Thank You (an open letter).

Funmi,


Thank you for your patience with me.

Lord,

Thank you for the discipline, the determination, the dependency that you had me establish with you.


Funmi,
Thank you for not giving up on me even when you wanted to, countless times.

Lord,

Thank you for allowing me to realise my corner, my support system. Especially that even when they may not understand or always necessarily agree or show interest in my actions, that they still love me.
That I am capable of being loved.


Funmi,
Thank you for first and foremost loving yourself.


Lord,

Thank you for an amazing year. I wanted my eyes to be open. To be aware. To learn. To learn. To learn. God. I got all that and more. I am grateful.

So grateful.


It is only by the grace of God.



Bolaxbijou

Liebe in Bamberg

Love in Bamberg.


It is by the grace of  God.....is the name "tagline" or hashtag that I have been pondering over since the thought came to me while showering. Swear, that I get my best thoughts in the shower. Just swear.

All that I have gone through this year  has literally been by the grace of God.

The good and the bad.


It is by the grace of God that 2015 began with Funmi finding her way to church just before the New Year, even though the devil almost tried to block her blessing through the bus taking her in the wrong direction.

It is only by the grace of God that I turned 23 & was able to share it in the most loving and caring environment & in such an amazing city that has a special place in my heart - London.

It is only by the grace of God that I successfully worked and made money to purchase a return ticket home for the summer.


It is only by the grace of God that I volunteered with the British Red Cross' refugee services at a very crucial period in Europe, with it having to manage the influx in migrating persons.


It is only by the grace of God that I submitted my Masters dissertation.


It is only by the grace of God that I learned the art of femininity and got more into being a woman.

It is only by the grace of God that through dealing with a broken heart, I learned the meaning of true love and cherish those that I express it to who also reciprocate such feelings.


It is only by the grace of God that I am alive today and have hope for my tomorrow.

When all is said and done, alas...it is truly only [By the Grace of God].

#BTGOG

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I saw a few things differently today.

I saw love differently:
-"sometimes our heart can lead us astray, it even talks about that in the Bible" -Elizabeth
- Friendship that goes above and beyond.
-disconnecting and reconnecting to realise the importance of loving myself.
-the chocolate shavings in my "hot chocolate"


I saw Bamberg differently:
On the way to church today, we passed by the former American military barracks:  Warner Army Barracks. It recently closed down (2014), and the territory turned over to the German government. Still I find it quite interesting that as I was walking by, I felt like my mindset towards this city was all of a sudden corrupted, infiltrated by the very fact  that America had once been here. Not sure if it was a good or bad feeling ( well since I used the term "corrupted" to describe my feelings, I guess one can say 'bad').

I am slowly starting to see my life differently:
That is all, amen!?!




What things did you see differently today & what are your #BTGOG's ?


I'd love to hear from you all.

Firstladyfunmi

OluFun

bolaxbijou

Formular Freitags: Hagebutten Oel.

Formula Fridays: Rosehip Oil.

 Welcome to the newest instalment of this blog, Formula Fridays, where I share beauty, wellness, image, and health products that I am using or have used and have proven to be quite beneficial to my health/beauty/wellness routine. Those that know me know that I am a development fanatic, meaning that I love seeking out ways to improve myself, my appearance, and so on so forth. It was thus only a matter of time that this segment of my blog manifested itself.

[In regards to the frequency of these posts, I would like to start off with every other Friday to avoid my blog being too product focused, as it is still in its inchoate stages]

Also, "Formula Friday" is not really my favourite phrase to use for this segment, so if anyone has suggestions, I am all ears.


The First Formula Friday goes to the all-amazing, yet not really talked about Rosehip oil.

Whenever I am excited about something, I dread having to write about it, simply because I know not from where to begin, as my thoughts are literally going a thousand miles per hour trying to figure out the best way to encapsulate in sentences how amazing the product is. Alas, these are my exact sentiments towards rosehip oil, and unfortunately there are no words to describe how much of a godsend this product was to me at the time that I found out about it.


