting to be hot, and repeated same in the afternoon. Yes, that took a lot of energy, and carbohydrate supplied that. But now our lifestyles have changed, we hardly do any manual labour again, we even simulate it by going to the gym, and we don’t walk much again. So the carbohydrates are not burned and there’s a lot of sugar in our blood for long periods. This will result in weight gain, and an increased diabetes risk. Recognize anybody? So eat more veggies and bring that carbo thing down to 40-50 %. Veggies expensive? Yes, some are. Others, like e.g. carrots and cabbage are affordable.

Saffron Saga Indian Restaurant. 11th Lane, Salvation Road, behind La Villa Boutique in Osu, Accra, of late is one of my favourites. Service is very prompt, the manager is constantly in the restaurant supervising, they have Heineken draft beer @ 52 GHC per half liter (funny price, taxes). We had the crispy canvas humus, a must try though it is too big for 2 persons, a great South Indian fish curry which I found a bit disappointing, the fish was slightly overcooked and I had expected the curry to be “hotter”. Curry in fact is a mixture of spices, mainly turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger and chilies, and Indian curry, Thai, Japanese and Caribbean are all versions on their own. South Indian curry typically is hotter than northern. We also had friend rice chicken where the chicken is cooked into the rice, with spices, a bit like beef into jollof. Nice.

Lydia...

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