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:

Final Haul of 2013!

This IS my final haul of the year, I know I always make these claims but seriously - have faith in me!

This is not a review, as I've literally just purchased these items, but I have included swatches that I think are relevant. Some are repeat buys and normal basics, so I won't get into them - but for now can I just say - I love MAC's facial wipes! They are amazing (never thought I'd say that about wipes lol)

Starting with the basics, on the left, is my Lancôme which I have mentioned quite a lot on my blog so I won't really get into that, but if you wan't to see one of my previous reviews, please click here and here.

The Clinique Stay Matte foundation is another nice one, it's very long wearing and makes you look airbrushed, I would recommend it to you if you have oily skin, this was my summer go-to foundation! The great thing about Clinique is that you can go to their counter and get a little sample before you make a purchase. 

I've been using MAC's studio fix fluid on and off for years now, I have a love-hate relationship with it, but I always end up going back! 

Lastly, on the right, also from MAC is the pro longwear concealer. I sometimes use the studio finish concealer which comes in a little black pot, identical to the eyeshadow packaging - but it depends on what look I'm going for. This foundation is more lightweight and long wearing, definitely one I'd recommend. 

Moving onto lips now and starting with the lip-glosses is 'Right Image' from MAC - now, I'm not really a lip gloss person, I love my lips to look matte and crisp (NOT DRY lol, crisp and well finished) but this one is a favourite of mine, it lookS cute when worn with Lovelorn, which is also from MAC.

Life Update.

Hi all!

Sorry for going AWOL, I've been so consumed by everything around me that I've barely had any time for myself.

More than two years ago I created this Blogspot with the aim of having a little outlet for my thoughts and also as a platform to not only voice my views but to share with you all what I’m loving, wanting and loathing. Whilst it has kind of been bombarded with hauls, revealing the shopaholic I am 'haha', you have all been so kind and supportive to me and I appreciate you for that, especially when it came down to my trails in University and the struggle of finding clarity when it came to my career.
One of my fav posts so far was my “End of an Era...” post, where I not only detailed my struggle, but how I overcame it. What I LOVE the most was the fact that so many of you were going though similar things and my testimony kind of gave you that hope to push through. 

So I guess I have decided to do something similar again!

Before I go into where I am so far, lets take it back to my first post “New to blogspot.com” in 2011:

“Because of my inner fear I decided to settle for what would give me job security and study something that didn't have my heart in it. I then decided to head off to Uni whilst getting internships on the side.

Here I am, with only a year left of Uni and I'm still biting my nails out of confusion....

But I have officially decided to take a leap of faith... follow me on my journey :)”

Getting into PR has been a tiresome journey, whilst I have been blessed with some amazing Internships and experiences, I had to also go through a lot in order to realise what I did and didn’t want – fashion is and was a BIG no, hence why I stopped blogging about fashion. I do encourage you not to let other people’s attitudes and poor behaviour to put you off something you love but the things I experienced whilst working in fashion made realise I didn't love fashion as much as I thought I did. To be honest, I think I was a bit deluded after seeing my teenage idol Lauren Conrad from ‘The Hills” work in Teen Vogue and Kelly Cutrone's PR firm People's Revolution, making me desire a similar lifestyle lol. I then thought that working in either music or beauty PR as they are both things i'm passionate about, were ideal roads to go down. My new role presented itself first so now I'm in music PR! 

It's Official... He's My FAV!

I got tired of tweeting my love for J. Cole and writing obsessive whatsapp statuses telling the whole of my contact list what song I'm currently humming along to and why, so I decided to blog about him! (Last mention... I promise, and then I'll retire)

J. Cole keeps Hip Hop alive!

I have always been quite a big fan of J.Cole, I first got introduced to him during my time at University by a follower of mine on Twitter. When I first heard his voice, his flow, and his words... I fell in love, no exaggeration; I was infatuated by his voice, was smitten with his lyrics and besotted by his passion and poetical content. He had no flaws in my eyes. If you have been following my online footsteps, you may remember a point in 2010 where his track "Higher" was the theme song to my tumblr La Bella VIta 9 which was from his third mixtape 'Friday Night Lights' with songs such as "Cost Me a Lot”,” Premeditated Murder", "Home for the Holidays", "Love Me Not" and "In the Morning" featuring Drake (which I used to fall asleep to HASHTAG - cringe). I was the one in my Uni house who loved music so I would play the mixtape out loud, open the doors, windows and I had all my housemates fake rapping in our corridor.

Then he disappeared... </3

I moved on and went back to Drake, I almost lost faith in him but saw him pop up a few times like in Beyonce's "We Like To Party" replacing Andre 3000....

... But that wasn't enough for me, if you know me I love music just as much as I love beauty, I'm always trying to hear whats new and I like a variety. So when J. Cole went missing (to record this album of course) it's like I kinda forced myself to get bored of him.

June &July FAVZ

It's nearly the end of July now, some of these products were my absolute favs in June, but I wanted to give it enough time and really try the products before I just put it out there. 

