30 Days, 30 Blogs: Beauty in Lagos

Growing up, I was dismayed to learn that the sense of competition in people often overpowers the inclination to collaborate. Not many people seemed as eager as I was to share what they knew or how they acquired what they had.

That’s why people who show others the way have a special place in my heart- people like Ez of the award-winning blog, Beauty in Lagos (A Lady’s Guide To All Things Girly In Lagos).

None of that “if I tell you where I bought it, you’ll get yours and outshine me.” “If I show you how I did it, you’ll do it and be better than me.” This intelligent, beautiful woman knows who she is and she’s not afraid to help others be who they are. That’s right, you’ll never be me and I’ll never be you, so shine your shine, I shine my shine. 😀

And oh how she shines! Please read this review I wrote, or go straight to Beauty in Lagos.

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30 Days, 30 Blogs: Chloe’s Makeover

If you visit Chloe’s Makeover, you won’t believe it’s a new blog. Doyin Ubani decided to start blogging, and threw herself into it for real! Admirable commitment!

Mrs. Ubani is a psychologist turned make up artist (she trained with Banke Meshida) and she’s totally passionate about dolling up- I love how she uses her own face, look at that photo!

She treats her readers to various make-up looks (Look of the Day), tries out products and tells them what she thinks in her awesome, detailed reviews, and is generous with photos! There are many beauty blogs I love, for various reasons, but when a professional make up artist blogs? You gotta sit down and take notes!

My favourite post? The one she did for make up novices like me, about the basic things that should be in a make up purse. Me I still deleted some things from the list for my own purse sha, because me and make up ehn…let’s just say I prefer admiring it on other people’s faces. Oya, visit the blog and look at pretty photos! 😀

30 Days, 30 Blogs: Sisi Yemmie

I fell in love with this blog the very first day I visited, and I did a little review here. Nobody likes to give correct gist like Sisi Yemmie. Forget all those silly gossip sites. The pure, unadulterated art of gist giving is what I’m talking about.  In fact, her blog used to be called gistdotcom before her market became big. She’s engaged to Yomi (Bobo) and you can find yummy stories about love, long distance relationships and long term relationships on her blog. My favourite of course is when he proposed to her. Se ehn, this is a Yoruba girl who lived in Warri and went to school in Benin. Wayray, I’m telling you!

And she can cook! Haaa, lots of recipes on this blog- including her popular “let it burn” jollof rice. Now Maggi has carried her as ambassador. Did I mention her market is now big? Halleluyah! She is also good at painting her face and playing with nice hairstyles, so if you like fine girl blogs, be sure to visit.

I went by her blog today because, right before she put up her latest post, she asked if there’s a nicer word for the male organ than “penis” so of course I was curious. What was the post about? Find your way to http://www.sisiyemmie.com and see!

30 Days, 30 Blogs: Natural Nigerian

I love blogs, and you should too! I’ll be sharing with you some blogs I’ve reviewed for Connect Nigeria, and some I just discovered. The very first one I’m sharing is Natural Nigerian. This blog is just an awesome eye opener! If you’re embracing the natural lifestyle- not just hair- then this is one blog you should spend time on. It’s a great resource for living as naturally as possible in Nigeria. You’ll be amazed to learn how embracing natural food, drinks and practices will improve the quality of your life. No, no, you think you know but you actually don’t!

Do you know how instant noodles destroys your health? Are you pooing the right way? Oh, you didn’t know there was a right and wrong way to poo? Aha. This isn’t about making you paranoid, its about encouraging you to take care of your body…the natural way. Click here to read the review; there’s a link to the blog at the end of it. Enjoy!

Baby Step 1: Get More Sleep

This is the first simple step I’m taking. I’m told that if I go to bed an hour or two earlier than I usually do, my skin will thank me for it. I’m an owl, so this will take some effort and planning, but it’s something I’m willing to do, not just for my skin, but for my general health. Let’s see how it goes…

Baby Steps to Better Skin

Right now I’m darker than I’ve ever been in my life. While fishing for culprits with my BFF, it occurred to me that women really do invest in skincare more than I ever have. As my best friend pointed out, I have no beauty regimen; neither do I have any trusty products to keep my skin healthy and bright. For a very long time- about 7 years- I used no moisturizer or cleanser on my face; nothing at all. Just shower, apply my usual “barely there” makeup, and go.

I believed I didn’t need moisturizer because I have an oily face. And as for cleanser, well…I just couldn’t be bothered. I use Dove Cream Bar and I consider it to be a cleanser. Soap is a cleanser, but the problem is that it is too harsh. But Dove Cream Bar is not soap; it is a cleansing bar, one-quarter moisturizer. So I felt I was getting good cleansing and moisturizing in one.

Anyway, I had an experience which would later change my point of view. 6 years ago someone gave me a gift- Mary Kay Timewise 2-in-1 cleanser set. It contained a cleanser and a moisturizer. The instructions were to apply the cleanser to a wet face, rub in a circular motion for 2 minutes, then rinse, pat dry and apply the moisturizer.

By the time I was half way through the set, my skin was visibly clearer.

Unfortunately, I was convinced at the time that I could not afford to continue with the product, so when it ran out, I stopped. However, I recently realized a couple of things about that experience.

1. Mary Kay products may be great, but my skin most likely improved because I was taking time to cleanse it thoroughly. 2 full minutes!

2. Again, I doubt that particular moisturizer had special powers. My skin improved because I was moisturizing it, period.

I’ve also learned a few things from other experiences. I’ll be sharing these eureka moments with you as I begin a journey to responsible skincare. Welcome to Baby Steps to Better Skin!