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Reflecting on 2018

December 31, 2018January 17, 2019raceenm2 Comments

2018 is almost over, can you believe it? I feel like the year went by so fast! How did we get to 2019 so quickly? It felt like summer was just yesterday!

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Today, I want to reflect on 2018.I don’t think I’ve ever said this about any year before, but 2018 was a Good Year! I had so much fun this year.I started my blog and had so many new beginnings this year. I also had so much fun in the summertime and met some really cool people. I had bad days too, but they turned into good days at the end of the day.

I don’t want to reveal all my goals for next year, but for 2019 I want to ….

Travel – There are so many places I want to see, especially Europe. I want to go to Paris, Italy and Bali just to name a few.
I want to be more spontaneous and have more fun – I like to plan things, which is not a bad thing, but I want to learn to let go more. Sometimes the unexpected or unplanned things are the best things, which I’ve come to realize this year. Let it go, let it gooooo….
I want to meditate more – I have anxiety issues and I want to reduce those issues. I have been mediating for a little while and it has done wonders for my psyche. I just want to be calm ya’ll.

These are just some of the little things I want to do, I’m not trying to show all my goals to the world because some people don’t want you to succeed. I also find that working on your goals in silence is the best way! Not everyone needs to know what you’re doing.

2018 was a good year ya’ll, I pray that 2019 will even be better. I am Open to receiving more blessings.

Blazer – Bought a couple years ago from H&M, but you can find similar ones Here

Jeans – Here

What are some of your goals for 2019? How was your 2018? What was one goal that you achieved this year? Comment below.

Gratefulness = Happiness

December 14, 2018raceenm4 Comments

As the year closes I can’t help but reflect on 2018 and just be grateful to God for all that he has done for me. As the song says, “Great is your mercy towards me, your loving kindness, I see”

It’s been a great year! Yes, there have been sad moments but it’s life. You can’t have the good without the bad. I remember when I used to pray for the things I have now. And no, this isn’t about boasting.I’m just genuinely grateful to God for what he has done for me. God is Good ya’ll.

Have you had those moments where you’re blissfully happy and you’re wondering, “How did I get here?”, or, through your storm you’re wondering, “How am I going to get through this?”. And then you remember that God is reason why you are happy now, and you’re grateful and He is the one that is going to get you through your storm because the evidence is there that he has done it before. Have you?

One of the happiest moments of my life this year was when my mom agreed to go to the hospital to get treatment. It was hard to get her there but I remember just praying and asking God to let her agree to go. Because I don’t know if most of you know this, but it’s hard to get someone who has mental illness to get treatment. And she is well now thanks be to God.

Another happy moment that I remember is when I started this blog. I had no idea what I was doing but this is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I used to waste so much time focusing on things that didn’t matter, that I didn’t realize I had a purpose. I didn’t realize that I had these talents waiting to burst out of my skin.

And sometimes we’re so caught up in our problems that we don’t realize how blessed we truly are. Sometimes we don’t realize how far we’ve truly come.

Looking back, I would never had dreamed to have the job I have now, working from home and taking care of my family. All I have now is because of God. I could have never made it this far without Him. And I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg, I know that he has bigger plans for me and I’m grateful. I just have to keep going and trusting him.

Life isn’t easy for anyone. I’ve lost friends along the way, some family members but I’m grateful for that because God is setting me up for the ones who are mean’t to be in my life. I’m grateful for the group of friends and family that I have because they’ve really been there for me throughout the years.

Something that I’m learning along the way is to, “Give thanks in everything “,because it makes room for the things that are truly mean’t to be. Not everyone you meet is supposed to be on your journey. And that’s ok.

One of my goals for 2019 is to be more grateful. Gratefulness eliminates complaint and worry, because you can rest assured that God is with you. He has been with you in the past and He will continue to be there in the future as long as you trust him.

Gratefulness is the key to happiness.

G = H

What is something that you are grateful for this year? It doesn’t have to be big. It can be something small like “I’m grateful for good health”. Comment below.

