To Make-up or Not to Make-up

By: Mashaka Williams

A make-up day

It is so funny how certain things become such a must discuss topic. Should we have natural hair or should we relax it. Should we wear make-up or should we go without.

So in true blogger style I have to give my take. Who cares! If you are comfortable in your skin you can do whatever you want.

I remember in high school I had a really good friend named Francine and she never relaxed her hair and wore no make-up only good old fashion Vaseline. And she was the picture of what a natural black woman should look like. No one had better braid ups than her. But the truth is you did not hear the guys saying wow look at that beauty. She never made that her deciding factor on how she should carry herself. I see pictures of her now and every now and then she has on make-up. She is still as beautiful with it on as she is with it off. Make-up does not make you any less or more pretty.

So you wear it great, you don’t that is great too. It is a choice. That is the wonderful thing about being a woman we can change our hairstyles and appearances. Let’s embrace it and move on.

I read some comments on Alicia Keys not wearing make-up. That is a great thing. It shows women that they are beautiful as they are. As a You tube fan and a person who has just started making videos, she helped me realize that I can do these videos without make- up and be proud.

The point is there are so many things that we have to worry about on a daily basis, let’s not make a big deal out of make-up or no make-up, let’s embrace the fact that we have the choice.

By the way let’s also accept that are skin is not flawless. That’s part of being human. J

 

Have a great day,

Shak

Perfume Crazy

By Mashaka Williams

 

So as you all know I have many addictions. I have already exposed my Ipsy addiction. And now I am going to share another one.

I am obsessed with fragrances in any form. May it be hand lotion, body butter, bath soaps or shower gels, body spray and perfumes. So let me explain the extent of this.

Lately I find myself going to Sephora to get samples of the latest fragrances. However I just found out that I could get samples of lotions and I found myself feeling elated at the thought. It was at this point that I realized I may have a little problem.

They say the first step to getting over a problem is admitting that you have one. So I am openly admitting that I may have a problem, however it is not one that I want to fix yet because it cost me no money or any harm.

This all started with a mission to find a signature fragrance, which is still my aim. And I will blog about that venture a little more in the coming month as I need to find one before my birthday in May.

So for those of you who enjoy a free sample of product, go to Sephora and get you sample of perfume they can be used for so many things. You can use them in your bath, travelling and of course what is created for is spraying.

Happy fragrancing,

 

Shak

Easter Fun with the Girls

By Mashaka Williams

My Babies dying eggs

Easter was so much fun this year that I wanted talk about some of my traditions and why I continue to do them.

For those of you who are new to knowing me I love doing arts and craft projects as well as planning an event or dinner. I take holidays as an opportunity to do both of these things. So this year was particularly special because we invited another close family to join us for dinner that day.

As a Christian it has always been important to remember the purpose of Easter. We sometimes get caught up in the commercial aspect of it and not stay focused on the true meaning. Don’t get me wrong I still give my girls and their friends candy baskets, have an Easter egg hunt and die eggs. I also go to Church during the Lenten period more regularly and only eat fish on Fridays. I want them to have a true understanding of this holiday so it was important for me to make certain that there was true balance in the holiday.

As always we had a great time and I used this as an opportunity to bond with my children and have some quality family time. We talked about Jesus and his resurrection, we talked about fasting and new beginnings. And as an adult the concept is pretty daunting sometimes, because of that I feel that this is something that needs to be imbedded in my children as a norm. That way the tradition is embedded in them.

We invited another family that we hold near and dear to our hearts and it is at these times that we gift our children with memories and experiences. I love being able to do that for my girls and know that I am blessed with the ability to not only do it but enjoy it also.

Hope everyone Enjoyed there Easter as much as we enjoyed ours.

Slow Down and You'll See It

By: Mashaka Williams

 

I was reading an inspirational message the other day and came across the statement, “Slow down and you will see it.” I began to wonder what it was I would see, and then realized how important this message is.

The truth is it is something that most of us don’t want to see; because it may shed the light on things that we have spent so much time ignoring or hiding. However when we slow down we are forced to see what is happening as well as hear the thoughts that we stay busy to keep out.

The more I thought about the statement I realized that the reason we stay busy is to avoid dealing with the elephant that is in the room. We don’t want to talk about the hard topics, or deal with the complicated issues. We want to focus on our pretty created reality, but more importantly avoid that one part that is not so pretty.

My issue with us not slowing down is that the blessing that is meant for us is also being missed because we aren’t taking the time to hear what God is trying to tell us. Which means that the destination we are heading for, takes longer because we aren’t listening to our inner tour guide, and we are busying ourselves to avoid dealing with the obstacles that we have to get past in order to see that brighter side. Going around it does not change the fact that we still have to deal with it.

Let’s start slowing down and looking at the entire reality in order for us to get through those hard times and get back on the path of serenity. May today bring you much down time to deal with those small pesky obstacles, because the sun is so much brighter beyond them.

Have a great day,

Shak

Barbie's Back on the Scene

By Mashaka Williams

Barbie's Back on the Scene

                                          
So as you may have heard there are some new girls in town, and they look like us. I am talking about the new babies with bodies that look like all women. They have petite, curvy and tall.

I am a short, curvy black woman, therefore I am dancing and screaming thanking Barbie for me in the form of a doll. It took them 57 years to get it done. My take is that there will be more grown-ups purchasing the dolls.

As a mother of colored daughters it has been really hard for me to get into the idea of having my daughters fall in love with a doll that has done a poor job of representing young women, however my girls still liked the doll. So my house has Barbies and the girls love playing with them. I really think that what they have done is amazing because it allows girls to see that we are all different. This by no means should replace the jobs of parents helping and guiding their daughters on building and having good self-esteem.

We still have to do the work. We have to let our children know that they are beautiful even if there aren’t dolls that represent them. We still have to teach them that different is good. We still have to continue to let them know the reality of the world they live in. I give kudos to Mattel for hearing the masses and making the change, because Barbie is what she is a household name. Girls still love the movies and they still want the dolls as gifts. But now we have options and can get them any doll they want, even one that might look like them.

So my plan is to find a brown, curvy not too tall with a natural curly afro. Shop for the new Barbie at www.barbie.com.

 Have a great day,

Shak

Stinky Home Remedy

By: Mashaka Williams

Last night was the worst I thought my head was going to explode. And when I thought it could not get any worse my mother in law came in and asked if I drank the dreaded home remedy tea that has her favorite ingredient apple cider vinegar. She believes that it is the cure for any ailment. If you have high blood pressure drink it with garlic, if you have a fever wipe up with it and if you have a cold drink it. By the way it also helps with gout drink 2 tbsp in an 8oz glass of water and let it do it’s work.

The stuff smells like seasoned old socks. Of course I put up a fight, but had to succumb to the need for being able to lift my head up. So I went to the kitchen and made this horribly smelling drink. It has 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, ½ lemon cut up with the rind, honey to taste and 8 oz of water. For kids you can give the 2-4oz to drink.

This stuff smells so bad that I refused to take it to my bedroom and smell it all night. I drank a small cup of it and went to bed, I slept like a baby. Wow the stinkiest home remedy works.

So today I feel amazing. Thanks to that good old fashion old socks smelling apple cider. It may just cure all ailments after all.

Have a great day,

Shak