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So a little background information about how I got connected with it (feel free to skip this if you're not a story person):

It was around Spring 2015. I was still in Birmingham, UK finishing up the second term (semester) of my Masters programme, while at the same time STILL  trying to get an amazing skincare routine for  myself. This was after so much investment in a variety of products. Since I am open to trial-error (at the expense of my bank account), I spent much time researching and going to the two main (huge) beauty supply shops in Birmingham City Centre to get my hands on new products. Boots saw my face a few times as well. Anyway, all in all, despite my skin getting clearer and more cute by the Spring of 2015 (my skin care overhaul had begun in the Fall/winter 2014 - even to the point of me "giving up" wearing makeup for a while because I was more focused on achieving the best skin possible), to my dismay I still could not pinpoint that one product within my routine that was getting my skin to be the best it could possibly be, and the products within my routine were just average in comparison to my established goals for my skin maintenance.

 Essentially my goals were to

1. fade my spots 

2. prevent acne 

3. reduce oiliness

I even tried Clarins "toner" - a 15-20 quid item that turned out to be something close to just water. I became convinced that I was just buying the name.

I was so desperate that I even returned to my staple from a while back, the REN clay cleanser....for some reason, it did not make a difference to my skin this time around.

In addition, my skin is most off-balance when it is that time of the month for me, so imagine being in such a predicament & still not having a skin care routine that could stand against and possibly allay the dire effects of my period. Bad combo, bro. Bad combo.

So after all this 'Google and searching' yet still finding myself at a  lacklustre routine, I very much did what any persistent person would do.... research even more. This is one of my more stronger traits. I do not give up when I have a clear goal in mind.

I have since forgotten when and how I stumbled upon this product during my research, but I did... Ah, it is all slowly coming back to me :)! It was around Easter that I found out about rosehip, because I still remember telling my aunt in Luton that I wanted to check the Boots drugstore to see if they had the product in stock. They did not, as this product is only sold at Holland & Barrett in the UK (as far as I am aware). Anyway, so I finally got my hands on it later the next week, and I have not been able to keep my hands off of it ever since.

My face literally has never been the same since I have been using the oil. The benefits for me were instantly apparent. I mean, from the next day on, there  was just something different about my appearance. It glowed, it looked younger, it caught a few eyes. My selfie game literally increased a notch. Let me just end my rant here before I become too incoherent from excitement.

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I will now lay out the properties & the benefits: 

Properties of rosehip seed: 

Antioxidants - Omega 3, 6, 9. Fatty acids that rehydrate the skin. Scientifically proven to reduce stretch marks and scars*

Vitamin Rich - Vitamin C, Vitamin A

Linoleic acid - omega 6 fatty acid  that prevents acne, allows for acne relief, reverses UV-induced hyperpigmentation.

Benefits:

Of course, from my "rant" above, you can get a grasp of how much this product singlehandedly improved my appearance. I will still go ahead & provide a succint list of what exactly one will essentially gain from consistent use of this oil, based on the above mentioned properties:

acne prevention > The idea that an oil has this benefit may seem counterintuitive, since most persons with acne-prone skin have oily skin in the first place. The oil is considered a "dry" oil that easily absorbs onto your skin and leaves no oily residue. So this classification, coupled with it having 'linoleic acid' as a component makes for this oil's ability to help with acne despite its consistency. On that note, I having combination/oily skin tend to still find the oil to be a bit oily for me, in the sense that it does leave a residue if I am not careful. But I have found a remedy. More on this below (so combo/oily skin ladies, make sure you stay tuned till the end). Anyway, having since used this product, I literally have experienced little to no breakouts. It is only when I get too oil happy with my food consumption and during my periods that my skin tends to have a visitor or two...but even then, it is extremely manageable & I have my bae, rosehip to thank for this.

