Whose going to be strong for the strong ?...

Being admired for being a strong person use to never sit right with me. At one point I hated being called "strong" because that was when I would be hurting the most. Why do you get to be weak and be comforted and I have to be the strong one ? That was something I never understood. How can I be complimented for being at my lowest?
I then realized that being strong is not a choice. Being strong is something you are prepared to already be. If you got through a low point in your life , your strength didn't not just come out of no where.. honey you were prepared.When you find yourself to be weak ..you allowed yourself to be that way even though you have all the resources in the world to be strong.
Being strong does not mean holding in your emotions. Not in the slightest.Its actually means letting out ALL of your emotions and accepting them. Accepting how you feel so you can move on from what ever is holding you back.Finding your peace and keeping it is key to remaining strong.
It isn't cute being the victim ;) be yourself and be strong.

xoxokaneica

"A Man That Watch Another Man Never Moves"

This quote came from my grandfather that I have never met. Couple days ago when I was having "one of THEM day" I called my parents seeking comfort. They asked me what was wrong and all I can say to both was "I'm just overwhelmed". My dad of course gave me a lecture on how to not let things get to me and how on need to focus on my school work. My mother on the other hand dug a little deeper. She kinda already understood where the source of my overwhelm-ness  came from. She told me this quote "a man that watch another man never moves". She told me this is something my father's dad would always say. This quote was so significant to my life and stuck to me. My issue and I know a lot of women my age issue is  that sometimes we tend to care what others think about us way more than we should. What we don't realize is that the fact that we stress another's opinion we  give them satisfaction and takes away our energy and believe me I need all the energy I can get lol. What this quote means is that people who sit and what your every move or even have the time to watch your every move are doing absolutely nothing in their life but watching you. While you grow , they sit and watch. Them watching you should have no effect on you cause after all sometimes it feels good to have an audience ;) . Kill them with kindness and don't let them see you sweat. Let go of your fear of others opinions and hold on to your faith in God cause no weapon formed against you shall prosper <3


xoxokaneica

Being True to Yourself: PART 2
Stay Encouraged.

"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."

~ Unknown

Lord knows I am the queen of being stressed out especially when it comes to school ,work and my social life. Stress can easily discourage us and make us want to give up. People around you who tend to not have the same heart as you can discourage you make you feel like you aren't enough. .You may even question "why am I even doing this ? whats the point anymore?"  . STAY Encouraged. That is the biggest part of being true to yourself. If you have to be your own motivation , do so! Tell yourself it gets better because if you Pray and put your mind to it ...it does. Stay in character and know yourself. Know yourself enough to know you are so much better than the negativity around you. This isn't advice I am just telling you all, This is advice I am currently trying to live by myself. The more of yourself you put out there in the world , the more people will be negative and try to bring you down. Build something I like call a "SELF ARMY". A self army doesn't physically fight nor does it argue. A self army is the defense in your head that tells you that regardless of what she or he is saying YOU GOT THIS , you are awesome and everything you are currently doing will more than anything pay off in the end. So today, start building your army. This world is cruel and the more you do the more the world will try to bring you down  but once you build that army you will immediately fight back with self assurance and positivity . No turning back now , it is your time.

xoxokaneica

Influential Women  

Okay so I've been a little M.I.A lately due to me moving into my new apartment and school starting back. Sadly I also haven't been posting my Influential Women Sunday post so to make up here's a collage and info on a couple amazing women to look up to. Stay Encourage & Motivated !



Stylist to your favorite celebs ! She styles for people like Jay-z and Diddy  and her list goes on. Her amazing style and grace is an inspiration for young black women or young women in general. Who says there's no money in fashion ... your proof is right here. 
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Our beautiful first lady ! Mrs. Michelle Obama. Our generations perfect example of grace. She doesn't just stand behind her husband, President Obama, She also stands out with her campaign to fight childhood obesity. Her modesty and grace has made her a style icon around the world. 
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Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe is a nun from Uganda who helps thousands of women who were raped , sexually assaulted or abused find shelter. In her shelter women who are mistreated can finally feel safe and eventually get back on their feet again. Nyirumbe was recently named one of Time Magazine's most influential people.
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Ertharin Cousin , originally from chicago, is the 12th executive director of the United Nations World food program. She shows ultimate ambition and strength in her fights to help end world hunger. 


xoxokaneica

"You Cute For a DARKSKIN GIRL!"

"LIGHTSKINS Don't text back!"

The most annoying thing of our generation has to be discriminating jokes about African American skin tones. People feel as if we joke about it or the fact that we are all black that it is okay to assume a person's personality due to them being "light skin" or "dark skin". Things that are being said includes "light skin girls don't reply to text messages" or "dark skin girls have attitudes". For the record, as dark skin woman , I don't have to or always reply back to every message and I also know plenty of light skin woman who can have  attitudes as well. Don't be fooled thinking that this is a majority rules type of thing. This is an unfortunate mindset that our generation is accepting. This mindset ages back , of course, to slavery days but is now being set in the minds of young girls growing up.Young girls who are being told that they are pretty even though they have dark skin is a shame. We are teaching our young girls that they are a product of what they look like and that they are automatically judged for something that cannot be changed. Young girls are going as far as using bleaching agents just to lighten their skin so that they are what is considered "pretty". Young women are being told that they are stuck up , they are not black enough and not easy to date because they have lighter skin. This needs to stop. As BLACK women we are QUEENS and God's children. We should not be treated as any less. Our skin tone does nothing but compliment how beautiful we are. It's our natural glow that many would pay hundreds for. LOVE, EMBRACE and THANK GOD for the beautiful skin you're in.