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How To Find the Right Type of Clothes for Your Body Type

December 10, 2018raceenm2 Comments

Hey ya’ll! I’m back! Did you miss me? Because I missed you all so much. I’ve been gone for about 2 weeks now. I’ve just been going through a lot more than usual lately. My emotions have been so up and down. One minute I’m happy, the next, I’m sad. Just pray for me ya’ll. Yeah, so I took a break, I was going to stay longer than 2 weeks but my spirit just said to me “Did you start this blog for yourself or to help people?”, then I remembered my purpose and decided to start today. My advice for anyone who feels like throwing in the towel, “Always remember your why”. Also, my friend called me and told me to get my shit together LOL because she missed my blog posts and not to let shit get me down. She’s the best.

Today I want to talk about Finding the right Clothes for Your Body.

I recently took an online test to find out what my body type was. Not that I didn’t know, but I was just curious to see what the results would be, or maybe bored LOL. I took measurements and at the end, it said I had a body like Cameron Diaz. At first I was baffled, but then when I saw the characteristics I was less confused.

The characteristics of Cameron Diaz body type are as follows

Torso and upper body almost same width as hips = Me
Lean limbs = Me
Straight Waist = Me

The test suggested a few things to wear for my body type so I want to show you how I styled some of these looks

Wear tops, dresses that cinch at the waistline

I already do wear things that cinch at the waistline or I’ll wear a belt because I know that I don’t have a defined waistline. I need to start working out again LOL. I bought this dress from Fashion Nova. It’s from the Cardi B collection. This is my first time buying clothes from Fashion Nova because their clothes don’t really fit my aesthetic but as soon as I saw Cardi B’s collection I fell in love. All the pieces from her collection looked so bomb! And you all know how much I love Cardi B. On U.S. thanksgiving they had a 50% sale on everything so I decided to get this dress from the collection. I typically don’t really wear yellow but I decided to step out of comfort zone. It’s a win, win situation you know what I’m saying? As you can see the belt gives me a more defined waist. Shop it Here AfterlightImage

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Wear Round Skirts

This skirt is definitely one of my favourites. It’s from Zara. It’s snakeskin which is on trend and it just makes me look so classy.I wore this to church 2 weeks in a row, but to different churches. It’s so easy and effortless. It also makes me look like I have Kim Kardashian like hips. I mean, my hips are not this broad in real life, but thanks skirt! Shop it Here

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Wear Low V necks or U necks that fall below the collarbone

I tend to not wear V necks because my boobs are huge. But when I saw this dress on Zara’s website a couple months ago I couldn’t resist and it was in my favourite colour too, red. When I tried it on I was so happy that it didn’t expose too much. I mean it’s hard out here for us bigger boob girls. Shop my dress Here

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Wear Boot cut pants

We all love skinny jeans. I used to, but these days I find myself wearing more boot cut pants or cargo pants and less skinny jeans. I mean, skinny jeans make you look sexy but these days I’m just over them. I just want to be comfy in my boot cut pants. Boot cut pants create curvature and makes it look like you have broader hips. These are camouflage cargo pants from Forever 21. At first, I was a little skeptical about the colours because I’m someone who likes to stick to neutral tones, but I said, screw it, and bought them. I really love them, they are so comfy and who doesn’t like comfort in this freezer we call Canada? Shop my pants Here

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This test didn’t reveal anything mind blowing. It just showed me the things that I already wear and own that make me look good. If you are lost though, and don’t really know what fits your body type you can take a test like the one that I took, to find out what would best fit you. But everyone should know themselves and figure out what suits you and what doesn’t. And trust me, if you don’t know, the mirror will tell you. The mirror doesn’t lie babe. Xoxo

What did you think of this post? Do you know what types of clothes fit your body? Comment below.

Can Exes Really Be Friends?

November 23, 2018raceenm3 Comments

I’ve only had one boyfriend in my life so far. I know, shocking! People tend to think that I’m always in some kind of relationship, or, that lots of guys fill up my DMs with messages, (Someone said that to me the other day LOL), or that my best friend is my boyfriend. But that’s just not the case.