(From left to right)

1. OPI Rapidry - It's an amazing spray that drys your nails in seconds; a bit on the pricey side, but so worth it! I use it in cojunction with the OPI Rapidry top coat.

2. Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - it's fresh, fruity and feels lovely on the skin

3. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser - I loved this in Morocco, when it was too hot to wear makeup I slapped this on!

4. Clinique's Super City Block SPF 40 - With this product, a little goes a long way and it's great under foundation and keeps my make-up on for longer, especially in this heat. (if you are dark like me, when you first put it on, it's white, do not be alarmed, it disappears when you apply your foundation)

Elf Bits oxo

A while ago I purchased two bits that I'd heard so many positive things about from Elf's website. I was looking for the perfect brush for my makeup, after falling in love with the real techniques buffing brush, it was time for me to look for something similar for when I couldn't be bothered to clean the latter.

I heard A LOT of positive things about the face powder brush, ironically, none of the girls doing the reviews actually used the brush for powder! Elf is cheap so one evening I thought - why not? They also had an offer on where if you purchased from them you got a free lipstick; and I did. I did do a few swatches but the colour wasn't clear so I decided not to include it. 

Firstly, can I just testify that this brush is amazing?! It's so good and such good value for money, only down sides are that the head has actually fallen off and I haven't had it for long :s I can still use it though, I do need to look into purchasing some superglue to stick it back on though and also, it is quite hard to clean, that is expected since the brush is quite dense and full. It is however a very good brush!

7/10

Next is the Elf mist and set spray, I love this, it's better than the MAC one and the Ben Nye (I think) lol, I'm going to wear all three this week and do a comparison post! I'm not going to talk about it any further until I'm 100% sure, but do expect a post towards the end of this week. x

Morocco 2013!!!

Hey guys! So you may be aware of the fact that I went to Morocco this month and it was amazing - literally one of the highlights of my life (slight exaggeration maybe). But seriously it was so fun, it felt good not having to worry about anything, about clients, about wearing makeup and most importantly about wearing a bra all day, lol! It was chilled and relaxed at most points, but me and my friends did the right thing and explored like real tourists. We did everything from climbing a mountain and riding camels to watching entertaining films till the early morning and laying by the pool sipping on fizzy drinks all afternoon at our all inclusive hotel.

The flight on the way there was absolutely terrible, I was almost in tears, it felt like I was going up a ride at a ridiculous speed (anyone who knows me will be aware of the fact that I do NOT like rides, lol, hence the fact that I have never gone to Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and all that jazz), take off wasn't gentle at all; not to mention that my ears popped and didn't fully open or a further two days. AND I had a terrible cold, so my nose was blocked but running at the same time - but enough moaning, look how beautiful the clouds were, God is really great....

We arrived in Morocco, Marrakesh at approximately 10pm in the evening, it was beautiful, the roads, the water fountains on the roads, the palm trees, it was just so nice to see something worlds apart from London for a change. We were picked up by our Thomson rep and got in a coach to our hotel. We landed so late that when we got to the hotel they had stopped serving food, we were too exhausted to hit the town so we went to bed starving :(

... This is the hotel we stayed at, it was called Riu Tikida Garden, it was so lovely, it had a spa on site, was all inclusive with a bar on site and three meals a day. It was very clean, had a beautiful but extremely cold pool and we played tennis and got involved with some of the evening activities.

One of my favourite parts of the holiday was definitely the camels! I was petrified at first, they were so huge and so noisy but you get used to them. My camel was quite calm and sweet. We rode the camels around the dessert for about an hour, it felt like forever, it was hurting all of our bums and thighs! lol

This is the guy who owned the camels, forgot this name but he said I was his wife *cringe*

A Moroccan restaurant...

Belly dancing...

Another man who said I was his wife...

The people in Morocco were such romantics, the men were terrible lol, in the markets they would call us 'The Obamas' 'Beyonce' 'Toni Braxton' 'Nicki Minaj' and 'Halle Berry' it was hilarious, they'd be in your face, look you up and down like you're a piece of meat and say 'wow' loooool. They love their black girls - well, black English girls.

Some more signs of affection from the Moroccans...

We climbed to the top of this mountain! It was an amazing experience, very hard, at points I felt that I felt I was going to slip and fall, but God was by my side, lol... if I fell you would not be reading this right now, that's how high we were up!

We did shisha at a bar called highway, the service was poor even though it looked nice, so I really wouldn't recommend it. As we were making a complaint the waiter walked off to serve someone else it was hilarious. We couldn't even complain to anyone else as all the other staff couldn't really speak English.

We purchased herbs, oil and incense from this lady and enjoyed some complimentary mint tea.

Nikki Beach, wasn't a beach, it was just a fancy pool with an overpriced bar and food. It looked so lovely though, it would be best to go at night. If you are going to Morocco and you want to visit a beach, I recommend you go to Agadir instead.

Me :-)

My favourite holiday shades, the first two are from ASOS, bottom two are Rayban.

I loved my holiday! It was amazing, we had a driver that took us everywhere and recommend really good places to go. If you would like his details, let me know.

I will be going back, most certainly, in a few years!

Looking forward to the next holiday ;)