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I need to lose weight. I walk up every morning and the first thing I do is to check the scale. I probably should throw the scale away, but it makes me sane in a way. I need to lose ten kg; I do not think I will ever be satisfied till I lose ten kg.
Many people want to lose weight for different reasons but, I want to lose weight because I want to look and feel good. People who are slimmer (especially my sister) receive compliments from family and friends and I believe this improves her self-esteem, I on the other hand am bigger than my sister, so I get advise on how to lose weight.
Overweight people have (and I know will) always be criticized for being fat. For most of them the criticism has had a negative impact on their self-esteem and sometimes it may even cause depression. While a select few see the criticism has nothing. We hear hurtful words like “you swallowed your husband”, “amoeba”, “you are ugly”, and “we don’t have your size”. This hurts.
I eat a lot, I eat when I am bored, and I eat when I am stuffed. I had to learn to exercise, even with that, I don’t do the tasking ones, I just power walk. I do not have the will power to jump up and down.
I have recently come to a conclusion. I do not need to work on perfecting myself. I have found that it can be self-defeating, and a big waste of time. Perfection is a myth. It doesn’t exist in the real world and it certainly doesn’t exist in human appearance. I have decided to reject society’s impossible standards of female beauty and praise myself for who I am and where I am.
You can do the same with these steps

Read them here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/02/04/myselfesteemandi-help-i-am-obsessed-with-weight-loss/

Valentine’s Day is twelve days away and I am super excited. Valentine’s Day is hands down the most romantic day of the year. It’s a special day for lovers and single people as well.
The days before Valentine’s Day are also really special and are celebrated in several ways. Just in case you don’t know, the seven days before Valentine’s Day are
February 7th: Rose Day
February 8th: Propose Day
February 9th: Chocolate Day
February 10th: Teddy Day
February 11th: Promise Day
February 12th: Kiss Day
February 13th: Hug Day
February 14th: Valentine’s Day
This article will tell you the things YOU MUST DO BEFORE VALENTINE’S DAY.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE #LagosBeautyBlogger Things To Do Before #Valentine's Day /p74T1W-7D via @lagosbeautyblog

I have read and heard Niecy Nash say a couple times that she doesn’t want to lose any weight. She has gone on the record saying, “I like my jiggly parts. … I like my body like it is.”

I wish I could confidently say that I like my jiggly parts. But, I don’t. I wish I didn’t have jiggly parts, I wish I was a size 8 or a 6 and without folds. But, that can never be. I want to be in a place where I can confidently say that I like my body as it is. I have decided not to condemn my body, but I realize that it is easier said than done. It’s a struggle everyday especially as I seem to add weight easily!

I often wondered how she could be so confident, so beautiful and so funny. She oozes self-confidence, I don’t know if you know when someone oozes a healthy self-esteem but she does. She is everything I want to be.

Like most of us, Niecy doesn’t look like someone that would have experienced low self-esteem. But she did, and I believe her journey is one we can all learn from.

Read more https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/21/myselfesteemandi-what-i-learnt-from-niecy-nash/

Self Esteem Attacks usually occurred whenever I perceived that I had done or said something stupid. It usually led to long periods of devastation or depression. I believe everyone who suffers from low self-esteem gets these attacks. The degree however varies depending on how highly we value the opinions of those around, and what we conclude the repercussions to be.

Self Esteem Attacks occur whenever a person with low self-esteem does or says something that he afterwards deems to have been inappropriate, stupid, rude, obnoxious, off target, or inaccurate. At that time, the person may experience immediate remorse, excruciating anxiety, his heart racing, his face turning red, a sinking feeling of embarrassment, depression and/or devastation. Wishing he could sink into the floor or disappear he may immediately look for a way to escape.

This attack that may last for minutes, hours, even days during which he berates himself, is fearful of seeing anyone who was in attendance at the time he made his “mistake,” and remain seriously depressed.
I wouldn’t know how everyone else would describe theirs, but mine consisted of my inner voice making incessant remarks-often times hurtful remarks about what I had done or said. The inner voice often replayed these scenarios and when I attempt to correct these errors. There is always a “why bother, you have done enough.”

