Skin Bleaching Products Being Sold Out In The Open! And Apparently People Are Buying Them Like Water!

I was trying to enjoy and make the most of one of my days off from work. The weather was rainy and disgusting but I eventually just grew tired of being in my house. I needed to pick up some flexirods for my hair so that I could curl it and make it look less like stringy ass pornstar hair.

I decided to go take an adventure to Langley Park beauty supply stores. The Sally's Beauty Supply was having a sale on their nail polish and some of their relaxers. They seem to have a lot of cheaper products than some of the Korean owned Beauty supply stores. But their flexi rods were $8 a pack? No thank you ma'am! I would like to comeback to them to check out their Argan oil.

I walked to the other side of death highway know as New Hampshire Ave and went to the Korean owned beauty supply store. It was small and you can barely see any of the wigs or weaves. They had them hung up on all the windows and walls.I just prefer the large Walmart size beauty supply stores like the ones out in Prince Georges County.

Anyways, flexi rods at this store were only $3.99 per pack and I purchased 4. I went to browse around the store just to see if they had any other products that sparked my eye. Went down the aisle were all the soaps were and the entire aisle was stocked full of skin bleaching creams. These two West African ladies, mother and daughter, walk in and they start looking at the weaves and then they came near me with all the bleaching creams.

"I need a new cream for my skin. It's getting warmer and I need something stronger," said the daughter.

"Yeah, you getting dark already and it isn't even Summer yet," the mother replied.

The female Korean shop keeper then came from the register and showed them to some more skin bleaching creams.

The Korean woman handed her the jar and said, "This is a good one. My mom, my sisters and I use this one a lot. It's very popular in Asia."

Then the African woman asked me, "You should try it too. You are light this will make you Kim Kardashian complexion."

My mouth was literally hanging on the ground and I replied, "No, thank you miss."

I quickly paid for all of my stuff and got the hell out of there. What kind of fuckery and foolishness did I just witness? I know that skin bleaching exists but I didn't know that people were this open about it. Especially here in America.

That was a sad state of affairs. Not only does Colorism exist within the Black community here in the Western World, it's a global phenomena within almost every non-White community. Indians, Koreans, Dominicans, Nigerians, Brazillians, Ignore warningPersians, etc there is always some form of light skin vs. dark skin or good hair vs bad hair, bad nose vs good nose.

We live in a world where lighter skin, straight hair, light eyes and thin are what is the standard of beauty. Most people in their world do not fit this description and they will do anything even risking their own lives to achieve this standard. I'm not angry at these women for resorting to bleaching. I feel sad for them. I can relate to them.

I'm not the lightest or darkest woman ever but I always hear dumb remarks from people about my skin color or hair texture.

"You look fine for a dark-skinned/black girl."
"You would look like a dime piece if you got a relaxer."
"I don't date dark-skinned girls."
"Man, your hair nappy anyway!"
"That's why I only date light skin women because they don't have attitude like you dark bitches!"

I was mad at these statements before now I laugh at this self-hate. There is nothing wrong with having a preference but don't generalize or throw one group completely under the bus just because you are not attracted to them. I used to get these comments a lot when I was younger and I rarely hear this foolishness. All you can do is laugh ignorant and insecure statements such as those. You can't let a few idiots take away your shine. If one asshole says he doesn't care for your apples, then  there will be plenty of more that will eat them like they are covered in Nuetella, mollys and crack.

I don't give a fuck what anyone says. I'm gorgeous inside and out. I'm a perfect 100 and I'm always in-style and in season. I don't care what society says about my looks. I don't need to pass anyone's test. I'm me and I love my looks and body. No one else can tell me otherwise.

More Make-Up Please!

With every pay check I receive, I now at least buy something new make-up wise. I'm usually at the CVS up the street from my house or the Target in Columbia Heights when I perform these make-up hauls. Most of the time I stock up on lip sticks or tinted lip balms. I hate lip glosses or lip stains because the colors never really stay and I always preferred the lipsticks because they were more consistent. 

Before I was so reluctant and afraid to try any of it.  I used to believe that the bright colored lipsticks and eye shadows wouldn't look good on me because of my darker skin color. There also weren't many foundations that really were in my color or tone either. Whenever I tried it myself, I felt like I looked like a clown or that it looked stupid on me. I was so insecure back then and for years I just went without it. 

Last Summer, out of curiosity I brought a stick of Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick and I live for it! I'm wearing it in a soft pink hue the picture above along with Cover Girl Queen Foundation. Whenever I wear make-up, I try to keep it as simple as possible even when I'm wearing foundation and the other extra stuff. I usually just wear lipstick and some mascara. Ironically, the bright and bold colors that I always shied away from look the best on me. In the picture below me, I'm wearing Revlon's Berry Smoothie Lip Butter. I used to be only for M.A.C but I love Revlon and Wet and Wild better now. They have improved their color system and they are much more cheaper and cost effective. 

Honestly, it is all about confidence. Even if you are wearing Blue or Neon Yellow you have to own and it rock. I feel very ecstatic that I have found what works for me and I always receive compliments on my make-up and just overall beauty.

Okay, I sorta miss my curly hair but not really!

For the last couple of weeks I have been debating with myself to either stay with the straight hair or go back to curls. Straight hair equals minimal styling, length retention, and few tangles. But it's getting warm again and I want to go swimming soon. I don't feel like spending more on trying to keep it straight. If I go curly, I will have to have a set style for my hair for a couple weeks, wash, detangle and keep it moisturized. I wish I could find some sort of middle ground for both but I will have to choose one eventually.

Since September 2012, I have been getting my hair straightened at a Dominican salon. I wanted to sort of  just keep my hair straight for a while since I started working full-time. I don't mind my curly hair but I just didn't have the same amount of time to do it anymore. I also wanted to change my look.

I have been natural since 2005 and I just started taking care of it while I was in college from 2008-2012. I would wear weaves, wigs, braids, twists, and occasionally do braid outs. I would wash my hair at least once a week. I experimented with cowashing, prepooing, henna, Indian herbs, bar shampoos, etc. I feel like I did so much with my hair. I was very angry for a while because I didn't receive the results that I wanted. My hair needed a rest and so did I.

The salon I visit washes, deep conditions, blow drys and flat-irons my hair straight. It costs me in total $50. I go every 4-6 weeks. My hair always stays straight and I never have trouble with it reverting. The only time when my hair is curly is when they wash it. That's all I do to my hair currently. I will pin it up or bun it but I don't do anything else besides that.

This simplicity is what I have been missing as far as hair goals and overall health. Since I do minimal styling, I have no split ends or tangles. I always get dandruff and flakes. With my hair straight, it's not as severe and I can manage it much more easily. My hair is also much thicker and it grew longer. But the problem is that I still don't know what works for my hair product wise. If I were to go back to curls, what would I use?

I want to do henna again just to cover some random silver hairs and to bring back my auburn color. for the Summer. I'm going to go to maybe Lush, Trader Joes or Whole Foods and see if they have some shampoo products at are safe and fight flakes. As far as conditioner, I stick with Mane and Tail or Tresemme. I might Creme of Nature a try.

I'm very excited for this Summer as far as my hair. I will be rocking long kinky twists and some bantu knot outs. I can't wait!

True Life: I'm A Grown Woman And I Can't Swim!

When I was about 5, I was enrolled along with my older brother into a evil religious Summer camp. Thank goodness it was only a day camp. At this camp, they feed us, let us play, shoved religion down our throats and occasionally we will go to a field trip.

The only thing I remember about this camp is when we took a trip to the swimming pool. To make the long story short I went into the deeper end of the pool and  I nearly drowned. Thank goodness a random older girl saved me. This incident didn't cause me to resent being near water but I never learned how to swim!

I'm so embarrassed that I'm 22 and I can't swim. Most of it is my fault. I really hate public pools. I lived in an apartment complex that had some unsavory residents and when the pool hall opened they would occasionally fight each other, sexually harass people and steal your shit while your in the pool. I'm sorry pools=ghetto hoodrats. I don't want random Chief Keef looking guys dunking me or trying to come behind me while I'm treading in the water. Can I just swim in peace?

I prefer lakes, rivers, and beaches. I live in DC and the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers are polluted and filled with snake fish. There's no way in hell I would swim in that murky water. The major beaches are all 3-4 hours away and the only time you can really visit them is in the Summer. By September the water is freezing and it's way to cold to swim in.

So, what is a girl to do? Well this Summer I'm going to suck it up and learn at a pool. There is a nice pool in the Adams Morgan area and I'll just go there to avoid the street urchins and Predator look alikes. I'm not the worst swimmer. I can float and so some basic swim techniques. But I can't swim underwater without freaking out. I'm not attempting to be Micheal Phelps but have to learn this.

Outfit of The Day: Aztec Lycra Maxi Dress

It's funny how in weather in DC has mood swings like a teenager going through puberty. I reached 90 degrees today. I'm loving the heat but I'm not ready yet for it to be this sweaty mess up your hair type heat. Luckily I was indoors at work mostly! I decided to wear this maxi dress that I finished last night out.

I used Lycra fabric that I purchased from my job. It was $9.77 per yard and I only used about a 1 1/2 to make this. When I was in the store I draped it over my body and this Polish lady at my job was like "YESSS! It is goood for your sexy body!" I'm glad I brought this and it was the last piece on the roll!

The pattern is Aztec/Southwestern inspired and it is repeated in panels along the selvage. I was originally going to make this into a shirred tube maxi dress. But I love the caftan/kimono sleeves on my figure. I will wear a tube top but I don't have time to deal with the drama of my 32G breasts being on display. This style shows my figure but it also doesn't have my twins leapfrogging out. 

Reality TV: A Modern Day Morality

When I was younger, I really wanted to be on MTV's "The Real World". 7 random strangers in their early 20s we able to live rent-free in a nice mansion or loft provided by MTV, party, fight and have sex while being filmed 24/7. At the time, I thought this was cool. Now, that would be the last thing I ever would want to do with my life!

For years, critics of reality television bashed it for it's violence, glorification of sex, stereotyping of gender, racial and sexual minorities. Some don't see the point of it because it's just as staged as a regular sitcom or drama show and see it as a cheap way to take away air time from regular scripted shows. I've watched dozens of the shows and I now see the goal of all this.

The point of these shows is to tell the viewer how not to live out their life. For example, Vh1's "Love and Hip Hop" franchise. "Love and Hip Hop" has two separate shows; "Love and Hip Hop New York" and "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta". Produced by Mona Scott-Young, these shows feature the lives of rappers and singers within the Hip Hop industry. Some are seasoned artists such as Joe Budden, Consequence, Lil' Scrappy, etc. Others are aspiring or rising artists such as K.Michelle, L'Orel and Joseline Hernandez.

The ironic thing about this series is that you rarely see anyone producing records or singles. Most of the time the cast members are having twitter beefs, baby mama drama, love triangles, or physically fighting with each other. Don't get me wrong I love to see ratchet TV. But I look at these shows for entertainment value only and I would never want to trade lives with any of these people. You can not pay me to make an ass out of myself on national TV. Even if you promised to pay of my loans. I'm not doing it.

The thing that makes me sad about this show is that these people have the most dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships. These women have such a low view of themselves that they will settle for any type of man as long as he has a penis and some wealth. I cringed at whole Stevie J/Joseline/Mimi tryst. These two grown women are vying for the affection of Master Splinter with multiple baby mamas. Yuck. Or Kaylin who was once homeless and was taken in by her beau Joe Budden. Kaylin will support Joe with anything and everything he does. Even if that means cheating on her with his ex Tahiry. I'm still baffled at Erica. Scrappy cheated on her with the rapper Diamond and left her and their daughter and cheated on her again on television with Buckeey from Flavor of Love 2. He also doesn't pay child support for their child and not to mention his overbearing former pimp mother Mama Dee disrespects Erica. Yet Erica accepts his coon ass proposal that the reunion? SMH. I have dealt with very bad relationships in the past but I'm glad that at least I know my damn worth!

For a while, I used to be a die hard viewer of the Oxygen series, "The Bad Girls Club". Created by the producers of "The Real World", the original  premise of the show was to have 7 self-proclaimed "bad girls" live together and receive counseling and therapy for their behavior. The first two seasons  followed this goal. The girls had to keep a job, there was no hitting or fighting allowed and the producers actually mediated many of their conflicts. Sure there was drama and physical fighting. But these original girls seemed like they actually wanted to change their lives and they weren't trying to prove that they were the queen of their hood.

With each season of Bad Girls Club, everything gets more toxic and violent. From seasons 3 to it's current season 10, the altercations have increased, there is more bullying and these girls never learn their lesson. Now the girls are trying to one up each other to see who is the baddest girl or the fan favorite. It has been more about camera time and exposure and who has the best hands than having sense or changing their basic behavior. These chicks live only in the present. Their goals include being rapper, being on KING magazine, getting drunk and fighting over towels and hot pockets.  Oh yeah and jumping people! On the 8th season, they all basically jumped each other. At one point six of the girls jumped one girl.

Even though they are adults, I refer to them as girls because they act as if they just entered their freshman year of high school. These women are in the same age group as my peers and I, which is 18-29. I never have seen such basic women with no future or no prospects. Do they think that being the best fighter in the house will get them a career, a degree, or respect?

I had a friend who wanted to try out for this crap. Really? Most of these girls will never be taken seriously or have a regular job. Who would want someone who spends their free time throwing mattresses in a swimming pool in their office? What man would want a yelling banshee screaming about how much she is a "bad bitch" as a wife or mother? I bet these chicks bride prices are equal to 12 dozens eggs.

You could never pay me to do any of this shit. Once a reality tv junkie, I prefer Scandal, Deception, and The Walking Dead. I want to also get into Dr. Who as well.I think that's one of the reasons why I'm stepping away from shows like this. The scripted shows are much more creative, interesting, and positive. Each show has something for everyone and I don't feel guilty or ashamed after I watch them.

Yes! I'm back and blogging again!

I have been thinking about my old blog "I Have More Issues Than Vogue" for weeks now and how much I missed it. It's been over 3 years since I officially used the blog. For a good while today I was reading my old posts and I had a good laugh. I was very wild and unfiltered when I was younger. I'm still the same person but I have come a long way as far as life. Before I was much more impatient, immature, and insecure with life. Even though right now I'm not leading the ideal life, I have accomplished a lot in these 3 years alone.

For starters, I graduated from my mind fuck of a college. Each year I lost more of my sanity. I couldn't take another semester of the ignorance, drama, terrible food, and the high population of basic humans. I'm not the most religious person but I thank God from saving me from those heathens.

Shortly after I finished my amazing internship, I found a job at a local textile shop. At first I loved it but now it's a nightmare. Don't get me wrong, it's a great resource to have as a budding fashion designer/stylist but it's not enough for me. Since the new laws about providing healthcare to companies with more than 150+ workers has gone into effect, my company forced everyone to go part-time. At first I was upset, but now I'm actually happy that happened to me. I have more free time to myself! I now work only 4 days a week and I have 3 days off in a row. Even though I'm making less, much of my stress has been reduced and this has given me more drive to work on my clothing, save money and leave DC.

Throughout my life I have always been thrown into crazy situations like this. In the past I haven't always dealt with this circumstances in the most positive way. But one thing I can say is that I always come back after every failure and down fall I've had. I don't feel like I have been defeated. People expect me to be sad and ashamed of my situation but I'm not. For once in my life I'm proud of myself and that I love me inside and out! The future will be bright and prosperous for me. I can feel it.