Yes, I’ve been on dates, dated people for 3 months or so, but it hasn’t really worked out, so hence the fact that I say I’ve only had one boyfriend.

The relationship started when I was about 19 I think, there wasn’t any animosity or anything towards this person, it just didn’t work out. We were just very different. He’s a really nice guy though.I’m 28 now and throughout all that time we still remain friends.

He tried to get back together with me around 2015, but I told him no. I don’t believe in getting back together with your ex. I know, I sound harsh, but I believe that when you break up with someone, you break up with them for a reason. If you get back together with them, most likely, the problem will still remain. That’s just my belief.

Yes, so exes can be friends. Is it difficult? For me it’s not, I mean we don’t talk all the time. but we do every now and then. And we haven’t hung out in years. We used to hang out though, a lot because we generally have the same friends. Was it awkward? At times yes, but as I said before, he’s a nice guy and there was no animosity.

And he’s not my best friend, but he’s someone that I can talk to. The relationship wasn’t a long one, so it’s not like I was madly deeply in love with him or anything like that

I like knowing how his life is going and I want to know that he is doing well in life because he’s my friend.And he’s been someone who has been there for me. Has there been times where I think about, “What if we were together?” Yes, but as I said I’m not one to go back to an ex.

This is not the case for everyone though. Some people believe that you should cut your ex off. I don’t. As long as you have boundaries, I think everything is fine. If I was in a relationship, then I might think differently. If I was in a relationship, I probably wouldn’t be friendly with my ex. But to each his own.

My conclusion? Everyone has different relationships with people. Some people can never be friends with their exes because the relationship was toxic or abusive.

For me though, I like to keep things positive. And every now and then I want to know that they’re ok. Maybe I care about people too much? I don’t know. but I’m always myself and no one can ever say that I’m not being myself. And yes, we are really just friends, nothing more.

I would say though, to always reassess how the friendship makes you feel. If it’s not working out, cut it off. And always have boundaries because they are very important.

Yes ,so this is my little story time today.What did you think? Are you friends with your exes or no? Is it a good idea to be friends with your ex?

Grunge Fashion

November 19, 2018raceenm2 Comments

The term “Grunge” is defined by Dictionary.com as ” A style or fashion derived from a movement in rock music: in fashion characterized by unkempt clothing and in music by aggressive nihilistic songs”

Grunge became popular in the 1980’s in the northwestern United States then it became globally known because of bands like Nirvana. While I’m not a fan of metal and hard rock, I grew up with people like punk pop princess Avril Lavigne and people like Evanescence and I really loved their style.

Grunge fashion wasn’t mentioned in the fashion industry until 1992. Marc Jacobs was probably the first to bring grunge fashion to the runway with his 1993 spring collection.

Grunge is typically seen as “non fashion”. It’s very uncoordinated, thoughtless, but with an edge. Over the years after the 80’s grunge has taken a backseat but it came back as the music became popular again.

Grunge teaches us not to become slaves to name brands and to be more self expressive through style. And I’m all about self expression, this is why I love Grunge fashion so much. I feel like I wear a lot of trends and different styles but grunge fashion is the real me.

Today, I want to show you all some grunge outfits that I styled.

Look 1

I love these bell bottom cargo pants, they’re very 90’s. The crop top is very grunge with the word “Misfits” emblazoned on the front, because I am a misfit. I always feel like I don’t really fit in with a lot of people. I added my favourite oversized denim jacket to keep me warm.

Shop my Outfit

The top is sold out because it’s 2 years old but here’s an alternative https://www.forever21.com/ca/shop/catalog/product/f21/top_blouses/2000315688?lang=en-ca

Cargo pants, also sold out but find similar ones here https://www.forever21.com/ca/shop/Search/#brm-search?request_type=search&search_type=keyword&q=cargo%20pants&l=cargo%20pants

Look 2

For this second look I wore Denim shorts overalls with black stockings and a black turtleneck top. You’re probably wondering why I’m wearing overall shorts in winter, but the stockings provided warmth for my legs. I added my velvet combat boots to the look. And of course I wore my winter Jacket because we live in Canada, it’s always cold here.It looked really messy which is what grunge fashion is all about.

