#TravelThursday Let's go partying!

Travelling is fun, especially when you experience all the things your destination has to offer, including the nightlife!

But, is there anything you need to know or watch out for when travelling?
Let's see...


FIND A GUIDE

If you are travelling to a place where you already have a friend that lives there, good for you. But even if you do not, never fear. You can ask tour guides, hotel staff etc but PLEASE take precautions.

The aim is someone who knows all the fun spots and places to stay away from!


KNOW THE LAWS

You know what would really suck? If you were far away from home on holiday, having the time of your life, and then, you got arrested!

Learn the dos and don'ts of where you are. What is allowed and what is banned? Are there age restrictions for buying alcohol or being in a club?

FOOD AND DRINK

I think this is even important at any time of the day, but especially at night, because if you take in something not compatible with your body system, medical care might be harder to get.

So watch what you eat or drink, avoid trying out strange foods, especially if you have allergies.

Paris has some of the best wine tasting places i have been to, yet i will not jump in and just drink anything without checking properly. Unless you want to spend youur fun night in the toilet.

MONEY

Apart from changing to the right currency, before you carry yourself out of the house, you also have to be sure of how much things cost.

Hennessy and Moet are not the same price everywhere, so please know prices before ordering, especially if you are in a strange place.

Do not be so sure, you can swipe your card. And always carry extra money for emergency, you don't want to end up washing plates in a strange club somewhere.

I hope these tips help!.

#MondayMotivation This is YOUR life; are you who YOU want to be?

This post is about those who have balls, and those who don't.

Working on radio exposes me to all kinds of music- the good, the bad and the 'why na?'. Sometimes a big artiste releases a new song and they are taken to the cleaners and I'm like, o wow.

But to be honest, fighting for your dreams takes accepting criticism and ugliness. Question is, can you fight for your dreams the way artistes (even those we criticise the harshest) calmly release their song, overlook the hate and keep going on?

Sometimes we even knock ourselves down (and out) before others do, by thinking of what people would or would not say.

They want to model but on twitter there are so many jokes about how everyone is a model these days, so they never work on their portfolio.

They are good writers but instead of opening a blog, they listen to people laugh at bloggers and how suddenly everyone owns a blog. (re: blogs. It is okay for EVERYONE to own a blog. That is what a blog is all about. It is like an online diary. I don't get why all the fuss.)

My point is, sometimes we spend so much time knocking ourselves down that there is no need for anyone else to do it for us.

And for me, i pray i can truly say, this is my life, this is who i want to be.

Not some times, but ALL the time.

#TMHowTo Rocking Black to Work withTosyn Bucknor and Metrogypsie

I'm teaming up with Metrogypsie for a #TMHowTo series.

Last week was all about black!

Black is like one of those cool guys in school that is up for anything.
You can dress it up, down, edgy, cool, plain, pop, loud or as quietly as you want.

My first job is on radio. Then after 11, it varies. I can do tv, write, consult, blog, or become 'CON.tra.diction' and go make some music.

I therefore like to dress 'prepared' because you never know.

The trick is to always have that one thing that jazzes your look up; colour, a hat or scarf, shorts etc.

Here are the five looks I rocked this week.

MONDAY
How to start the week? Feeling powerful and sexy!

TIP: Watch the stripes!
Vertical stripes can be bad for me but because these are really big stripes it works.

Dress: Amisu
Shoes: San Marina

TUESDAY
Tuesday was my second favourite look from the week. I had a tv appearance after my radio show so threw on my signature shorts and hat.

Shorts: Promod
Watch: Daniel Wellington
Cuff: Yemi Alade Collection

WEDNESDAY
A jump/playsuit is one item you should own but here's my little advise for when you wear it
- DON'T drink fluids!
Or at least not a lot. Going to pee in one of these babies is a hassle.
- CUT it short!
I wear jumpsuits (or the shorter equivalents, playsuits) on days I think will be short.

Shoes-
Scarf-

THURSDAY
This was my favourite look from the week.

TIP: Check the knees!
When you wear a dress to work, ensure your dress length conforms with your work rules. When in doubt, go below the knee.

Dress: Mango
Shoes: Rivieras
Watch: Swatch

FRIDAY
Radio to Music. I had a studio session after work so I was channeling my inner rockstar.
By the way, quick debate- is my shirt black with pink or blue with pink

Top: Promod
Shoes: Thandos

Check out www.metrogypsie.org for details of Metrogypsie's looks.

Le Who? Our Favourite former Foreign Coaches

We just took an L sha.

We thought we had a new coach for the Super Eagles but seems Le Guen is Le No. 