evens out skin tone > I have oily/acne prone skin (or combination skin, to be more specific). As a young lady that once had bad acne, I have scarring from those pimples that I decided to pop..in fact, "decided to pop" gives no justice as a description to the torture I put my face through when a pimple surfaced. Those were crazy times, but thank God for levels, amen? As a result, I have had to deal with scarring on both sides of my cheeks and on my forehead. I effectively cleared my forehead before using this product, using Ambi Even and Clear products - but one has to be careful with their products, as you might be lightening your whole skin in the process of trying to lighten a few spots. Do not ruin your melanin, ladies (speaking specifically to my darker skinned women). So I wanted to use a more natural product, especially in the face of the persistent scarring on my cheeks. Since having used this product, one has to really come very close to my face to see my scars, and it is only improving by the day! These scars were pretty dark, so the fact that I am able to notice its significant  reduction is progress in real time. 

fine lines and wrinkles no more! > I'm at the age where I do not necessarily have to worry about wrinkles just yet, but I am mindful of starting to put things in place to ward them off for as long as possible (gosh, I sound like I am in my 40's...I'm only 23, but my mind thinks otherwise). Anyway, this oil helps with really improving the elasticity and firmness of your skin. So even if you are blessed to not have to worry about acne/ uneven skin yet you want to preserve, maintain, and/or attain a youthful look - please look into this product. 

This product is very much a "miracle" oil as it has so many great benefits confined into a serum/bottle:

anti-aging + dark spot corrector + even skin serum + glowing skin enactor

+ bonus!: 

I have seen a difference in the thickness of my eyebrows and have longer eyelashes since having used this product. This is my own observation though, and may very well be a result of other products combined. But if anyone else sees growth in these two areas,  let me know! 

With all this said, I cannot impress enough the importance of using this in combination with other products that you feel gets your skin as cleansed, purified, and as healthy as possible. So I also attribute the current positive state of my skin to having a good consistent routine with the use of amazing products that work for me. 

but First Lady Funmi, how do I get my hands on this product? 

Where to Buy: 

I use Trilogy, but there are a host of other brands that produce and supply the oil as well! There are suppliers that sell via Amazon, Ebay, etc. even if you cannot seem to find one in-store near where you live. 

When I lived in England, Holland and Barrett was my go-to store. When I went home to the U.S.A over the summer, I found that the Vitamin Shoppe sold the same product at a much more affordable price *devastation emoji*. In Germany, it is called Hagenbuetten oel & it is just as affordable as the ones for sale in stores in USA. 

I will be following this up with a skincare routine post over the holidays. The simple reason that I am unable to do so now is that I unfortunately do not have access to about three products that are staples in my routine, given my current location. Over the Christmas period, I will finally have access to them, and thus cannot wait to share with you all a full list of products that work for me.  

For my combo/oily skin ladies: As I said before, I hope you were able to stay tuned to this point, as I have a tip that will effectively help with lessening the oiliness of your skin after using this product. Keep in mind as well that the oiliness will not inform acne! It just has the likelihood of sitting on your skin and not necessarily absorbing properly. So here is my technique: After exfoliating and cleansing my skin, I make sure to use a toner that will really dry out my face. Very much dry to the point of ashiness, even. This dryness will really allow for the rosehip to act as the moisturiser that it wants to act as, reducing the oiliness that could come as a side effect. If all else fails, feel free to blot your face a bit after a good 7-8 minutes of having applied the oil onto your skin. 

OluFun

Firstladyfunmi

bolaxbijou 

*keep in mind that the antioxidant content of the oil depends on the amount of rosehip that a rosehip oil manufacturer decides to put in their oil. So make sure you read the ingredients. The rosehip oil I use has about 80% antioxidants and the more fatty acids the better! Terms such as "cold-pressed", "organic", and "certified" will also help in identifying its genuineness. 

Ich glaube an mich selbst.

I belive in myself.



Good afternoon friends. Happy 1st of December.


Apologies in advance for the hiatus. I never plan to be away, life just unfortunately gets in the way.

Anyway, I am not sure why I am so motivated, but for some reason I am. Maybe because something is telling me that something great is on the way. That the story is not over yet. The year is not over yet.


Now it is just to my own advantage to put my feet to work, literally...so that when things do POP, I am more than ready.



How ready are you for your advancement?

