Makeup 101: Orange is the New Red (Lipstick)

26 Jun

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As I’ve been transitioning into this whole “grown woman”  thing, or whatever you want to call it, I’ve been playing with a little bit of makeup. I still consider myself a Makeup Minimalist, but I’ll throw on some mascara every now and then–and you know I have a thing for blue lipstick.

Lately though I’ve been feeling orange lips–maybe because it’s the perfect color to begin the summer.

I have 2 orange colors I’m working with now.

  • A Cheap, off-brand MAC that I found while shopping downtown. It doesn’t even have a name, but it does the trick.
  • Another cheapy product that I saw in the beauty supply called Ruby Kisses “Shiny Orange.” I  was instantly drawn to the color.  So I paid the $2 (right after I checked a few online reviews), took it home, tried it on and instantly fell in love.
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I put both colors on top of a brown lip liner (Otherwise I’d walk out the house looking like I dyed my lips with Kool Aid. That brown lip liner is a life saver).

Anyways, since summer is here I figured I’d give you all a few summer style posts. Check out the Stylish Statements section of A Womyn’s Worth for more.

Oh, and follow me on Instagram: I’m Androshae

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How Dare Black Women Love Their Bodies

17 Jun

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The other day, some self-righteous troll commented on my blog saying that wearing my short shorts is prideful. He/she went on to tell me that I should stop showing off my body, and instead focus on serving my brothers and sisters. He/she also blamed me for “the sins of my brothers and sisters.”

My apologies y’all—I didn’t realize my outfit was powerful enough lead good men and women away from their faith.

Lucky for me, the person promised to pray for me so that I will be rescued from my evil, shorts-wearing ways.

Since all of my readers aren’t fortunate enough to have oh-so-thoughtful internet-commenters praying for them, I figured I should help y’all out.

In order to save the rest of my sexy sisters from degradation, I’ve created this handy list for black women to use in order to navigate through life in a way that is respectable in our society.*

  1. If someone is having “impure” thoughts because your body is curvy, it’s completely your fault. People are not responsible for their own actions—it’s all on you. Keep that in mind when you get dressed every morning.
  1. Yes, you might have been created curvy, but you were meant to cover up those curves.
  1. Stop twerking already! It’s only considered an art form when white women do it—when you twerk, it’s just plain vulgar.
  1. Any love of your body is prideful and needs to stop immediately. Your job is to focus on loving and serving everyone else—but definitely not yourself.
  1. Showing off does not mean you love your body—it means you have low self-esteem. It means you are looking for attention. So if a guy approaches you in a rude or aggressive manner, you only have yourself to blame.
  1. Don’t you dare breastfeed in public. Especially not when your baby is wailing with hunger—that’s just plain rude. Go to the foul smelling public restroom. That is what restrooms are for; that is the only place suitable to feed an infant.
  1. Rihanna, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and all other black popstars are the scum of the earth. There is nothing we can learn from the Queens of THOTs. Their indiscretions and claiming that their bodies are their own is not to be mimicked.
  1. You can’t be smart and sexy. No, women aren’t that complex. Either you’re a THOT, or you aren’t—but you probably are.
  1. No matter how many of you are out there graduating with advanced degrees, working hard to provide for your families, and/or being successful in whatever you put your mind to, as a whole, you will always be ratchet bitches that aint shit (but hoes and tricks). Know your place.

*Psst, This is satire. However, some of these are quotes from what ignorant people have commented my “I Wear Short Shorts Because I’m a Feminist” post and a few other posts.

 

 

Thoughts? Drop them in the comment box.
Anonymous commenting is available there as well.

 

 

I’m Tired of People Saying I Need Practical Career Goals

13 Jun

Dream8Follow My Dreams… Or Nah?

Since I’m trying out this whole “responsible adult” thing, I’ve been reading all these career advice articles for young adults with titles like “20 Things You Need to Accept in Your 20’s,” and “Things They Don’t Tell You About Your 20’s.”

The recurring theme in most of them: Life is shitty, student loans will suck you dry, and there are hardly any jobs out there so you should settle for whatever job you can scrounge.

Oh, Thanks y’all. I feel pretty encouraged. -__-

So, follow my dreams… Or nah?

 My life goals are, by most people’s standards, very impractical— I’m like Lynn from my favorite throwback show Girlfriends: I have several passions I want to pursue, I do all I can to avoid becoming a corporate slave, and if I could, I would stay in school for a while and get a few master’s degrees.

While some people can (or have to) put aside their life goals, that is simply not an option for me. I cannot function without writing. I literally write for my health—for now. Somewhere down the road, there are a few Oprah’s Book Club novels published with my name on the cover, I’ll have several by-lines in my favorite publications, and I’ll eventually step into the title of Editor and Chief of something fantastic.

But for now, I’m living on a blog and a dream.

For us dreamers, it’s easy to get discouraged—especially in a society where we expect everyone to make “practical” decisions and get “sensible” jobs. It’s difficult to hold on to your goals when people say that you’re too much of an idealist, that you won’t be able to support yourself, and that your dreams are hobbies, not careers. Sometimes, I even say those things to myself.

But “practical” doesn’t always work when idealists feel called to do creative work. And in answering that calling, we have to be resilient against the Naysayers and negativity.

Dream1So I created a 7-point list of things I’ve committed to doing in order stay on the right path of my vocation.

  • Stop calling my dreams “impractical.” For me, impractical can sometimes be a synonym for impossible. I gotta let the word go before I can fully accept that I’ll be successful. Instead, I’ll assume that under the right conditions, all of my goals are possible.
  • Look at all of the success stories of other people. If other people have done it, I can do it too. I have an editor friend over at Ms. Magazine in her early 20’s and loving her dream job. One of my favorite bloggers financially supports his family of 6 using his blog. Maya Angelou’s life journey, where she went from sex worker to waitress, to dancer, to actress, to award-winning author, is nothing short of amazing. These awesome examples give me hope.
  • Dream bigger. My friends often come up with the coolest ideas for my blog and my career. I usually think their ideas are too hard to accomplish, but I quickly realize that it isn’t that they are too hard—it’s just that I don’t believe I can do them. Thinking about all of their ideas I mentally shot down, I realize that I need to break out of my “I cant” prison and believe in myself a little more.
  • Keep making moves toward reaching the goals. I’m committing to writing more often (so look out for my posts y’all) and pitching to publications as often as I can.

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  • Celebrate small victories. I treat myself to something every time I publish an article. I celebrate when my blog stats are higher than usual. These accomplishments bring me closer to my ultimate goal—so I’ll drink to that 😉Dream5
  • Support other people’s dreams. What goes around definitely comes back around. So I’ve began supporting other writers and artists in whatever ways I can. Sometimes just showing up for people goes a long way.
  • Talk to God. My spiritual foundation is what constantly rejuvenates my desire to write. Sometimes prayer and my church music really get me through difficult days when I’m questioning my calling. Thank God!

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If you need a little more motivation, check out this article from the Daily Muse:
10 Quotes That’ll Inspire You to Dream Big

Got any advice for me? What do you do to stay on you path to reach your vocation?

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