I hate the word “cheap,” but let’s face it, some wallet-friendly clothes can look, well, cheap! The material is a bit flimsy, the embellishments are falling off and overall they do little for your wardrobe. But of course affordable clothes and accessories don’t have to look like you found them in the clearance bin. And there are ways to turn an otherwise cheap chic find in to something that has a luxe feel.

Whether you’re thrifting or shopping at an affordable chain, below are five easy ways to make the cheap look chic and even give them a more personalized feel.

Read more https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/13/how-to-make-cheap-clothes-look-expensive/

Getting that ring is the ultimate goal this year.

Sure tips that will get him!

https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/01/vision-2016-seize-the-bae/

“Banke, you look nice today.”
“I know.”

That was always my response. I didn’t know what else to say. Thank you wasn’t an option. You shouldn’t say thank you if you don’t mean it. I never believed in compliments. I took pictures and I assessed myself in the mirror and I felt they lied to me. I believed they were ‘just’ saying it.

Compliments were the worst. I couldn’t believe it when I got any. And I would get sad if I didn’t get any.

I have the back of a tortoise. I covered myself from brutal attacks from the outside. Nobody dared to give me a negative compliment, my face was always ice. However, I didn’t have a shell for my mind. I could be alone and my countenance would change. People call it mood swings. They didn’t know. I had lost a battle to my mind.

I have fought more battles internally than I ever would outwardly.

I always try to stay among prettier girls, I thought their pretty would rub off on me. I was always walking behind. Or in front, when they wondered where I was. Unfortunately for me, my friends always seemed to be the life of the party. They were the ones who got noticed in clubs while I sat down in a dark corner with my pack of Berry Blast. I don’t drink – Berry Blast gave me the sugar rush. I was able to move my head and maybe even dance the night away after a pack of it. My friends always urged me to come dance with them.

It was a blast for a while but it always left me empty afterwards. Empty and disappointed.

Nobody asked for your number.

No guy came towards you.

You shouldn’t even have bothered.

You probably dance like a log of wood.

This was my reality after arriving back in my room, suppressing thoughts and crying on the inside. I was tough on the outside you see. I never told anyone about my troubles. They all though it was me being a little shy. I left it at that. I couldn’t take people feeling sorry for me. I didn’t want anyone treating me different from other people.

Read more here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/11/pay-me-no-compliment/

My Milani Hot Pink Rage broken a few Saturday’s ago-I was heartbroken. I then decided to check through the internet for how to fix a broken lipstick-I couldn’t let it go or use it broken. Using broken lipsticks just messes with your application. You wouldn’t have a firm grip, and it will continuously tilt to the sides leaving you frustrated.

The best way to deal with a broken lipstick is to NOT throw it away-yes, there are trick you can use to bring that lipstick to what it once was before.

Tools You Need
Broken lipstick
Clear, thin disposable gloves
Match or lighter
Clean workspace area, lined with paper towels

Here is a step by step guide on how to fix a broken lipstick

Prepare a clean workspace by placing paper towels on the workspace area.

Wear clear gloves.

Remove the broken piece from the case.

Twist the tube until you get all that’s left of the lipstick at the top of the tube.

Using a clean Q-tip, clean around the base of the lipstick, then smooth it out so your broken piece will have a flat surface.

Using a match or a lighter, carefully run the lit match or lighter underneath the base of the broken part of the lipstick until it becomes soft and begins to melt slightly.

Apply the lighter for just a second to the bottom end of the broken piece.

Use the Q-tip to shape the now-softened bottom end of the broken piece and smooth it out.

Attach the broken piece gently to the base of the lipstick.

TIP: Apply the lighter for just another moment and quickly insert it into the base piece, then twist it into place.

Use the lighter to melt the lipstick together so the top sticks to the bottom, then use to Q-tip to smooth it out.

Put the lipstick in the refrigerator until it is cooled completely.

