Feeling Stagnant and the Joy of Missing Out:

The reality that no one tells you before starting university is that, getting through your degree might be the easiest part, everything else that follows afterwards is probably the most challenging. I have had to battle with the insecurities of losing some form of control over my career/life goals as well as battling with the fear of remaining behind whilst everyone moves forward. When I started university, I made a promise to myself that I would graduate with a first class degree and actively work towards improving my CV so that I would not struggle with securing a job after graduating. This meant I had internships over summer holidays and took 4 months out of my second year to work. Leading up to May 2019, I was certain this was a solid plan and to affirm my beliefs, I got offered a job role with the Civil service as an Assistant Economist, something I thought was almost too good for me. I then wrote my exams and graduated with a first class honours, everything sounds perfect right… wrong.

Kinks, Coils and Cowrie Shells: An insight into having 4c hair

As a black girl with no trace of a different race in me, I have thick tightly coiled 4c hair. A quick description of this hair type is that; It shrinks as soon as it has contact with water but also flourishes more when moisturised. The only time I know its true length is when its blow dried bone straight, but that causes heat damage, so truly 99% of the time I can only estimate its actual length. Most people with my hair type, rarely have it out due to the high levels of maintenance. It is rather fragile and tangles easily so having it in braids and wigs helps protect it and requires less manipulation. We can not just roll out of bed and have a “neat” looking hairstyle in 5 mins but just like my cowrie shell earrings, I see my afro as an accessory. With different hairstyles, I feel as though I embody different sides of my personalty and I love it. As cliche as it may sound, our hair is a crown. It can be moulded into all sorts of intricate braiding patterns and even when left on its own, it stands proudly. 

Shortly before moving to England, I had shaved my long relaxed hair, with the aim of not chemically processing it, and I remember feeling like I stood out as almost every black girl I saw did not have their natural hair out.

How your clothing could potentially impact the environment

ZARA

For quite a long time when I would think of sustainability, climate change and the environment, reduction of plastic  consumption would come to mind. As far as I can remember plastic has always been a known cause of environmental problems because its non biodegradable and it produces toxic fumes when burnt, we all probably know that. What fascinated me was finding out that clothing had an impact on the environment, the debate continues as to how bad the industry is compared to the oil and gas industry.

The problem with the clothing industry it seems is the mass production and consumption of clothing and a quick disposal rate which has coined the term Fast Fashion. In simple terms, I'm sure most of you, or someone you know, owns clothing from Zara, Primark, H&M, New Look, River Island, Boohoo, Missguided, Pretty Little Thing to name a few. These brands bring the latest fashion trends from the runway and offer them to us at a low price. An example is shown below, the chunky Alexander McQueen sneakers cost about £365/ ZMW5790/ P5120 however Primark sold a very similar version for only £8/ ZMW126/ P112, which sold out quite fast. It works for us as consumers

Struggles of being 20 Something

Image by @ziruiizhuang

"Stuck in them 20 somethings/ Good luck on them 20 something's/ God bless them 20 Something's"-SZA

When I turned 20, for the first time in my life I felt as though it was a very significant birthday. I believe its because I envisioned the 20s to be my formative years and that I have to try to get myself together. Since then I have been observing the journey of different people in my life who are in their 20s.

I feel its a time when we are too hard on ourselves. It's as though society sets a timer for 10mins once we hit 20 and every year that goes by we lose a minute. Everyone starts comparing themselves to one

6 Books To Get Your Hands On

Current reading list

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to share my reading list. So here it is! I have given my thoughts and a bit of description on each of the books below. 
 If you have read any of these books or read them in due time, comment below on which your favourite is. Or simply recommend any books you think I should read!

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi

Recently finished reading this book, based on
a true story, the author pens down his transition from nearly reaching the peak of his career as a neurosurgeon to being diagnosed with

How to achieve glowy and hydrated skin

My bare face 

I have been ready for summer for over a month now, but being that the weather in England does not seem to be on my wavelength, I have to accept that winter is not ending. Unfortunately for me, and most people I assume, cold weather is accompanied by dry skin.
It was not until last summer (July-August) when I traveled back home that I experienced excessively dry skin and hair, since it was winter there. I will address caring for natural hair in a separate post.

I thought it was perhaps the change in environment, but whatever it was, my skin was as dry as a bone. I tried all sorts of

"Be the change you want to see"

Image by Sana Ginwalla

Oprah, Barack Obama, Yara Shahidi and Malala Yousafzai, one thing they all have in common is being positive agents of change in society. For long I always thought having enough money would be a gateway to achieving my goal of starting an organisation to help people. I also felt I would not be of much help because I am not famous nor popular enough to gain attention for my cause. The problem with the two thoughts is that, money will never be enough and there's a lot that can be done to help without money. Secondly,