How to be a #GIRLBOSS (New Year's Resolutions 2015 and 2014 Highlights)

As with every year, we write down our goals we want to achieve within the year. Although I did not accomplish a few of them, I feel that I have learned a lot within the year about getting better at being a blogger and youtuber. It really does take hard work and dedication for anything you set your mind to. There were times where I wouldn't post a blog or video for weeks because I had something to do for school, or sacrificed something for school to do something else.

The point here is to not lose sight of where you're going and how you're going to get there. ALWAYS write things down because you'll definitely forget to do the task you set out to do.

So some of last years highlights include:

• Finally getting my acne in somewhat control. I cannot stress to anyone how important it is to eat well and drink tons of water, especially if exercising is not in your daily regiment

• Getting featured on Forever 21 Instagram. Holy crap that was exciting. Some times being at the right place in the right moment really helps, but always remember hard work comes first.

• Impulsiveness can hinder you. There are plenty of times where I bought something and realized I'd never use it again and it has not become more prevalent to me than in 2014. Only buy things that will bring value to your life and something that you will actually use! (Although I hate to admit it, some of my shoe purchases like Jeffrey Campbells and Unifs were probably not my best splurges.) Practical things that you can wear every day will make you feel better about the money in your bank and not on your feet. (As said by the #GIRLBOSS herself, Sophia Amoruso)

Love. Worn for a few occasions. Prob shouldn't have bought

ADORE! Only wore for shoots. Prob shouldn't have bought

A twinge of regret.

Loved them on. Thought I would wear more often.

Perfect for cooler weather. Pants or no pants (wish it'd zip up all the way)

TOTALLY REGRET! Although these shoes are so gorgeous, they hurt like a B*TCH!

My go tos. I love these boots. They're like a part of my soul.

• This isn't just limited to shoes, but other items as well but these are the most apparent because they are more costly. Like lipsticks and make-up. How many different shades does a girl need? Apparently I thought I needed the whole rainbow and swore I'd wear it. I probably only really wore all my reds this year and maybe a light pink and coral color. But those purples and hot pinks forget it. If I had any brain, I'd make a goal to wear a color every day so I can get rid of some of them. BUT that probably won't happen. Remember, you only need one shade of red if you get one and one shade of all the other colors.
• Stop killing brain cells. Work on what you want instead of wishing for it to happen to you. I've learned this from my friend, Yousef (fouseytube), other people leaders before us. WORK FOR IT!

Be Yourself Tour

LONG STORY SHORT! I will bring these lessons forth into the new year. No more impractical splurges. Work hard and write things out to get to where I need to be (SMART GOALS!). Be grateful everyday for what I've been exposed and learn from it. Hope you're well and cheers to the new year.

xx

Dudu Osun African Black Soap Review and Thoughts

I am so sad that this is no longer my "main soap" of the moment but I must say I was very happy with the results of it. Finding what works best for your skin is a trial and error and I think this was the best soap that I've used in my entire acne prone skin life. I've heard pure African black soaps are more effective but as I've said, I'm quite happy with the results.




You can watch my full journey here.
It's most effective during the Spring/Summer months and using it only by itself, which I found out later on. I would put so much additional crap on my face but all I needed was this soap.
I did stop using face-up, although I'm dying for the chance to be able to use it again. Although I've been able to clear up the blemishes, the coloration in my face is still uneven and heavily scarred. But it's okay! And you'll be okay! Trust me I've literally had acne for more than half my life and have tried so many combinations of things that I would highly recommend to use this soap. And in my opinion, don't always trust what the dermatologist has to prescribe. Remember, this is my OPINION. You do what makes you feel good and feel most comfortable doing. Unfortunately, I feel like a hypocrite because here I am using what the dermatologist told me to use (gotta make mother happy since she put so much money out). I just wanna use it and be like look, I was perfectly content with using Dudu Osun and found it dramatically cleared my face, so I'm gonna stick with it. As soon as I am cleared from the dermatologist, you know I will be back using this soap.

Hope you're having luck with your skin journey!
xx

Habits to Help Clear Acne

I made a full on video about this so to get the shorter version of this watch here:


Otherwise, here's my thoughts on how to keep your face clean.

1. Stay Hydrated

Drinking the right amount of water is so beneficial for your skin and your health. Not only does it help clear your face, it helps keep your lips moisturized and keep your colin clean! Yeah I know TMI but really using the bathroom will become much easier if you drink a lot of water. I no longer need to use chapstick/lip moisturizer after staying hydrated so you'll save money from not having to buy this.
Things I like to use instead of individual water bottles are tumblers or the big 32oz bottles from PINK. They give them for free quite often so if your making your trip there get these bottles/tumblers for free.

https://www.victoriassecret.com/pink/new-arrivals/tumbler-pink?ProductID=196230&CatalogueType=OLS

https://www.victoriassecret.com/pink/new-arrivals/water-bottle-pink?ProductID=189919&CatalogueType=OLS

2. Washing your face every morning and night.

I'm the worse when it comes to this. I would love to say that I do this religiously but truth is sometimes I don't wash every night and morning. But really, this is really a matter of knowing your skin and washing your face when you think you need it. I use Dudu Osun as my main face wash but when I forgot to take it into the shower I've been using Clinique Exfoliating Scrub or whatever soap is currently there.

http://www.clinique.com/product/1682/6277/Skin-Care/ExfoliatorsMasks/Exfoliating-Scrub

 I like buying this at Ulta because you can use the $3.50 off purchase for this which I think this is about the lowest price you can buy it at. Let me know if you've bought this cheaper elsewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/Tropical-Natural-Dudo-Osun-Black-Soap/dp/B0027Z2720/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1405383484&sr=8-3&keywords=black+soap+dudu+osun

Okay so the link I provided is for the 12 pack but you can buy them individually or for a smaller package. Make sure you cut up the soap into blocks so this lasts longer and take it out of the shower every time you use it.

3. Blow drying your hair before you sleep.

Moisture is the death of your clear skin! Seriously! I have acne on my back and neck because I go to sleep with my hair wet. I try to blow dry my hair before I sleep if I shower before I sleep but sometimes I shower too late and don't do that. In this case, I tie up my hair. See next tip.

4. Tying up your hair.

I love and hate keeping my hair down. Sometimes I get tempted to chop it all off but then when it looks good I'm so glad I didn't. But as I said moisture is the death of clear skin so keeping it out of your face is good for your skin. So is dust! Your hair contains so much dust so if your hair isn't clean than get that shit out of your face!

5. Washing your hair.

Because I dye my hair I don't wash my hair often which is bad for my skin cause I'll break out. Oh the dilemma. So my way to solve it is to put it my hair up. But if you don't have my dilemma, wash your dang hair.

6. Using a new towel every time you shower.

Yes this adds more laundry, but sometimes just changing your towel can make a big difference. It sits out all day collecting dust and it has your dirty oils from previous wash. I don't even use a towel to dry my face so why would I use it for my body/hair?

7. Washing pillow often.

Your pillow is like a breeding place for dirt. It's where you sleep so all this dust is on your pillow. Clean it so if your face does touch it, your not putting more dirt onto your face.

8. Do not sleep on your face.

As explained in previous tip, there's dust/dirt there. Sleep on your back. Not your sides and definitely NOT your stomach.

9. Clean you entire bedding.

If you sleep with your sheets up to your neck like me, you should wash the entire bedding at least once a month. There's also bed bugs and other things crawling around in there. Wash it!

10. EXERCISE!

I've been walking for an hour almost every day. If not, I find some kind of physical activity to do. You will be surprised how much this helps. It also helps so many aspects of your life. So get out there and exercise.