How-To Style a Multi-Coloured Top

I woke up a lot earlier than I usually do this morning but it's all good!

I am using that extra time to do some blog posts and then publish for days when I am rushing out of the house.

Speaking of rushing out of the house, the other day, I had to make some quick last-minute decisions because I changed my mind last minute as to what to wear.

I eventually reached out for this multi-coloured top and the next challenge was how to style it.

Naturally busy, one must be careful not to end up looking over the top.

After trying a couple of things, I went with this look- Multicoloured top with shorts, red hat and white shoes.

What I learnt while styling include:

Pick a Colour

Pick a colour or two from the item and work with that. In this case, I picked green and played around with that.

Be careful though not to throw on every single colour on the outfit.

Accessorise

Naturally with accessories you want to go quiet because the top itself is the statement.

If you do have a statement piece you absolutely must wear, stick to just that one piece.

When in doubt, go Neutral

(And remember, Pink is a neutral).

On the real though, reach out for our favourite neutrals to help complement your look perfectly.

I am super partial to white shoes these days but black and nude would work as well.

What's your own tip for styling a multi coloured tip?

#OAP101 Answering your questions on becoming a Sports Journalist and Monetising Content

This week's podcast is out and you can listen below.
I tackled two questions we got via our Instagram page on if media world has room for Sports OAPS, and How to Monetise Content.
To summarise
- Is there Room in the Industry for Sports OAPS?
The quickest response is YES.
Niche journalism is actually interesting and some niche content creators make more money or impact. If you want to be a Sports OAP, have a good grasp of Sports in general and one or two sports (like tennis and football or formula 1).
There's a world of content to explore including previews and predictions, team news, transfer undates and post game reviews!

- How to Monetise Content
What is the content? Where is it aired? These are some of the first questions to ask.
Having said that, there are 3 broad ways to monetise content
. Using the platform you are on
. Sponsorships
. Hypes and Promoted Posts.

Listen to the Podcast for the full gist on each one and don't forget to keep the questions and contributions going in our comments below!

#MondayMotivation In all your Building, Build Confidence!

My 'Quote of the Day' was from tennis player, Sloane Stephens and it is up on my Instagram now.
She basically says if you have confidence you can do anything and I have to concur!

I was thinking the other day of how sometimes even when it comes to fashion, confidence is key. I mean, how does Rihanna get away with her experimental sense of style? Because she is bad ass, and because she is confidence.

Confidence, where not innate, can be difficult to build. It requires a good blend of 'F what they say' and learning to listen. Confidence is being stubborn enough to not give up on what you believe, turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones and never staying down nor stagnant.

If like me, you struggle sometimes, there are some things that help
- Look good!
This is not about being shallow. If what you wear fits you well and you put your head up straight, you will automatically be more assured than if your clothes are loose fitting.

- Replace negative thoughts with the positive.
Instead of what you can't do or should not have done, think of the great things you do! When you have doubts, be realistic but think happy thoughts.

- Talk to yourself
Not on a bus o! Ehen.
When you can, just speak to yourself with your confidence confessions. A lot of battles are mental, give yourself that mental boost!

- Prepare
Research and read up on what you have to do so that when you do do it, it is with confidence.
If you are not well prepared say to present in your class or office, your confidence will go down the drains. When you feel 100 percent ready, you will be more confident already.

I hope this helps and do s.h.a.r.e what you do to boost your confidence with me in the comments.

#MondayMotivation How to UNLearn

If I asked what you learnt recently, you would probably have a million responses.

What if I switched it up and asked what you UNlearnt recently?

There you may hesitate and look at me like I was mad.

I do believe though that life is about 

- Learning

- Unlearning, and 

- Relearning.

Let me explain.

The average person will learn something new everyday, either while on our daily commute, while watching or reading the news, or from something online.

I recently learnt that President Macron of France will be visiting Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast while covering the news for Kwesefied. (I then wondered, 'what happened to Naija na?!')

French President, Emmanuel Macron

But i digress.

Learning is easy, especially if we open ourselves to it.

ReLearning is also easy. There are things we have learnt before that we either take for granted or do not use and so must relearn them. I for example, had to relearn how to move my arm after I fractured it and wore a cast for weeks. The first day the cast was taken off, the doctor and nurse said, "Move your arm" and I thought I was doing it but guess what? My arm was NOT moving.

