“Romantic love is always emphasised, but there is so much power in platonic love, especially one shared between women.
The women in my life, saved my life.”

— ☆Celina Mervine

'Love Beyond Blood' is a passion project that I conceptualised, planned and shot in November/December 2021. It's inspired by Sisterhood - the unbreakable bond that I have with my blood sisters, and also the amazing women in my life that I met, who were once strangers, and have now become like sisters to me, hence the name 'Love Beyond Blood'. My vision was brought to life with the help of an incredible all-black female creative team.

♡ Inspired by black women around the world ♡

My models were two real-life close friends Tomiwa + Daniella. I felt that the connection between the models would be really authentic if I casted two friends, who had a genuine connection to each other.

I intentionally kept the props minimal because I wanted the focus to be primarily on my models. I originally wanted to have a pink and white orchid as a prop, alongside the pink fabric that is seen in the shots, but ultimately only ended up using the cloth. Besides the orchid being my favourite flower, I originally chose to have an orchid as a prop because of the structure of the flower - the way the orchid stands tall represents the power that a stable platonic relationship between women holds.

I wanted the makeup look to be quite bold, but not too overpowering, so I went with a soft glam, which a bold pink eyeliner. Both models have a slightly different eyeliner style to represent their own individualities, but the similarities in the hair and outfit brings them together.