They will hopefully soon announce a new coach but this got me thinking about some of our past foreign coaches.

Here is a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Clemens Westerhof 

Clemens Westerhof is the most successful coach of the Super Eagles ever. It was under his guidance that the name of the team changed from Green Eagles to Super Eagles. He led the team to win the Nations Cup in 1994 and qualify for our first World Cup in the same year. He coached from 1989-1994.

Otto Glória 

I read about Otto Gloria the Brazilian who coached Nigeria from 1978-1982. The former Portugal coach guided Nigeria through the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, which the team won in the final in Lagos with a 3-0 win over Algeria.

Johannes Bonfrere 

Another Dutchman like Clemens. He was in Nigeria to assist Westerhof, but later became head coach. His achievement with the women‘s team gave him the opportunity to be in charge of the Olympic football team in 1995 and the following year led the team to win gold at Atlanta‘96 Olympic
Games.

John Finch 

I read about John Finch an Englishman. He led Nigeria to our first international game against Sierra Leone on October 8, 1949, back when both countries were under British administration. Nigeria won 2-0. He was the one who handed over to Daniel Anyiam who became the first indigenous coach of the national team.

There are about 14 other foreign coaches who have coached the Nigerian football team, with varying degree of success. I just hope we get a coach this time, who will lead the team to greater heights, foreign or local.

#SkincareSaturday How to deal with Reptilian Skin

Hi all.

Ever taken a picture and just wanted to photoshop yourself out of it because you look so ashy? Or perhaps you just feel bad and dry throughout the day and can't wait to get back home?

Me tooooo! So today's Skincare post is all about helping you tackle something I have to deal with regularly- dry skin.

There's dry, and then there's DRY. Some days my skin is so dry i can see scales. Lol.

We are born with the skin we have- oily, dry, normal, combination etc but there's no law against finding out ways to enjoy the good and run away from the bad!

So what should you do about your skin?

- Mosturise
I might as well walk around with a t shirt that says 'mosturise' because I mention it so much but it goes a long way. It's not just mosturising though, it's when and with what.

If you have dry skin, use oils, petroleum jelly and ointments.

Also, use these immediately after getting in contact with water. So for example, when you take a bath, don't wait around before using your cream, do it immediately.

Pat not rub vigorously when trying to dry. Water isn't bad for you so even though you should dry yourself when you wash your hands or come out of the shower/pool/sea, dab.

- Don't leave home without it!
Keep a hand cream (or more) in your bag for use during the day because the truth is, you may wash your hands or just need to re-apply as the day goes on.

- 'Shine your eye'
Just my way of asking you to get to know yourself.

At this point in my life, I know which creams smell good but can't do anything for me. I can feel when I need to touch up on problem areas. And o, I know my problem areas- feet, knees and elbows and of course, exposed areas.

- Don't neglect the night!
The night time, is the right time to heal! There's so much you can do for your body and skin while you sleep, and a lot of it is cheap.
Please ensure you apply jelly or oil on your face and body at night before you sleep.
It really does help!

- Drink it!
Dry skin is worsened by dehydration so don't just use it, drink it!
Drink water and other healthy drinks during the day to help your body and skin.

I hope these tips help you. Please do let me know if you have some more, and if these help.

#TosynsBuzz How 'Service Swap' has the potential to solve a million problems!

A hashtag has been trending on Twitter for a few days now and i am happy i finally caught on!

It is #ServiceSwap and the idea is for one person to tweet something they need help with and what they will give in return. Service Swap is simply a medium of exchange. You have a service you can provide, and you need a service to be provided for you, what to do? Swap. You do something in exchange for something. Beautiful in its simplicity.

While there are service swap tweets from all around the world, it seems the one on 'naija twitter' started with a twitter user, @Zegbua.

I found a lot of them to be interesting and retweeted, and hey! I even threw in one of mine.

PrincessTosynBucknor ‏@TosynBucknor  11h11 hours ago

#ServiceSwap - #TosynsBuzz reaches ova 500k ppl across various social media platforms. Will buzz 4u in exchange for giveaways of ur products

11 retweets5 likes

So what can you give, that someone else needs? What do you need, that someone else can give? Tweet using the hashtag. #ServiceSwap

#TravelThursday Olumo Rock... an experience i will never forget!

I remember being in school and going on excursions. One of the most fun excursions ever was to Olumo Rock in Abeokuta. That day, i learnt a little more about myself (like lengths i would go to to go on an excursion and that when push comes to shove, i will push myself). More on those lessons later but let us talk about Olumo Rock and how it is one of the tourist attractions we have in Nigeria.

Some things have changed since i went, and some stay the same. But why should you check Olumo Rock out!