I then had to undergo a series of physiotherapy sessions to RElearn how to move my arm.

That was not fun I can tell you.

What may be fun or not fun depending on our attitude to it is UNlearning.

Imagine you grow up thinking something and 'knowing it for sure', then growing up and finding out you were wrong!

There are people who still argue the earth is flat while most say it is round.

If you do not open yourself up to letting go of wrong or false information you have, you may find yourself stuck in the mud and not growing. Learning, Unlearning and Relearning are all essential aspects of growth.

Can you s.h.a.r.e one thing you recently Learnt, Unlearnt or Relearnt, with me?

Does Red Lipstick make you look Older?

I loved my mum's bag when I was growing up because I swear she had everything in it.

I should do a series on that. Lol.

One of her favourite items in her bag was her red lipstick which I would watch her apply. My mum can skip anything- brows, blush, powder, but never her lipstick.

Years later, she still swears by red.

I on the other hand have had a love hate relationship with red lipstick- I love to hate it. I think it ages me and never use it directly. My Make Up artists love to use it on me though and I try not to protest too much.

Truth is from your hair to your skin to the colours you wear, there are things that can make you look older or younger depending on what you are looking for. Purple for example tends to sympolise royalty or age while pinks and florals are more girly girl.

You can get away with red though if

- it is the perfect shade for you

- it is applied and lined properly.
- it is not red. Loooooool

What do you think?

Does red lipstick age?

How I Went Back to School on Friday courtesy the British Council

What is school without a face beat? Face beat by Makeup By Mogizzie

On Friday the 3rd of November, I went back to school, all thanks to the British Council.

I eagerly applied for the Media Workshop organised by the British Council when I found out about it and was happy to have been accepted. It was a Capacity Building Workshop that held at Radisson Blu between 9a.m and 4pm. We started on time... that was impressive. And not only that but the facilitators ensured each course was covered within the time frame allotted to it. It meant we were able to wrap at 4pm as planned.

The workshop covered various courses including Conflict Sensitive Journalism (Lauratu Umar Abdusalami), Collaborations in the Media Space, (Peter Okwoche), Online Content Optimisation for Journalists (Abasiama Idaresit), and my personal favourite- Personal Branding for Journalists.
The course on personal branding was taken by Lampe Omoyele from 141 Worldwide and Lucent Consulting Company and touched on what a brand was, why it is important to brand yourself, and things to consider when doing so. I asked a question about how to brand yourself when you have different interests and he advised me on that directly.

With Lampe Omoyele

During the full workshop session, we also took a test and worked the room asking people questions like, "Do you sing in the shower?" and "Have you ever stroked a lion?"
(Yes and No for me in case you are wondering). Harry Itie of TVC and Emeka Okocha of NothingToDoInLagos were also at the event and we caught up on what we had been up to.

After tea-breaks, classes, networking, lunch, questions, answers and pictures, we received our certificates.

It was a great learning experience with the opportunity to learn something new (especially for Child Protection and Coverage in the media), and also to re-learn things I knew before (like effective use of Social Media as a Journalist).

#MondayMotivation Even if NEPA takes light, a Fridge should not become your Wardrobe

There is a common joke in Nigeria about how when the power situation gets so bad, the fridges and freezers lose their initial use and get turned into wardrobes. That is what I thought of the second I stumbled upon this quote by Benjamin Franklin for my Instagram Quote of the Day - "Hide not your talents, they for use were made; what's a sundial in the shade?" 

Of course Benjamin Franklin is old and not an African so we probably do not use nor know much about sundials but we still understand it for what he means- things (and talents) should be used as they were intended and not buried away.

What are the top 3 things that keep us from letting our light shine?
From what I know, it usually has to do with Fear (of failure or rejection), Laziness (and its cousin, Procrastination), and Lack of Confidence (How dare I do something this big).

If you are troubled by one or all of the above, then think about this
- It does not matter how old, big or strong you get, fear rears its head. What you must do is let fear drive and not stop you. As Omilola Oshikoya says, do it AFRAID!

- There are simple tips and tricks that can help get your laziness and procrastination under control if that is your handicap. Once you acknowledge your flaws, you can then work around them. Do not let a negative flaw you have hold you back ever.

- What can we achieve by refusing to dream big or aim high? As they say, dreams are free so why not just dream big?

I hope this helps you? Just remember that you have your talent for a reason. Let your light shine. I cannot say this enough.
What is one thing you can do this week to showcase your talent? Leave a comment below!

#MondayMotivation Pressure will take you from Coal to Diamond... Welcome It

My #MondayMotivation quote is by Henry Kissinger- "A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure".

I like it because it is one of those posts you see all the time so that it is when it comes true that you know how true it is. I know, I used 'true' twice. 

Until the test comes, we stay doing, thinking and saying the same thing, and that is why, no matter how uncomfortable change may be, it is welcome.

I have a friend who like many of us, thrives on deadlines. She won't study, work or do her stuff till the very last hour or week and she once told me that anytime she finishes her work before a deadline, it feels like the work isn't as good. 

Is that ideal? Probably not. It is an example though of how we need something major to squeeze the best out of us and actually show just how much we can take. Like with working out? 
People will tell you that every time you build your tolerance to a point where say, a 30 second plank, no longer stresses you, then you increase it.

Is pressure fun? No. 
Next time you are faced with pressure though, whenever you can, smile... It is just making sure you come through like Rihanna sang- 'shining bright like a diamond'.

I just googled 'Black Hat' and found 3 Looks to always wear a Hat with!

Sometimes when I want to quickly find an answer for something, I do a google search but then I start clicking on all the fun links till it is one hour later and now I have 10 new questions.

Today was no exception and while going from link to link, I stumbled on a post about hats.
I love hats and if I could, I would throw a hat on ANY outfit but I have 3 of my favourite outfits to wear a hat with.

- A dress

Maxi, mini, midi...
It does not matter.
Throwing a hat on when you wear a dress takes you from simple or classic to eclectic.

- Jeans or Pants and anything else

Whether it is a t shirt, a shirt or a tank top and jacket, hats were made for jeans. I never met a pants and hat combo I did not love!

Singer, Fefe.

- Beach or Pool Wear

Throw a hat on when you are at the beach and you will not only look super stylish, but also be safe from the sun!
Now that is fashion I like.

Check out some other outfits to wear your hat with.

Kill your hat combo with this Metrogypsie style inspo!

Your turn.
Tell me what you like to wear your hat with below

#OAP101 4 ways to have a kickass interview!

Hi everyone,

I hope you have been enjoying the OAP 101 podcasts?
This week's podcast touched on interviews and I s.h.a.r.e tips based on my personal experience on how to have kickass interviews!

The tips are

- Research
Do a quick research by searching for their name and visiting their official website or social media handles.

- Prep
Prep your guest to put them at ease.

- Be Creative and Fresh
People get tired of listening to or answering the same question over and over. Look for creative ways to ask yours!

- Interaction and Inclusion.
Let the audience be a part of the process by letting them engage with your guest.

Listen to the podcast for a break down of each one as well as examples i give.

#MondayMotivation Maybe what matters is what you say about yourself, not what they say about you.

I do not know why but this sentence, 'Just because they play the music does not mean you have to dance to it' keeps presenting itself to me.
Or maybe i do know why.

It is easy to get caught up sometimes in what has been said or will be said about you. If i do abc, they will say xyz, or, they say i am uvw... It is a lot of ' they said ' and 'they will say' which my friends, can be crippling for you.

It is possible that some of the things people say about us are, maybe slightly exaggerated but true all the same. They may be right that you are lazy or a quitter, not the funniest nor the most put together. It does not however make it all true, nor less deserving of success.

People may question you, laugh at you or brand you a failure but the truth is, until you yourself say these things, then you are not losing.

While taking advice and striving for perfection is a good thing, do not let what people say become true by giving it life yourself.

Once again remember, maybe what matters is not what people say about you, but what you say about yourself. What are you saying?

We all have that one hair style...

We all have that one hair style that we fall back to because it is reliable. It is the style that is both easy to style and yet, is so flattering for our face that we go from 'everyday' beauty to va va voom in a blink!

For me, the style is a bun and its' variations.



When i have my hair in a bun, it is quite flattering for my face. I also like it because with some styles, i always have to remember to only take pictures from one angle but with the bun, i can do straight, left or right angles and not worry.

Recently, Modupe of Mogizzie did this up do for me and i loved it so much that i had to take a thousand pictures!

#Beauty When it comes to Personal .v. MUA beat, the difference is clear

Yesterday i had an event in the evening but my booked make up artiste thought i was booking her for Saturday which meant by the time i called to find out where she was, she was nowhere close and i was basically stranded.
My options were, Scream and hide, Try to book someone else and miss the event or Try to do some kind of fake 'beat' and still show up.
To be honest, between Lamide Akintobi and Mr A, number 1 was out. It was down to 3.

Now i have some make up products and girl was born cute so i can do the basics but everyone knows when you go for an upscale event, the beat has to be more than the everyday look.
Between never being able to get my eyebrows right (one always looks like i fought with a puppy and the puppy won), not having all the products and brushes they have (i really am a basic powder and foundation type of girl), and not being able to see a thing when i take my glasses off, i have given up on learning to beat my face like a pro.

This is me 'beating' my face. I hate it. lol

Nevertheless i began.
First, the primer.
Then some foundation.
Eyebrows. And yes, one was nice and big while the other was pathetic and looked like it was on a diet.
Eyeshadow.
More foundation because my skin swallows everything and it always looks like i didn't put any one.
Powder.
Blush.
Lipstick.
And i was done.


Now Lamide and Mr A swore it was great but they love me so can we really trust them? Uhn? Uhn??

Lol.

I love professional 'beats'.

#Skincare 3 cool ways to drink water without actually drinking water...

By now you know that staying hydrated is good for you. It not only helps you internally, but it is also great for your skin.

If you are like my sister and i though, you probably HATE drinking water. Let us be honest, for most of us, water is one of the most tasteless things out there. It is easier to reach out for a soda ('soft drink') than it is to get that recommended daily dose of water in.

Is there anything you can do to cheat?
I have 3 for you!

- Healthy fluids
A lot of things are actually made with water right? You can reach out for green tea, freshly squeezed juices, and other types of healthy alternatives.

- Infusions
These days, people go around with water bottles containing water and infusions like fruits or spices. I like doing lemon or lime in my water in the mornings as it gives the water a little oomph and makes it less boring. Add some mint or orange slices and you will have something tasty to enjoy.

- Water based foods
One of my favourite fruits ever is the watermelon. It is such a great way to enjoy yourself and the good thing is it is healthy as well. You can try things like cucumbers, salad greens, melons and grapefruits as well.

#MondayMotivation Are you really angry or just hungry?

Don't laugh. This is a real question. Next time you want to huff and puff and blow the roof down, ask yourself, "Am i really angry or am i hungry?". You can replace hunger with anything else. A lot of times when we think we are angry we are just hungry or tired or bored, and we mix that emotion up with something else.

It is always worth unraveling the source of your anger as it affects how you react to things moving forward. If for example, you know it is because you are hungry, problem solved- eat. If you are tired, shut down and take a break. If you are bored, find something interesting to do.
My point is, save your anger for times when you are really angry and there is something worth getting pissed off at. Otherwise, take a step back, breathe, and save that relationship you might have destroyed.

What do you think?

#StyleSaturday Saved by the striped pants!

Last week, i went for the Stylvo Creatives Connect event.

I wrote about it for Kwesefied here.

My stylist and i had picked out what i was going to wear- oversized white shirt with a maroon jacket. It was chic and definitely not my usual style.

Sadly, the next day, after putting on my make up, i went to get dressed and i just could not wear it because the shirt was too rumpled and i was running late.

So there i was trying not to panic as i watched the clock tick.

I began looking at what i had and trying to think of what to mix and match quickly.

In the end, my eyes landed on these striped pants and it was a bingo moment.

Once i knew i was going with the pants, everything else became easy. I would have liked a white shirt with it and now i know one item i simply must buy next shopping spree.

Next best option was the sleeveless blue shirt i eventually went with.

Although black items tend to be the most versatile items in your wardrobe, dark blue tops come a close third. White is of course number 2.

So i threw it on, tucked it in, grabbed my white shoes and dashed out of the house.