Shop my Outfit

Find black turtleneck tops here https://www.forever21.com/ca/shop/Search/#brm-search?request_type=search&search_type=keyword&q=black%20turtleneck%20top&l=black%20turtleneck%20top

Denim shorts overalls here https://www.forever21.com/ca/shop/Search/#brm-search?request_type=search&search_type=keyword&q=denim%20shorts%20overall&l=denim%20shorts%20overall

Look 3

You can’t be a grunge fashionista without plaid. It just won’t happen. For this look I wore a black dress with a red plaid shirt tied around my waist.The velvet combat boots added edginess.

Shop my Outfit

Dress – Urban planet

Plaid shirt – https://www.forever21.com/ca/shop/catalog/product/f21/top_blouses/2000297222?lang=en-ca

Boots https://www.forever21.com/ca/shop/catalog/product/f21/shoes/2000304172?lang=en-ca

Look 4

I would call this look Glam grunge. I’ve had this silver dress for awhile now but I’ve only worn it once out. It looks expensive right? But it only cost me $20 from H&M. I wore a black t shirt underneath to give it a grungy look. Who says you can’t look glam and grunge at the same time? Fashion is about breaking the rules.

Shop my Outfit

Dress sold out but find similar ones here https://www2.hm.com/en_ca/search-results.html?q=silver+dress

Jacket – Club Monaco

Always be yourself whether you’re Grungy like me, or girly, or sporty chic or you don’t even have a name for your style. Style is about expressing yourself whatever that might be.

EXPRESS YOURSELF GIRL/ BOY!

Have you ever tried grunge fashion before? Do you like band t shirts and plaid shirts? Let me know what you define your style as in the comments.

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Healing From Trauma

November 16, 2018raceenm5 Comments

Hi Guys! How are you doing? I feel like I haven’t written anything on the advice and stories part of my blog in a minute. But it’s actually only been like a week. Haha. I missed you all.

Today, I want to touch on the topic of healing. I want to sort’ve update you all with where I’m at with that. One thing I always try to do on this blog is to be honest with you, my readers. So here goes…

You never know how damaged you are until you find yourself having a severe anxiety attack and you’re just so numb to what’s going on around you. You never know how seriously something affects until you’re sitting on your bed just crying your eyeballs out.

These things happened to me in October, severe anxiety and depression over something that I thought I had gotten over. Over my mom being mentally ill , my Dad leaving etc. After the whole ordeal it made me say to myself, “Girl you need to heal from your trauma”.

Me being traumatized? It felt so weird to say that to myself. But I also thought to myself, “If you weren’t still traumatized by the events of last year would you be having this anxiety attack right now?”

I realized that there were things that I really needed to heal from. So many things. I garnered that I had of anger inside of me because of those traumatizing situations.

So that’s what I’ve been working on. I’ve been trying to heal from my trauma. I’ve been journaling, doing breathing exercises, painting, exercising and listening to therapy videos. The videos have been helping me a lot to be calm and to be at peace

I want to be my best self. I want to be less anxious. I don’t want to carry anger and baggage into my relationships. I don’t want to feel numb.I want to be happy. I want inner peace.

And if I don’t heal from my trauma I’ll never find happiness. And I don’t want that. I want to be a good friend, girlfriend (even though I’m single LOL), and a good daughter. So that’s what I’ve been working on.

I’m feeling calmer now than I have felt in months because I’m working on myself and just trying to heal from my traumas. Inner peace is where it’s at baby!

So if you’re in the same situation that I’m in right now, don’t give up. I’ve ascertained that healing takes time. It’s doesn’t just happen after the tough event has passed. You have to work at it everyday. Every single day. Don’t be discouraged. Take each day one step at a time. Just try to be in a better place mentally than you were yesterday.

What about you? What have you been trying to heal from? What traumas have you faced?