CAVES

The caves in Olumo rock smell of history and time.. 

The rock served as a shelter for many of the survivors, who were said to have hidden in specific areas inside the caves located inside the rocks to evade attacks from enemies. Those caves still bear the stories of the people who lived in them and that is how Abeokuta got its name (Under the Rock).

THE OLD WOMEN

There are women living in and around Olumo rock, really old women, they usually take their time to explain to you the history of the rock, and how they felt growing up in its shadow. No history tracher can give you that! 

If you are lucky, you might meet the 'Iya Orisa' who will tell you the story of the civil war that hit Egbaland. Stories you won't forget easily. 

SOUVENIRS

Don't leave without buying souvenirs like wrist bands and necklaces. You get something cute to tell stories with, and the people there make a living. So thank you, in advance!

GETTING TO THE TOP

If you are scared of heights, i don't think you will make it up there, but if you do,  you will be look down at Abeokuta all spread out before you in all its awesome glory. I tend to be a scaredy cat like most last borns but for this i really pushed myself and though i almost slipped once or twice, i made it to the top. When i got there, i had like a rush of emotions going through me- like wow Tosyn, you can do anything!
It was a great feeling!

There you have it!
Now hope next time we see, you can say to be proudly, i make it under the rock!

Tips from the Evolution of World Highest Paid Celebrities

"One of the biggest things in business is to open yourself to change." - Jay-Z

Those words ring true and profound and with the recent list of highest paid celebrities in the world recently released by Forbes, Jay-z seems to be doing all the right things.

Forbes recently compiled a list of the world’s 100 highest-paid celebrities, and sitting at the top of the highest  paid celebrity couple list are Jay-z and Beyonce.

Top of the main list is Taylor Swift who raked in a whooping 170 million dollars. Now we know these three people can sing. Yet, so can millions of others.

So, what sets them apart? Below are somethings that i think has given them an edge.

ADAPT

Like Jay-z said in the opening quote of this article, you have to always be open to change. That is the only way to stay afloat in any business, but especially the music business. Jay-z born; Shawn Corey Carter, has grown from a chains and hood wearing hip hop musician to a suit wearing business mogul in this business of music.

From hard core heavy rap to the more mellow version, as he once said: "I'm into music that has soul in it, whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, whatever."

He has learned to go with what is current on the music scene while staying true to the art of music itself. The ability to adapt without losing your true self is a balance that has made Jay-z into a household name.

TAYLOR'S SQUAD

There are several articles scattered all over the internet on this particular topic. Apart from her musical talent, no one can deny that her squad which is crew of models, actresses, and singers who have one another’s backs have been indispensable.

The squad includes: Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Miley Cyrus, Calvin Harris and even Gigi Hadid and so many more others.

They help one another out, whenever needed, and that is how a young girl who moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music has become a household name.

In any career, and especially in music, you need a support squad like Taylor Swift has, to stand the tests of time and life.

EXCELLENCE

Beyonce is no doubt the queen of music to many people and for good reason, teaming up with her husband, Jay-z, she has continually managed to stay atop. One reason for this is her unwavering belief in giving her best. In one word: Excellence. 

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter from her first solo album after the Destiny's Child group was disbanded has always tried to outdo herself. 

She has consistently proved herself by setting the highest standards, this love for excellence shines through in Lemonade too.

That consistent excellence has proven to be her edge in the music industry.

Movie Wednesday: 5 Movies I Recently Saw and What I Think.

Welcome back! There was a three day public holiday here and i didn't even get one day off!
It's all good though. It gave me the opportunity to keep the show light and one of the things we did this week was talk about movies.

I asked callers on my show on Tuesday what the last movie they saw was and it got me thinking about the last couple movies i saw.

Here we go.

Grease

Grease is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Randal Kleiser and i totally love it. I could watch it over and over again, i have all the songs in my head, and will sing along and dance. If you happen to be sitting beside me, i will just start telling you the entire plot. I love it that much. 

Fun fact: Olivia Newton-John who played 'Sandy' in Grease was in her 30s when she played the role of a teenager. And oh my! John Travolta was beautiful back then.

Deadpool

For those who are yet to see it, Deadpool is another Marvel Superhero film. The film stars Ryan Reynolds (who also co-produced), and other stars like T.J. Miller and Brianna Hildebrand.

Did i like it? Yes, i would watch it again, because it is really funny, and has some great fight scenes.

However, while i do love Ryan, this is not for me, his best movie.

Talvar

Talvar is an Indian film, 'Talvar' actually means 'sword' in English. The movie was released in 2015, directed by Meghna Gulzar and written by Vishal Bharadwaj. It stars irrfhan Khan, Tabu and a few other heavyweights.