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xoxokaneica 

Don't Forget About Us !

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as in "us" I mean our HEALTH. Women's health is so important especially at a young age. As a child we had our parents to tell us when to go to the doctors, when to  take medicine and they monitored what we ate....no worries,right ? As we get older and our parents aren't there to tell us what to do anymore. It's now up to us to keep our bodies as healthy as possible. Even though we may all have very busy lives, dealing with school, work,family and even children , let's not forget about how important our health is :)

TIPs

1. Drink loads of water a day. Water helps keep our skin clear, our hair healthy, hydrates our bodies and is good for vaginal health.
2. Cleanse daily. Cleaning your body daily will help and prevent infections and disease. This also promotes a healthy body odor.
3. Be selfish with your body! This means don't let just anyone on or in your bodies (ill get more specific below)
4. Be sure to clean all makeup of before going to bed to avoid pimples and skin discoloration 
5. Eat healthy, avoiding foods with excess salt and sugar can prevent diseases like diabetes as well as high blood pressure.
6. Check your status. This goes along with number 3! This is so important. Get yourself tested, don't wait for someone to tell you that they may have "something". If you are active sexually there is no reason you should not know your sexually transmitted disease status with in the last six months, regardless of who your partner is and how many partners you have!
7. Checks up ! Make sure to see your doctor for feminine need (paps-mere, breast check etc.) 1-2 times a year.
8. Exercise ! whether you do it a little or a lot it is great to maintain great health :)

Don't forget about your health ladies !

xoxokaneica

Pretty in PURPLE ?

Purple lipstick has to be my new obsession and today's latest lipstick trend. More and more makeup brands are coming out with amazing purple hues that is every skin tone friendly. Here just a couple purple lipsticks that I have in my possession and reviews and swatches just for you all !

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Heroine by MAC $16.00
My favoriteeee lipstick and the perfect matte purple. Even though it is matte is have a very creamy application. A $16.00 purchase you will not regret. The perfect purple !


5112 by Black Radiance $1-$2
This a bright red undertone purple. This is a very pretty purple and has a creamy application only thing I dislike is the packaging :(. The packaging tends to scrap the lipstick causing the lipstick to look messy. But still a very pretty purple and the lasting power is amazing for it just being a $1 lipstick.

Fine Wine by Cover Girl $5-$6
This has been my go to lately even tho this is a dark lipstick , it is very complimenting on darker skin tones and give you a sexy , edgy look ;). application is smooth and lasting power is great !

Lavender Tint by Nicka K cosmetics $1
This is such a pretty bright color. Bright pale purple.  It may be a little bright for some skin tones but that can be easily fixed by a darker brown lip liner. This dollar lipstick is very pigmented ,lasting power is that great but it is very moisturizing 

Plum Orchid 5117 by Black Radiance $1-$2
My latest pick up and my newest love <3 . This creamy purple is a little deeper than heroine and is the perfect go to purple for any skin tone. Once again i cant stand the black radiance lipstick packaging but this purple is perfection

Vamp it Up by Wet n Wild $1.99
The deepest purple that I have . It can look very harsh if worn in the daytime but it can look very edgy as apart of a night time look . I normally use it to line my lighter purples but if you are looking for a dupe to MAC's cyber lipstick this is perfect. Application is kinda hard , this is a very matte lipstick.

Jumbo Gloss Balm in 260 by Cover Girl $5-6
This is a very sheer glossy purple for my girls who aren't really into lipsticks. This a really easy going lip choice. Very pretty!







SWATCHES !!

(starting from top left): plum orchid,lavender tint,cover girl jumbo stick in 260,fine wine, black radiance 5112, heroine,vamp it up 



Be Bold !

xoxokaneica

what is CONFIDENCE ?

Today I volunteered at an assisted living home that my mother works at. It was a great experience to work with the elderly.Even if we only played bingo it was just a natural sense of wisdom in the room. It was amazing to look at these beautiful women and just imagine that everything I am going through now is just a sweet memory to them now. As I walked out of the facility on a natural high, the receptionist tells my mother "wow, she's very confident". I smiled, because it wasn't my clothing, my hair or any materialistic thing that caused her to notice my confidence as i was wearing just a T shirt, jeans and my hair was messed up by the fan blowing in the bingo room upstairs lol. Confidence is not a look or anything you can buy, it is simply a state of mind. It is how you think of yourself.  Looking beyond your appearance. SELF LOVE is confidence. Loving yourself regardless of your mistakes you've made in life. We were not made to be perfect people . We were made to grow and learn. Confidence is not knowing how you are going to get there but knowing where you want to be. Understand the road will not be easy but knowing it is worth it. Confidence is finding your peace and to know that absolutely no one can take it away. Confidence is talking to God and knowing a blessing is coming your way regardless of what the situation is. Confidence is SELF ACCEPTANCE. Loving every little weird aspect of yourself, smiling at what others may judge. Know that if they're judging you, it simply means they aren't confidence with themselves. Last but not least STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS. That is the biggest flaw we have as young women unfortunately. Once you just look at yourself and say that  " I am irreplaceable and there is no one like me' who can tell you any different !? Confidence does not come out of compliments is come from loving , accepting and being yourself. Suddenly you will start dressing the way YOU want to, doing the thing that YOU want to do and the compliments will come naturally. Do remember compliments are not important just focus on being the best you. 

xoxokaneica