The first step in preparing is to undoubtedly believe in yourself. Your belief in yourself must not be perturbed, disturbed by any external force, mindset, or channel of energy. You MUST begin to build this force field, a bubble of belief that is unable to be penetrated. Live in this bubble. Walk in this bubble.


"But first lady madam, how does one begin to build this bubble of belief?"

1. Be kind to yourself. Sometimes I find myself being just too hard on myself, maybe because I stopped short of doing something as well as I planned to. Well, constantly (and in a belittling way) reminding yourself of your failure at that point in time precludes you from any future victories. Think of yourself as each and every person in a 4 x 4 race. A 4 x 4 is a track and field competition that involves 4 people on a team each running a lap around the track in efforts to win the whole race. Once each teammate finishes their lap, they pass the baton to the next teammate, and their leg commences. Imagine that you are all four teammates in one. That your life is all four teammates. There are races where the third leg, despite how amazing the first and second leg carried the lead, falls short and loses the lead for the team. The fourth leg is watching the whole thing. Instead for the fourth leg to dwell on the fact that the third leg lost the lead, they instead use that as motivation and concurrently transform that into energy to attempt to gain the lead back and win. It is the same for our lives. There are some point in our lives where our third leg becomes shaky. Do not dwell on the situation, but rather use it as motivation to make your now and tomorrow as better as it can possibly be. Think of it like this: Be thankful for your weak third leg, as it informs a stronger fourth.

2. Base your actions on yourself only. Sometimes (& I say this sometimes with full understanding that it actually happens more times than anticipated) we act and react as a result of our environment and circumstances. We use social media as our point of information and guidance on how our lives should operate--seeking answers. But wait, you have the answers. Literally, look within yourself & you will know exactly what to do. & for my fellow Christians, this action of looking within ourselves gives us the benefit of finding our answers from God, as since God is within us, when we look to ourselves for the answers, we are immediately connected with God from whom the more or less best directions flow. Also, it is important that we are constantly looking to ourselves for motivation, as external motivation will not always be there. You must learn to pat your own self on the back (going in line with the first step) and also think of it like this: Sway, you have the answers. 

3. Buy into positivity. Sometimes, at the point where negative thoughts begin to creep in, this statement is what is needed the most. I use the term 'buy into positivity' simply because we tend to underestimate how much the simple and effortless act of remaining positive impacts and turns our whole outlook back right side up. We do not tap into it because we think we do not have it. It is yours...it is within you, you must realise how much you have it, though! Think of it like this: Positivity is the priceless energy that breeds what is priced. 

4. "Bemerken" your band. Sometimes, I have to switch to German...lol. I could not think of a 'B' word in English to start off this statement (& lowkey flexin' my fluencies heh heh). Anyway 'bemerken' means to 'notice'. Notice the company you keep. Think of your friends group like a musical band. Your successful performance depends on everyone successfully playing their own instruments well. In that same way, the company you keep should be able to help you realise how amazing you are, especially at the points where your glasses accidentally fall off and your vision of yourself becomes a bit blurred. Our friendships should be our support, our motivation, our plaster to repair our bubbles at the times that it may unfortunately burst. & finally, make sure you are doing the same for your friends as well. If your friends are not doing such for you, either you are not allowing them to or a reevaluation needs to occur. Think of it like this: your band plays, and the concert is live. If your drummer is missing, the beat won't drop. 

5. Balance Sometimes, we must temper our vision of ourselves with reality. Yes, ideally we are limitless human beings, but that does not negate the fact that our time is limited. In that same instance, our belief in ourselves need to be channeled to the actions that bring the most value to ourselves and our environment. Balancing idealism with reality also makes us more susceptible to achieving our goals, as we begin to see ourselves in a light of being imperfect. We thus learn to work with our strengths, work around our flaws, and work within our capabilities. Think about it like this: We can do all things, but we need wisdom to do what is right. 

This blog post is inspired by everything I am constantly having to remind myself of. 

Most importantly, you are a being whose life does not need to be ended by you. Believe in yourself so much, so hard, that you will do whatever is in your capacity to build you at your best. 

Be blessed. 

BolaxBijou 

OluFUN

firstladyfunmi.