I first watched 'Talvar', it was on a long flight. I'd seen everything else so i was like, okay let's do this. I was enthralled from the get go. 

It's a murder mystery and when it started, I didn't know it was based on a true story but watching it to the end made me want to Google and see what had actually happened. Really sad.

Basically, a young girl is killed and suspects range from her parents to some servants and more. Within the police force itself, there were differing opinions as to who did it and the truth is actually sad! 

The Great Gambler

Another Indian action thriller film. It was released as far back as 1979. 

I first saw it as a kid, and then watched it again recently. And guess what?  The huge crush i had on Amitabh Bachan was still there, after so many years. I think it will be there forever.

The movie is really old, but i will be watching it again soon, since i slept through it this time.

Rebel Without A Cause

Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. One of the classics. Really old, 1955 is as old as it gets.

Yet, i decided to watch it recently because it kept appearing in almost every must watch movie list and i kept hearing about James Dean, the lead actor. 

While i could not connect as much to this, i could still see why it was a big deal back then. 

So there you have it. What movies have you seen recently and what are your thoughts on them? Share in the comment box below.

#WinThisWeek Win an invite to the "Becoming" conference

Detoun Ogwo, Lala Akindoju and more, will be speaking at this year's 'Becoming Conference'.

This conference by Beautified Network aims to empower young women between the ages of 18 and 35 to discover purpose, live up to their full potential and contribute their quota to social change and the world at large.

Last year i got to speak and talk about being multi talented and how to succeed at all you do while also getting to listen to Bola Balogun and Omoyemi Akerele so yay!

This year, the one-day conference will hold on Saturday the 16th of July at Agip Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos.

Speakers are Detoun Ogwo (Human Resource Practioner), Lala Akindoju (Actor, Producer, and Singer), Omilola Oshikoya (Africa’s premier wealth coach and convener #DOITAFRAID Conference), Debola Deji-Kurunmi (MD, Ideas on Hub Africa, Founder, Immerse Coaching Company and President, Deborah Initiative for women) and Sunmbo Adeoye (CEO Esob Events and convener,Inspiring Change).

The Conference will also feature a girl-talk panel discussion titled “Should Christian Women Be Feminists?”. The panelists are young women who are all breaking barriers in their various fields- Glory Edozien (Founder, 'Inspired by Glory'),   Toju Oluwatoyinbo ('Convener, Total Package), Raquel Jacobs (Founder, Beyond the Classroom Foundation) and Omontese Akhetuamen (Beauty Expert and CEO of BeautyCookStudio).

For more information and enquiries about the conference, send an email to "beautifiednetwork@gmail.com" or call Mary Jane on 09099131873

To win a ticket courtesy us, head on over to the corresponding instagram post and leave your name plus three of the speakers in the comment section. I'll be giving tickets out to three of you so all the best!

Bukky Ajayi: Celebrating an Icon

When the news broke on the 6th of July, that Bukky Ajayi whom we fondly called 'Mama' had lost the battle to heart related issues, i was sad.

2016 has taken a lot of people, people who made an impact on our world, people we grew up wanting to be like.

A great life however has to be celebrated.So while i am saddened by her death, she lived a wonderful life too, and that is what i will be focusing on.

Born as Zainab Bukky Ajayi on the 2nd of February 1934, from a young age Bukky Ajayi loved acting. She would use a cardboard as a TV frame and act whatever roles came to mind while charging children in the neighborhood half a penny to watch. Mama was an actress and an entrepreneur at that young age.

She was also really smart, as she gained a Federal Government scholarship to study in England for six years. She came back to Nigeria after her education in 1965 and started out working in Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as a presentation assistant in 1966.

She grew with the NTA, from presentation assistant to presenter and then to news reader. Among the programs she presented was the popular 'Nigeria’s Sketches’, a program which was all about Nigerian culture. I think we all got to know for her role in the movie "Village Headmaster" in the 70’s, and she later got a role in Amaka Igwe’s "Checkmate". 

Fun fact: She is grandmother-in-law to ‘Shake Something’ singer Jazzman Olofin.

Her acting career took off, and she went on to act several other movies, according to her the shooting of international film Critical Assignment in South Africa, was one of the events of her life that she will never forget. 

On Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the fourth edition of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, she received an Industry Merit Award (where she made us all cry by asking, "Are you all standing for me?"

Another fun fact: One of her sons is Abounce (Olakunle Fawole), a veteran rapper. Abounce is one the founding fathers of the Nigerian hip hop culture. He is also a music producer and actor.

Mama lived a great life and will be forever missed in Nollywood and in life.