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I Went Thrifting

November 12, 2018raceenmLeave a Comment

I went thrifting on Saturday night. To be clear, this wasn’t my first time thrifting. I have done this maybe 5 years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. Back then, I had found a really nice leather skirt and a red blazer and I really loved them. So what prompted me to go thrifting on Saturday? Well, this lady on Instagram named Netta started a Goodwill challenge and I was so inspired to go thrifting to see if I could find some nice pieces just like she had. Follow her Here

The thrift store that I went to is called Talize. I had been there many years before, but I wondered if they were still as good as they had been before. I also donated a few items from my closet.

To be honest it was really hard to find anything.I searched the whole store but I only found two things that I really liked. A faux fur coat and a blazer. I’ll show you the looks below.

The Faux Fur Coat

I was going to buy a brown faux fur coat, but I figured that everyone on instagram has brown teddy coats so let me get something different. It’s black and grey and cost $24.00. The price is reasonable compared to the prices of faux fur coats from Forever 21 and other stores which can go from $50- $150. This coat makes me feel rich. I felt like I had 5 million dollars in the bank.It’s a little oversized but that’s how I like my coats, it gives you room to add layers underneath if you want to. I wore it with my blue one shouldered dress from Zara and tall boots from Shoe-dazzle. This coat could be worn to a banquet or some elegant event and no one would know that it’s thrifted. Oh, the beauty of thrifting.

The Blazer

This blazer is sort’ve a pinkish nude colour. I really liked that it was so different from all the blazers that I owned. I liked that it was long because I really like when blazers cover my butt. I just think I look better in long blazers ok? I liked the gold buttons on the front as well. The cost of this blazer was $9 but they had a sale where blazers were 50% off so I got it for $4.50. I would say that’s a good deal, wouldn’t you? I mean, where else can you go and find a blazer for $4.50? Nowhere. I paired the blazer with jeans and my trusty ankle boots. This look gives off elevated casual vibes.

Conclusion

Thrifting has taught me that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to look good. You can go to a thrift store and find fashionable pieces for less. Also, you get to help the community by donating and giving back to the poor. This thrift store that I went to called Talize, they give back to the Children’s Wish Foundation. This foundation grants the wishes of Canadian children diagnosed with life threatening illnesses. So I’m happy that I went there.

Will I go back? I think I just might.

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Wearing Army Green In Fall

November 6, 2018November 6, 2018raceenm3 Comments

Army green is always in. Pretty much all the stores have this trend running every year. You can find jackets, cargo pants and so much more items of clothing in this colour! It just never goes out of style.

Today, I want to show you how I styled some looks using army green coloured clothes from my closet. Btw, nothing here is new.

Army Green Utility Jacket

This utility jacket is perfect for fall. It’s really light weight and great for the beginning of fall, when it’s not too cold yet, or you can wear a long sleeved top underneath to layer up. I paired it with this black Caribbean themed crop top from Zara to give off a cool girl vibe, which is what I always aim for. I then chose black high waisted jeans, to finish the look. This look was definitely inspired by Rihanna, who is the queen of fashion in my opinion.You can shop my Jacket Here

Army Green Cargo Pants

These are army green cargo bell bottom pants. I really love them, they so comfortable. I like the fact that they are bell bottoms and not your typical skinny jeans. Sometimes you just get tired of skinny jeans, you know? Sometimes your legs just need to breathe! I paired these cargo pants with a black buttoned down blouse from Zara. I added red stilettos to add a pop of colour. Simple, but nice enough to wear out to dinner with friends. The exact pants that I’m wearing are sold out, but you can shop similar ones Here

Army Green Blazer

Pair a blazer with jeans and your outfit instantly goes from a 5 to a 10. It just makes you look so sophisticated, no questions asked. This army green blazer is from Zara, it’s a part of a suit but I decided to pair it with boyfriend jeans. The blazer is double breasted, you can wear it open or buttoned up. I chose to leave it open because I wanted to have a relaxed vibe. This blazer is from last year so it’s sold out.

