25 Lessons I Learnt by 25!

25 - Save your money and pay yourself before you pay these retailers. You are your biggest investment and you never know what the future holds. That job that pays you every 28th of the month can easily cut the chord... How will you support yourself until you find the next venture? 
24 - Make new friends! Always. Never be too shy to leave your pack and mingle with new people. Drake's 'No New Friends' mantra is not the way forward - I promise you! Of course you should be careful with who you decide to make your confidant...which is a whole different level of friendship anyway.
23 - Whatever you choose to do in life, stay consistent at it. New things and change is hard; staying the same and not growing is hard - choose your hard.
22 - Find a hobby, it's almost the only way to discover what love.
21- Grades matter but not too much. The people I know who got 2:2's are fine. The people I know who got 2:1's are fine. The people I know who got 1st's are fine - it's the ones who didn't have a plan who are not fine.
20 - Book a flight and discover somewhere new, preferably long haul journeys. Getting off the plane and having a culture shock is phenomenal. If you can't afford long haul journeys, there are lots of beautiful places to visit in Europe (assuming you're British).

19 - Don't force friendships. The right ones stay. Everyone is busy and you should never feel like you're CONSTANTLY chasing anyone. Know your value!

18 - I'm cool with wearing trainers everywhere and do you know what... I don't care.

17 - Write lists! Shopping lists, 'to do' lists, life lists, tasks when you get into work lists ... Just write lists!
16 - It's okay to fall in love and let someone love you back. Pain is painful but building barriers is painful too. People are always in your life for the right reason and during the right season and if they leave, you can almost guarantee they left with a lesson. I remember when my now boyfriend called me his girlfriend and I was so overwhelmed with the title and wanted the ground to swallow me up, we hadn't discussed or confirmed this step but I was so deluded I didn't see where our companionship was heading though I liked the idea of being with him - especially after being hurt by someone I was 'with' before him. But I just let go of that fear and it feels pretty... ok. 

15 - Things don't always require a response, sometimes sit back and bite your tongue.
14 - I'm bubbly and playful - kinda like my friend's dog I met in LA and I pray I never change. (weird that i just compared myself to a dog but he's the most lovable, playful, fun and sweetest thing ever). But in all seriousness, I used to hate being called playful in college, and loud. I remember me and my best friend would sit on the phone and plan to be quiet the following week. (#LOSERS) Who plans ahead and tries to prepare themselves to be quiet? It's so ridiculous. 'It's all the shy and quiet girls the guys liked after all', right? Don't change for anyone. As I'm getting older I have calmed down of course, but my bubbly and outgoing personality is the reason I've bagged every job I've had. 'We just love your personality', 'You will bring so much energy to our team'.... BE YOU!

13 - Working for free and getting yourself out there CAN get you places. Make contacts, learn on the go... you're being trained and not paying for it. That's the mindset you should have! I was doing internships every summer during university. Think about it this way.... You all graduate, you're all each other's competition (let's be real), what set's you apart? 

12 - Keep studying and feeding your brain.

11 - Family is irreplaceable! I recently went to Los Angeles, met and stayed with my dad's brother (before I stayed with a friend) and do you know what? It was amazing! They fed me, took me everywhere I wanted to go and I even got birthday money (whoop whoop). There's nothing like family, no matter where they are across the globe - it's so important you value and reach out to family if you can. 
10 - Learn new recipes, YouTube, Google, there's so much access to recipes. I'm focusing on dishes from my native country Nigeria this year.

9 - Your body is a temple! Health is wealth, my immune system hates me right now so I'm working on it. 

8 - 'Look cover write check' still works for me 20 years on. I remember learning this revision method in year 2 while I was at primary school and it's helped me remember/cram all through college, university and while preparing for job interviews.
7 - Want a job? Apply for it. Never question your worth but be wise enough about your skill set and abilities, you never know what you're capable of until you're thrown into the deep end. But as Richard Branson once said, 

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”

6 - Always aim to be valuable and irreplaceable... Bring something to the table no matter what job/career you're in. Even if you're working folding clothes and it's not where you want to be, start instilling these lessons now. Learn to be indispensable and have an unwavering work ethic.
5 - Calm down! Don't stress too much, most fun life experiences come from trying to figure it all out. Be proactive and enjoy the ride. Remember, you can't be faithful and fearful at the same time.
4 - Live within your means. Can't afford it? Don't get it yet, it'll feel much more of an achievement when you can afford to get it comfortably!
3 - Stop wallowing in your own self pity, your happiness is paramount but it's up to you, if you don't like something change it.