Read more here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2015/12/30/quick-fix-broken-lipstick/

I read about Winnie Harlow today. I read about how she’s inspiring people. Really good of her.

The teenage superstar says she embraced her unique look because it’s ‘a skin condition, not a life changer’. She said, “I loved myself and with that, opportunities started to fall into my lap. And I thank God for all of them. Try loving yourself.”

How do you love yourself enough to have opportunities show up and you embrace them.

Opportunities have fallen into my lap and I’ve dusted them off.

My mum paid for makeup lessons for me. She wanted me to make a living off it. I resisted it with everything within me but she assured me it will be fine.

I wasn’t fine.

Sometimes I would do makeup on my face and the instructor would laugh so hard. She went as far as calling the assistant so they could have a good laugh. I smiled at her, but I cried when I got home and reminded myself of how the world saw me.

Inadequate.

I went for French lessons too. “Learn an international language”, my dad said. I knew I wouldn’t last. I felt alone. I couldn’t make friends because I spent more time comparing their looks to mine. Talking in class always gave me shivers. The tutor always made sure I spoke in French. He wanted me to answer questions. I think he had it in for me.

It didn’t sound right in my ears. The other students got it so well. Their pronunciation was awesome. Mine was off. If there is a worse word for terrible, that would describe me in that class. I totally sucked; excuse my French.

I don’t want to do it was often my answer.

An ex wanted to buy me a bikini and take me swimming.

A bikini! I don’t think he realized what that meant. A bikini meant exposure. I couldn’t even imagine how I would look in a bikini – my tummy hanging out, thunder thighs and stretch marks. I am disgusted all over again at the thought.

I’d rather stay at home thank you.

My answer was a resolute no.

He thought I was being modest.

Little did he know.

But that’s behind now. I finally got to realize how beautiful I am. That bikini would have felt really important hanging out with me at the pool.
But little did it know!

Read more here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/08/wasted-opportunities/

I hated mirrors.

My mum loves mirrors. So growing up, we had over five mirrors in my house. Everywhere I turned, I saw a reflection I didn’t want to see. I picked at my every imperfection, and when I was done with what I could see. I picked on those that existed only in my mind. It’s really astounding how glancing at a mirror can highlight all your flaws.

I wonder how my mind didn’t succumb under all the negativity. I must be a very strong girl. I am a very strong woman. But I didn’t know this back then.

Every glance at the mirror reflected every pound I’d added. Mirrors told me when I was fat. They showed me the folds and the excesses. They told me I could never be good enough. It was worse in the bathroom, I had no covering. I was not able to hide behind the clothes so I nitpicked at myself until I was bold enough to turn away.

Turning away didn’t help. It just relieved me for a while. The images still haunted me, no matter how many times I tried to blank them out.
Mirrors told me how ill-fitting my clothes were. I hated wearing dresses. Dresses highlighted the masculinity in me. Trousers made me fit in somehow. My trousers and my Converses were always a win win for me. I was one of the boys when I wore those. I fit right in with the guys.

My mum was always angry whenever I decided to stay at home instead of go out. She thought I was a home buddy. Little did she know I was too afraid to dress up. Too afraid to go over the process of trying to look good. You see, no matter how good they told me I looked, I never believed them. Anyone could give a compliment but that is all it was to me. Only a compliment which I didn’t have to believe – wash! The worst part about getting dressed and eventually leaving the house was seeing someone that wore the same thing. The person always wore it better.

Read more here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/07/mirror-mirror-myselfesteemandi/

I was single for the most part of last year-don’t ask. But, this year, I am going full throttle into the dating scene. I mean new hair, new nails, new attitude.
These are beauty tips that will work for me and you this year.

Smile
There is no way you can seize any bee if you keep that frown. Turn that frown upside down.

New Hair
Try something new this season. Get glamed up, go for looks that will definitely turn heads-boys like to look, give them something to remember.

Manicure and pedicure
It is important during this season to exfoliate your hands and keep your nails and cuticles conditioned. There are a lot of fabulous nail polish colours out there and many fun designs.

Foundation
Work on your foundation application this year. You don’t want your face being a different colour from your neck when you have to take a picture with a potential bae.

Luscious Lashes
Go for natural looking artificial lashes this season. Lashes are extremely sex on a girl-ask any guy.

Read the full article here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/01/vision-2016-seize-the-bae/

Stretch marks are narrow streaks or lines that occur on the surface of the skin. Doctors often refer to stretch marks as stria, striae or – during pregnancy – striae gravidarum. The tummy, buttocks, breasts and thighs are the areas of the body most often affected. They’re usually long and thin.
Stretch marks are the result of the skin suddenly stretching due to
1. Pregnancy
2. Weight gain
3. Growth spurts during puberty
Women have been known to go over and above trying to get of their stretch marks, but we have since learned that it cannot be removed, only embraced.
Why You Should Embrace Your Stretch Marks
They tell a story. It tells a story either of your weight loss, weight gain or of the 9 months of your pregnancy.
They are a proof that the media’s definition of a woman is wrong. Stretch marks happens to about 7 out of 10 girls, so there is something wrong with the media’s perception of how a woman’s body should be.

Read the full story here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/04/why-you-should-love-your-stretch-marks-loveyourlines/

My name is Adebanke.
I am a creative writer at Lagos Beauty Blog and I suffered from low self-esteem for as long as I can remember. For as long as I can remember, I never felt beautiful. In fact, I was an ugly duckling to myself. I compared myself to everyone. My mum, my sisters, my cousin and anyone I could find. I was disgusted with myself. I hated my hair, despised my body and most especially detested my feet. I felt God added to His hatred for me by giving me the most massive and ugly feet.
I was quite tall for a girl. Some people even described me as huge. I don’t remember ever being a size six or eight. From the time I was thirteen, I was using a size twelve. My size in trousers, tops and shoes was forty-four. That was big!
Whenever it came to buying shoes for school, I was always depressed. We would go from store to store with diminishing hopes. I always ended up buying the ugly boyish shoes while my mates had the girly and petite shoes. I was embarrassed by my feet. One would think that with all these going for me, I would at least have had big boobs. That was the worst really. I had very small boobs for my size. My classmates never seemed to get enough jokes out of it.
To crown it all, I have the biggest nose anyone I could remember or think of at that time had. They even composed a song for me. Largely because of this, I never enjoyed secondary school. I seemed to have sunk into a pit of despair and the chains of low self-esteem were digging deeper into my skin.
I never felt I was good enough. I had always felt as if something was missing, like I was incomplete. So it was easy to cling to any guy that came by. I didn’t think I was beautiful enough to have any other guy. The danger with this kind of thinking was that I always got along with the bad boys. The ones that would toy with my heart and leave me for dead. The ones that would lie to me knowing fully well I will not believe any other person. I can go on and on, but then you will miss the point.
My self-esteem got so low that any time a business idea came to my mind, I would shove it aside. I would always remember a friend of mine that was doing or had done it for a living. I would give myself a thousand reasons why I would embarrass myself if I delved into the same business. So I was stuck with looking for a job. Looking for jobs that would not require too much mental tasks because I knew that I wasn’t ‘good enough’ for the high end jobs.
According to NHS.UK, self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves. When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general. It makes us able to deal with life’s ups and downs better. When our self-esteem is low, we tend to see ourselves and our life in a more negative and critical light. We also feel less able to take on the challenges life throws at us.
Low self-esteem often begins in childhood. Teachers, friends, siblings, parents, and even the media give us lots of messages – both positive and negative. But for some reason, the negative messages are the ones that stick.
You may have found it difficult to live up to other people’s expectations of you, or to your own expectations of yourself. Stress and difficult life events, such as serious illness or a bereavement might have had a negative effect on your self-esteem. Personality can also play a part. Some of us are simply more prone to negative thinking, while others set impossibly high standards for themselves.
I let a lot of opportunities pass me by because I didn’t believe in myself. But, I will no sooner let that happen to me than I would let it happen to you.
I haven’t completely shaken away the feeling that I am not good enough. It is an everyday battle and I hope we overcome it together. This blog was created mainly for the purpose of redefining your view of yourself. I love applying makeup and all that but for the longest time I never felt good with myself. People always complimented me but I always felt ugly.
Makeup can only work on the outside. I also want to help you work on the inside.
Please feel free to submit articles on how you overcame your low self esteem and if you haven’t overcome it, I am here to help.
Email me thelagosbeautyblogger@gmail.com
Facebook LagosBeautyBlogger
Twitter LagosBeautyBlog

A few weeks ago, my mum was cleaning out her closet- one of the four of them. All she kept bringing out were Aso ebi’s that she either never wore, or she wore them for the occasion and had no use for it again. She called that a total waste of money and warned me to avoid buying Aso Ebi’s.
As much as I love the uniform colours and the beautiful patterns, Aso Ebi’s bore holes into our wallets. With some going as far as a 100k (I mean! A 100k for a material that I might not wear again!), the trend is becoming widely acceptable.
I heard that one guy might be facing jail time because he borrowed to purchase a huge number of Aso Ebi’s thinking that people will buy at N50,000 (lol!). To his shock and detriment only a handful of people bought from him-his family members. He was left with a huge debt and the possibility of going to jail.
Here are the various reasons why you should say no to the Aso Ebi trend

1. It is expensive
If you know that buying that Aso Ebi will affect your lifestyle for a number of weeks- do not buy it.
2. You have something similar
A similar pattern, design, fabric-whatever. If you something like it- do not buy Aso Ebi.

Read more here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2016/01/01/how-to-say-no-to-aso-ebi/

The way you portray yourself to others it the way they will view and treat you. If you portray yourself as someone to be used-people will use you.
There was a time I was very afraid to speak out, I was afraid to launch out on my own because I thought who would want me, what do I have to offer? But, now my self-confidence has shot through the roof, like I take pictures like no man’s business which I wouldn’t have done normally because I always thought that I wasn’t pretty enough.
These are the ways in which I got my self-confidence to jump through the roof.
I ANALYZED MYSELF. Yes, you have to analyze yourself-and I don’t mean your physical looks. Analyze what you do-THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS. I quit writing poetry long ago because I assumed I wasn’t good enough. Biggest mistake of my life! I was reading some of my works yesterday and I almost slapped myself for ever thinking that I was less than perfect!
LOOK AT THE GOOD STUFF. Many a times you are so bothered about your flaws that you forget your good parts. Look at the good stuff. Look at it until it sinks into your head that YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU TELL YOURSELF.
Shut that VOICE UP. You know the one I am talking about-the one that reminds you of how fat your legs are, how many spots you have on your face. Shut that voice up and praise yourself. You are a wonderful work of art. Tell that to yourself every single day.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Go to the spa, get expensive massages-take absolute care of yourself because nobody will. People can try but at the end of the day if you don’t know how to relax and have fun, no surprise will be too good for you.
STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO PEOPLE. You are not a model. You might never even be a size six but that doesn’t mean you should starve yourself or feel bad. Exercise is good-I recommend it, but don’t overwork yourself and don’t turn to a toothpick because you want to look a certain size.
KINDNESS. I think another way to feel beautiful is to be kind. You know people feel that kindness takes something away from them-but it doesn’t. There’s something about helping people around-it doesn’t have to be monetary it could mean a kind word. For the longest times I always paid people compliments in my mind, now I say it out.

Read more here https://lagosbeautyblogger./2015/12/30/feel-beautiful-with-these-steps/

From the time I was a little girl, I had always desired more. More wasn’t in the material sense, the more I wanted was to satisfy an emotionally longing. The longing of wanting to be noticed in the midst of a crowd, wanting to be touched beyond the physical and I wanted to be shown love beyond the ordinary. It wasn’t enough to say the words, I wanted a proof of it.

I was like the Samaritan woman, looking for a supernatural kind of love from ordinary men. And for the longest time I hopped from man to man believing the next one could love me better than the last. There were 5 guys in total, just like the Samaritan woman. The first didn’t come close to what I wanted, too young. The second didn’t love enough. The third who I thought I had found forever with left me brushed and bruised. The fourth was just a fantasy turned nightmare. And the fifth who made me believe was different from the rest turned out to be my biggest mistake.

I was the Samaritan woman till Jesus decided to come my way. He needed to go through my life, and go through He did. Just like the Samaritan woman, He met me when I was filthy. I had never been as filthy as I was then. But, He found me in the mud, and got me out. I was in a pit of despair and sin, but He stretched out His hands and lifted me.

He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. JOHN 4:4

I don’t know how many of you reading have actually felt the love of God. I felt it and it was better than anything I had ever felt in my life. It was like a wave of happiness washed through me, washed me from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet. And I knew then that He died for me, and the love I had heard so much about wasn’t an abstract thing, it was meant for me and to all those who will open their heart’s to it.

But God demonstrated His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Read more here https://spiritbreathes./2015/08/19/the-samaritan-woman/

Aaron was Moses’ brother, his ‘prophet’ as NLT puts it, he was a mouthpiece for Moses at a time Moses thought he wasn’t a good speaker. God did wondrous miracles through the hand of Aaron and Moses. Infact, the first display of God’s power before Pharaoh was done with Aarons staff. Aarons staff was the one that turned into a snake. He like all the other Israelites saw the great and mighty display of God’s mighty power. He witnessed all the plagues that happened in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, he ate manna, he saw how God made water come from a rock. He saw the glory of God come upon the mountain Sinai. He heard the voice of God. Infact, he along with Moses, Nadal, Abihu, Joshua and seventy of Israel elders went up the mountain, they saw God, God didn’t destroy as most would assume. The opposite happened, they shared a meal in God’s presence. In the presence of God, there is fullness of joy, what a sight that would have been, all those people eating and feasting in God’s presence, starring in amazement at God, it would have been wonderful! Just glorious.

From the book of Exodus 25-31 it was a time of silence for the Israelites, maybe even worry and confusion. Moses was with God. He had been with God for 40 days and 40 nights. They weren’t sure what had happened to him. He was their leader, he had been guiding them around the wilderness. I’d like to assume that as the days passed and there wasn’t a sign of Moses, they began to panic and wonder if they would ever get out of the wilderness. It was only Moses who heard and talked to God. It was only Moses who ‘knew’ where they were going and how they were going to get there. Now, it didn’t seem as if he was going to come back. So they did what they thought was best. They went to Aaron and asked for a god to be made. And Aaron made a god for them out of gold earrings.

It’s amazing to me that God knew Aaron was going to make an idol for the people. God knew what was in the hearts of the Israelites as the days went by without word from Moses. Yet, He chose to make Aaron the high priest. (What kind of love is this) Infact, not only Aaron, his descents also. What kind of God is this? If I was the one in God’s shoes, I probably wouldn’t have made Aaron the priest, I would have meted out judgement to him on the spot. But, that’s how wonderful the God I serve is. He is always forgiving.


Read more here https://spiritbreathes./2015/11/20/beauty-for-ashes/

I dread reading the books of the Exodus and what happened during the years in the desert. It was quite boring at first but now, I find that it has helped me understand who I am in Christ better. It opened my eyes to how loving God was at that time-yes, I said God was loving even in the desert.

Exodus 40 talks about the completion of the tabernacle, the consecration, the anointing of Aaron and his sons and how Gods glory filled the tabernacle and nobody was able to enter.

I strongly believe that this has ties to being born again. You know, prior to being born again, we are like an empty space, void, dirty and what not, but when the Holy Spirit comes in due to our confession and belief that Jesus is Lord, He cleanses us with water (Like Aaron and his sons) or in our case, the Word of God. Just as Aaron and His sons had to wash with water before they entered into the tabernacle. This process of cleansing gives us a fresh start, it makes us clean, holy and fit for the Lord to dwell in. The cleansing is the dragging out of the devil from our lives and the enthronement of Jesus as our Lord and Master.

Read more here https://spiritbreathes./2015/12/15/a-living-temple/