#TravelThursday: Tips on Tipping... ha ha ha

Hey!

So it is another #TravelThursday and this time, i wanted to chat a little about tipping!
You know how you travel and you are a bit lost as to how, when and if to tip? I remember a scene in a movie once where after the bellhop had brought the luggage in, he just sort of stood around and the guest did not know why till they explained to her that she was supposed to have tipped him.
Then even when you want to tip, you may not know how much may be too much or too little!
It really can be confusing but here are some tips that can help you get out of that...

- CHECK before you TIP!

Why? While tipping is celebrated and expected in some places, it is actually frowned upon in others, Fir example, tipping in countries like Japan, China, Vietnam and Malaysia is a no no while a lot of European and African countries welcome it.

- LOOK out for the TIP jar
Some restaurants, hotels, and even cabs have tip jars strategically placed so you can just put in the jar.
Then in some countries, tips are already automatically added to your bill ('gratuity').

In these cases, if you still want to leave something because of how good the service was or directly for one person, you can then leave a little smaller than you normally would.

- CALCULATE and CONVERt
Grr!
Who really wants to calculate?
Well you have to so you get a good range of what to tip.
You can give waiters, shop assistants etc a percentage of your total bill; perhaps 5 - 10percent. Anything from 5 to 20percent is acceptable.
Another good trick is to convert!
When you are spending different currency, you may feel a bit lost but if you convert it to your home currency in your mind, you can then determine how much you would tip at home and then give the equivalent.

- PLAN to come back? You better TIP!
You tend to tip where the service has been exceptionally good but i recommend tipping at places you want to be remembered. That way, you become a 'customer' as we say over here.

I hope these tips help you guys.
Do you have any travel tips of your own?

My tour guide at Cousins Island. I was very fascinated by his skin 

#Giveaway Win lunch delivery courtesy MyBeetroot!

Hi all, hope your Monday is off to a great start?

Hopefully, if you win this week's giveaway, I can bring a smile your way.

This week, courtesy MyBeetroot, one lucky reader gets free lunch delivery on Thursday the 7th of July.

Last week, I tried out MyBeetroot for the first time. They are at the food court at the Palms Shopping Mall which makes them quite accessible for pick ups.

Basically they have a range of salads, sandwiches, cold press juices, fruit bowls, infused water and more. I was supposed to look through their menu via www.mybeetroot.com but it all looked so good that I went on impulse- shrimp salad and a smoothie.

While the 'experts' tell us to eat like kings for breakfast, the truth is in Naija, 'kolewerk'. Even if your day starts a little later than all those on the road by 6am, you probably still can't do a heavy meal. It means I for example end up compromising. I do a very 'pauper-ish' breakfast (usually tea and a snack).

It means I'm hungry by 12pm so brunch has to be satisfying to last till dinner. (Who wants to be eating four times a day in this economy? And with my waistline?)

The shrimp salad from MyBeetroot was delicious and satisfying. I had some water (you know I really mean cola) with it and saved the smoothie for a 4pm 'snack'.

That way, I was pretty good throughout the day and I could do dinner like a prince(ss) at 6pm.

(Don't eat after 6pm people. Or at least, nothing heavy).

Now for the giveaway!

Please check the #WinThisWeek post on my instagram page and answer this question in the comments section, "what is the website for MyBeetroot?".
Include your name and location for delivery.

Winner will be chosen at random and announced tomorrow so all the best!

#SkincareSaturday Three things to do for your skin this weekend!

Ideally, we should pamper ourselves every day. 

Unfortunately, with the hustle and bustle that is Lagos, we usually end up with at best, one day a week only.

So if you do have only one or two days a week, what are three essential things to do?

- Cleanse
Start by cleansing your face and body.

Now during the week you probably have a quick shower and even though they say never sleep with make up on, I bet you do once in a while.

This time, spend a little more time. Spend time massaging your face (quick facial) for a bit.

I like to start with baby wipes to cleanse, face soap, then Melvita milky cleansing oil.

-Exfoliate / Scrub
My favourite thing to do!

Remember when I said you could use an old toothbrush to exfoliate your skin? ( Read it here! )

 That still holds true.

But this weekend, use a scrub, leave on for a bit and then rinse off.
I usually use a home made scrub (here is how to make one) or Coco Scrub. 

And don't think scrubbing is just for your face. There are some great body scrubs available too, like the Walnut and Wheat germ body scrub.

- Mosturise

Oils are great, like Johnsons Pure Tissue Oil or good ol' baby oil (like Pears baby oil). You can also layer up with lotion.

Some of my favourite things!

I hope these steps help.

Is there something you like to do for your skin at the weekend?