2 - Tell your parents you love them as much as you can. As you're getting older, you forget that they're getting older too.

1 - Learn to LOVE you and work to be the BEST version of you possible. Your relationship with yourself is the longest one you'll ever have.

Those were my top 25 lessons I've learnt in the past quarter century. Have any similar to mine? Or different? Tweet me: @Ramicoco!

Bye bye dark circles!

Guys, I'm flipping disgusting, yes I know! I've been consistently inconsistent and this is only my second post this year. I do apologise but I cannot guarantee that it won't happen again. I've been so busy - work, my business and everything in between, that I find it hard to have the time to myself sometimes and I'm unable to get out of this bubble and create something interesting for you to read -  because I'm too busy creating in other areas in my life. I also don't want to write for the sake of it because the posts will be of no value to you.

Anyway. I had to come back briefly just to talk about this mixture I made that actually works! I saw the mixture on Huda Beauty's YouTube channel and created the concoction myself. Now, I don't know if it's because I've been drinking so much more water than I already do, adding a serum to my routine or if it's JUST this - but the dark circles around my eyes have definitely faded. 

I was always concerned about the circles which I only noticed a lot after I got addicted to my concealer, which after you wipe off shows you how imperfect your complexion is. Having a smooth and clear canvas is important to me so whenever I see something worth trying, I will go for it.

She say two weeks, but I noticed a difference within a month, so patience people.

Green Tea Powder: Ebay

Sweet Almond Oil: Holland & Barrett

Clear containers: Ebay

Vaseline: My local hair shop

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Just a normal Saturday...

Hmmm, I think this is my FIRST blog this year... Happy New Year!!

I'm technically still allowed to say that since it's still (just about) January.

So, I had a week off last week and every single day was brilliant! It encouraged me to get out there and enjoy life more and really take the time to show my fiends and family how much I value them- and also to do different things.

Just before my week holiday was over, I had a packed Saturday. I attended a seminar called 'Women In Wealth' - which wasn't that useful to be honest, I didn't really learn anything new; but I was in great company and it reminded me that i need to be proactive with everything i want to do this year! It's time to get things crossed off my list!

I was with my girl Anastasia and we went to my favourite place Busaba Eathai straight after, where we got 50% off our meals using the app. You've still got two days left to get half price meals, so get going!

I then went to a few places with one of my childhood friends, my favourite was the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill. I'm from South London and unfortunately we don't have a LOT, but this gem was such a nice experience. I remember going in Primary School, but things are so different when you actually want to learn something new. I'm going through a phase where I'm so fascinated by my ancestry and African culture... so it was nice seeing it being showcased and celebrated there. 

Here are some images I took on my little old iPhone:

“That’s why her hair is so big. It’s full of secrets.”

Hey guys!

Thanks for checking out my last post, and of course, thanks for all your continuous support.

As I said in one of my previous posts, my blog will have a lot more variety than before. Hopefully this means you'll get to know me even better! 

I'm in the process of purchasing a new camera, just a small affordable one - nothing too snazzy. If you have any recommendations - please do share! I plan to blog about (like I've said already) music, fashion, beauty, careers, life, my travels - oh that reminds me, I still haven't blogged about my New York experience... I shall be doing a post about that soon!

My recent purchase still excites me, i'll tell you why. 

Mean Girls has to be one of my favourite films to date, I reckon I can watch the whole film and know all the lines from start to finish! I watched it in an outdoor cinema last summer and I plan to do it again in the Summer of 2015. (No I don't get tired of doing the same thing over and over again - don't judge me'

Here are some of the best lines: 

“Ex-boyfriends are off-limits to friends. That’s just, like, the rules of feminism.”

“But you’re, like, really pretty… So you agree? You think you’re really pretty?”

“On Wednesdays we wear pink.”

“FOUR for you, Glenn Coco! You go, Glenn Coco”

And of course, my favourite and most used line...

You can get the case for £20 here. The seller has other styles, including The Mindy Project (another personal fav) and Clueless!

Thanks for reading...

MOBO Awards 2014

Hey guys! 

My first post with the new title and it feels oh so good. 

What do you think of the name change and the new look? - Let me know. 

Anyway, you know I have the tendency to waffle so let's just get to it. 

I had the pleasure of working on the MOBO Awards red carpet  on Thursday. T'was a lovely experience and I cannot wait to do it again at different events! My favourite artist of the night has to be Eve. She was so humble and friendly to everyone, so was Sam Smith who went to his fans before he came over to the press! He was the only person that did that! 

Anyway, here are some pictures I took: