Joyful Radiance

Acne: Hey girl🙃
Me: Not today. *applies U.F.O*

Lately my break outs don’t care about my skincare routine no matter how meticulous I am about it.

So on those days, the UFO face oil is my go to along with the Saturn sulfur spot treatment mask.

What’s your go-to acne treatment solution?

Thanks for the tip in the DM😌

@ Springfield, Illinois

Skincare for me is personal. It’s not just about the aesthetics or the packaging or having the latest beauty and skincare product. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always nice to see beautiful packaging but it’s not the deciding factor when I choose to make a product a staple in my routine.

Skincare for me, is about confidence and inner peace. It’s about love. It’s knowing that I love my body enough to give it the best it needs both from the inside and out so that it can thrive and be healthy.

Part of that is using Sunscreen and the from is a new favorite.

I love how it adds an extra glow to my skin and I haven’t broken out from using it - my skin is very sensitive when it comes to new products but this blended in really well with my skincare routine.

Definitely worth it.

So, what does skincare mean to you?

1/100: The kind of success that God has prepared for you cannot be rushed. The more you try to rush it, the further away you’ll drift from His purpose and intention for your life.

Taking the shortcut now may get you the instant success you want but it won’t last as long as it would’ve had you waited and trusted in God’s timing and purpose for you.

🌹I’ve had a lot of insecurities about my body growing up. For the most part, I was usually among the tallest girls. My date to the school prom was shorter than me when I didn’t wear heels and guess what? I wore heels to prom so just picture me in a short red dress with black polka dots towering over my date. I feel awkward just thinking about it.

I used to believe that short skirts and dresses were not made for tall girls. I’ve heard things like, that skirt is too short, that dress is inappropriate, seriously what are you trying to elongate? Your legs are already long.

Apparently short clothing is made for short people to appear “taller” so I guess tall people aren’t allowed to wear short dresses and skirts?!

Not today.

Don’t even get me started on the “I wish I was tall so I didn’t have to wear heels…” Uhm, I want to wear heels too...lol. The only reason I do not wear heels is because I feel like I’ll look awkward and do you know how bad it’ll look - and feel - if a tall person falls down while wearing heels.

Between you and I, that's one of my biggest fears. Falling in heels while wearing something short. Phew

But, this year, I’m breaking all those style barriers around in my own way.

More heels, more short dresses and skirts. More of exploring what feels good, looks good and makes me comfortable.

And I encourage you to do the same. Do the things that you’ve always been afraid of. Unsubscribe to people’s ideas of what you should dress and look like. More of you and less of them.
#

😩SWIPE to see the 2 week difference😱

I’ve been using the new Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot serum from consistently for about 2 weeks now and just wow.



@ Springfield, Illinois

😍What’s your signature makeup look?

I'd describe mine as neutral soft glam and this palette from is my go-to. I love that it looks good with almost any outfit.

Having a go-to look saves me time because I’ve already made the decision on what I’m going to rock ahead of time for my 📸

😌As a team of one (for now) there are so many decisions to make; and the last thing I want to think or be confused about is what lip color or eyeshadow I want to wear.

👉🏾Little things like that affect the overall outcome of your visuals and they matter.

Having a go-to look saves me both time and brain space so that I can focus on other important things.

Do you have a signature look?

Don’t be so worried about them. You’re the secret sauce. No one can copy and do what you do the way you do it.

They can steal your blueprint and entire Rolodex but without YOU, it’s not the same.

🤎How to pamper yourself at home and boost your mood instantly:

💐Buy yourself some flowers or better yet, indulge your inner creative spirit and make a floral arrangement for yourself.

This morning I woke up feeling down and even though some of it had to do with the weather - it’s been really cloudy and gray lately - most of it was because I felt really blah🌚

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and even now, I don’t know how to describe it but I just wasn’t feeling the day at all🙃.

At 7am, as I was on my way to pick up the groceries, I got this idea to get myself some flowers, so I did. I walked over to the flower section of , used to get inspiration and picked up some flowers that looked like they could go well together based on the photo I was looking at.

🤓I checked out, picked up my groceries, hauled everything into the house and 🏃🏾‍♀️rushed to the kitchen sink to make my arrangement.

Unknowingly, simply getting those flowers and the idea of making my own arrangement boosted my mood🥰

It’s still gray outside and the rain is pouring more than it was this morning but, I feel better 🤗inside. Well that and I took 5 minutes and got some

So, don’t wait for someone else to do it, pamper yourself and get some flowers just for you🤎

💫What are some other things you do to boost your mood on gray days?

PS: while you’re there get some chocolate. My favorite is the fruit and nut bar from
@ Springfield, Illinois

When it’s your time, you’ll know. Nothing and no one will stop you or stand in your way. I mean not to say that they won’t try, but they most definitely will not succeed.

Trust your heart and your gut. That inner voice that tells you to keep going? Listen to it.

It gets better.

⚠️Trigger warning “I hate being a mom but I love my children. I’m so exhausted and tired. I can’t find space to breathe or just be me. What was the old me like? I don’t even know.

I wanted to have kids, don't get me wrong. They’re perfect. But I am tired. I just need a break.

A break to be myself and think. A break to listen to my own voice and thoughts with no tantrums, screams, cries or the word “mama” and not because it's night time or nap time.

I need a real break, alone, somewhere in the world with no kids or husband. Just me. Living, breathing and resting my body, heart and soul.

I lost me. I don’t even remember who she was. Once in a while I catch glimpses of who she used to be and what she used to like and it lights me up but then I remember that I have kids with no real support system so I can’t do that anymore.

It gets hard to breathe sometimes when you're a mom. It’s like you wake up in the morning, hold your breath all day and exhale when the kids are down for the night but then you remember all the things you need to do and you stop breathing again.

I hate being a mom but I love my kids. I am an immigrant which makes everything 10x harder. You can’t do much here. It sucks but it’s what you sign up for when you choose to stay in a foreign country. You have to dig yourself out of the dirt, and then start building something.

Your whole entire village and support system is an ocean and thousands of dollars away. It’s hard creating a new village in a foreign land with virtual friends, cultural differences and no real physical help.

Unless of course you can afford it but to afford it, you have to build it first. To build it first you need time but time isn’t a luxury when you’re a mother. A stay at home mom.”

~ Excerpt from my journal when I was depressed

Current thoughts: A virtual village is nothing without the actual physical help🙃
@ Springfield, Illinois

What’s your favorite bottle of wine?

I’ll go first, mine is Merlot. Of the few that I’ve tried, my favorite is the one from and it costs less than $10🥰

How about you?