These are the ways in which you can incorporate army green into your wardrobe. As seen in my pictures there are different shades of army green. You just have to find the one that is perfect for you.

You don’t have to wear the typical all black outfits, black blazers etc. Change things up a little. Put a little army in your green! Haha

You can never go wrong with a little army green.

Do you wear army green? Let me know in the comments what you thought about this post.

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How To Get Over Someone

November 2, 2018raceenm2 Comments

We’ve all been there, crying over Tom, or Harry, thinking that we will never get over them. Thinking that our life is over. Sounds familiar? Relationships are hard, whether it’s a friendship, or romantic. Breakups are even harder. It’s tough getting over someone, especially when the relationship was good. How do you cope without this person when they were such a big part of your life?

Today, I want to give you some tips that have helped me get over someone, whether it was a relationship or friendship.

Delete their Number – This is the best way to get over someone. It shows finality. Now you can’t call them because their number is no longer in your phone and you can get over them quickly.
See Things For What They are – Look Harry wasn’t the best for you ok? He was a shitty person, but you were so in love with him, you couldn’t see it. Tom wasn’t nice to you, he used your emotions against you. The faster you realize this, and see things for what they are, the easier you’ll be able to get over that person.
Focus on Something Else – This one is really big. Put down the phone, stop stalking his instagram page and focus on something else. What hobbies do you have? Do you draw? What about that project that you said you were going to finish but didn’t. The more you focus on other things, the less time you will have thinking about that person who broke your heart. Eventually, they’ll fade away from your mind.

I’ve had a lot of heartbreaks in friendships as well as from rejection. It’s not easy, you feel like your whole world is crashing down. You feel like your world is just ending. It sucks!

But you know what? You live and you learn. Heartbreak is apart of life. Life isn’t always going to be sunshine and roses. The person who you like is not always going to like you back. The person you’re in love with isn’t always going to be your boyfriend. Jessica won’t always be your best friend. It’s just life!

It also teaches me that everything happens for a reason. Maybe Johnny isn’t the person you’re supposed to be with. Maybe Pam isn’t supposed to be your best friend for life. That guy that rejected you? Maybe he wasn’t meant to be in your life. Not everything is meant to be, you know?

Love isn’t everything. Finding a best friend for life isn’t everything. There’s more to life than having a boyfriend or a best friend.

Live your life. Do the things that you’ve always wanted to do. Focus on yourself. Life is too short to stress over things that aren’t going to matter in the end.

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Review : GlamGlows Supermud Activated Charcoal Treatment

November 1, 2018raceenmLeave a Comment

I love masks. If there is a mask out there, I’ve probably tried it. I use masks as a form of self care, and I just generally enjoy them. Glamglow is such a popular brand for masks. Almost every celebrity uses this brand. I mean, if you haven’t heard of Glamglow are you even alive?

Today, I want to Review : Glamglows Supermud Activated Charcoal Treatment. I didn’t buy this product. I received it from Sephora as a birthday gift.

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First Impressions

I didn’t know that it came with the Glowstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer.I was pleasantly surprised about that because as you know, mud masks can dry out your skin. They put some thought into this package. I really liked the smell, it almost smelled like toothpaste, really minty. I cleansed my face first then I applied it to my face.I left it on for about 20 mins.

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The Results

It was easy to wash off. This isn’t my first time using it but it makes my skin feel less oily. My skin looks so much cleaner. I feel like it has made my face clearer, my dark spots look like they’re fading. My face feels so soft and clean.

Using the Glow moisturizer

This moisturizer is really hydrating and it makes your skin Glow. I really like it.

The Verdict

I really like this mask. To be honest, I didn’t really expect it to do anything, as I’ve tried charcoal masks before, and they haven’t worked. I was truly pleasantly surprised by this. Would I use this again? Absolutely! Would I recommend this to anyone? Of course! What about the price? Well this costs $75 on Sephora.com which is a bit much for the small container that it comes in…. BUT… I think it’s worth the $75. It’s an amazing mask!

Have you ever used this mask before? Let me know what you thought about it in the comments

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