I attended the New Nostalgia virtual beauty conference hosted by Olamide Olowe, co-founder of Topicals a few months ago. During the conference, Olamide shared her skincare experience and dissatisfaction with certain products that inspired her to create a brand for women like herself.
Topicals is a skincare brand that celebrates our imperfections. Their formula specifically focuses on women who have problems with eczema and hyperpigmentation. As someone who battled with both, I knew I wanted to give the products a try.
Women with skin conditions are often left out of the conversation when it comes to beauty and skincare. I love how the brand brings attention to women who are confident in their skin no matter what.
After the conference, Olamide offered free samples to all attendees. I got a chance to try the “Like Butter” overnight mask for eczema-prone skin and “Faded” serum for hyperpigmentation. I love both products. I will be ordering full-sized containers when they go live!
Although the launch date has been delayed due to COVID-19, they have continued to show up for their community. In April, Topicals created a product called Washed Up, a hand sanitizer for itchy, inflamed skin.
In May, Topicals donated $6500 to Sad Girls Club in New York. They also partnered with Therapy for Black Girls to offer free group memberships. Topicals is more than a skincare brand. They help women find community, connection, and skincare advice.
I follow both their Instagram and Twitter and I have learned so much about skincare ingredients. Their posts have been extremely informative and I look forward to their official launch. To stay up to date on Topicals, sign up for their mailing list at mytopicals.com and follow them on social media @mytopicals. Trust me you don’t want to miss this!
Since I started the week feeling pretty down, I wanted the end it with some positivity. Daily affirmations are a great way to change your mindset and eliminate any negatives thoughts.
Today’s affirmation: I am focused. I am in alignment. I am unstoppable.
I had to really put these words to the test before I even started writing this post. My coworker messaged me asking If I could I do him a favor. Well, this favor involved public speaking. He asked me to speak at an event hosted by the mayor of San Francisco.
I was thinking, “Who can I ask to do this in my place?” I normally shy away from public speaking outside of work because it makes me nervous.
Funny thing is, I’m not shy at all. I’m a dancer and I’ve performed in front of over 1,000 people. But there is something about speaking that pulls me out of my comfort zone.
Before I gave him the name of someone else who I thought would be a good fit, I came back to my affirmation. I often pray that God will use me as a vessel, so when he presents new opportunities I have to respond accordingly. Ultimately, I said yes. Now I need to prepare and pray that my nerves don’t get the best of me.
I am focused. I am in alignment. I am unstoppable.
I lived in California for nearly two years, so keeping my skin and hair moisturized was the ultimate challenge. No matter how much moisturizer I used, I always found myself needing more by the end of the day. I was tired of my skin looking so dull and my curls feeling like Cheetos.
I decided to try something new. I heard a lot of influencers talk about Olly vitamins. I was particularly interested in the vitamins for hydrated youthful skin. The vitamins contain hyaluronic acid which is great for hydration. An esthetician I follow on IG always says hyaluronic acid is basically water for the skin.
September of 2019, I finally decided to order a bottle of the Olly Glowing Skin vitamin gummies from Target. I took them every night after dinner and I noticed a difference immediately. My skin looked so much brighter and my scalp didn’t feel as dry. I was sold! I have been taking these vitamins every day for the past 9 months.
Something else I love about the vitamins is that you don’t need water. You take two a day and you eat them like fruit snacks. I personally decided to increase my water intake along with these vitamins because I know I need it. I try my best to drink nearly a gallon of water a day. Let’s just say my hair, skin, and nails are thanking me!
Ultimately, hydrated hair and skin start from within! I 100% recommend you give the Olly vitamins a try. If you do, let me know what you think!
This week my energy has been off and I noticed something wasn’t sitting right in my spirit.
After doing some journaling, I think it had a lot to do with the passing of Naya Rivera and Nicole Thea.
For some reason, my mind kept going back to Nicole’s story in particular. She was 24 years old, a content creator, and such a fun dancer. After watching a few of her dance videos, her personality reminded me a lot of myself. It broke my heart when I learned that she passed away 8 months into her pregnancy.
I think I felt it the most when I thought about my own personal birth story. It’s part of the reason why my mother named me Destiny. My mom spent 6.5 months of her 9-month pregnancy in a hospital fighting for my life after doctors told her that I wouldn’t make it. They were not supportive at all. They had completely given up on the delivery of a healthy baby but my mom never gave up.
I now feel a personal connection to women who have pregnancy complications and face challenges like my mother. I can only pray that I don’t have to experience something similar if I ever decide to have children.
Thank you for allowing me to share my feelings with you all. I give myself permission to not always be ok and work through these emotions. I hope you do the same! If you would like to share how you have been feeling lately, add a comment below.
I’ve decided to go back to my wash-n-go for the next few months. I’m the type of girl who likes low maintenance hair. Therefore, this is the perfect style for me.
Last week, the Georgia heat disrespected my twist-out. After two days of humidity, my curl definition completely disappeared. (I don’t think I can do anymore twist outs until fall (LOL).
After 3 years, I finally found a wash-n-go routine that works. I use the following products to make sure my curls look good all week without flaking:
Spray bottle- You will use the spray bottle to make sure each section is wet before applying any product.
Leave-in conditioner- My favorite leave-in conditioner is the curl activator moisturizer by S-curl. Coat each strand from the roots all the way to the ends before applying any other product.
Gel- This is going to lock in the definition. Right now, I am using the olive oil & shea butter eco style gel. Apply in small sections. Next, finger coil to achieve the best results.
Curl control paste- I use the passionfruit curl control paste by Curls on the sides of my tapered cut. It can be hard to find so here is a link to the blueberry curl control paste instead.
I hope this helps. If you would like to see a video of my wash-n-go routine leave a comment below!
Protective styles are a natural girls favorite. Not only do they help protect your hair, they also allow you to add length and color.
I love switching it up. Therefore, when I go back to wearing the same protective styles, I always find a way to make it different than the last time I wore it. In today’s blog post, I am going to help you find ways to switch up your protective styles so that you never get tired of them.
Add decorative beads or some metallic string. You can find both of these items at your local beauty supply store. Protective styles are also a great way to add color without fully committing. I like to add brown highlights in my braids.
Try a new part design. My stylist Verna is known for her amazing parts. A few months ago we tried triangle parts for the first time and I fell in love. If you are feeling extra adventurous you can add an undercut like I did. You can also add cool designs in your undercut.
Try a fish tail braid. This was my all time favorite. I tried this style to add an elegant touch to my look when attending a ball. If you don’t know how to create a fishtail braid, try a regular braid or a large twist.
I hope this helps you the next time you decided to get a protective style. Also, if you are looking for a stylist in the Atlanta area, connect with @touchedby_vee on Instagram. Tell her I sent you!
