You know that phrase "YOLO"?

Yeah, that used to be me. The frontrunner on the headliner tour of "You Only  Live Once", only thing is no one telss you that to be #teamyolo you could start to spend spend spend, so while i was living, my bank account was dying. 

One thing i learnt the hard way is you can’t live well if you are an overspender and there’s a difference between YOLO when I am sticking to your budget and YOLO when I am overspending.

So I got intentional about saving. 

I started with downloading the Kuda app on my phone which gave me up to 15% annual interest on Fixed Savings. You can save a lump sum and earn annual interest. If you withdraw before your savings matures, you will lose all the interest you've accrued and receive only the principal (the amount you started the plan with). Your Fixed Savings plan will be deleted automatically once you make an early withdrawal from it. 

Next thing I did was to activate the Spend+Save feature which meant that I was saving every time you spent money.

The Spend+Save feature is  designed to make saving as easy for you as spending. It literally takes the struggle out of saving by putting money away for you every time money leaves your Kuda account (when you send money, pay by card, pay bills or buy airtime).

Best of all, did I mention all my transactions have ZERO bank charges?!

By the end of the first quarter I couldnt believe how much I had saved. 

Im  definitely doing it again in 2024. Will you be joining me?

 Honestly, I spend so much time surfing #skintok and I am so grateful for Tiktok because it has opened me up to a community of skincare lovers and a whole load of skin tricks that have been such game changers to my routine. I have found myself changing my entire skin routine because of the amazing results but out of all the products I have introduced , the most surprising for me has been the almighty Tranexamic acid.

Crazy fact but Tranexamic acid is used to treat heavy menstrual bleeding in women. It can be used by teenage females, but is not for use before the start of menstruation. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic agent. It works by blocking the breakdown of blood clots, which prevents bleeding.

In skincare though, Tranexamic acid targets both dark spots and mask-like discolorations as it allows skin's surface layers to regain their natural, even-toned color. The trick is patience: It can take 8–12 weeks of daily use until you see significant results. It is amazingly potent for the hyperpigmentation girlies.

The best has got to be the Topical Faded  This gel-like serum and 360 degree body mist gently fade the look of your most stubborn marks, scars, and spots so that you can kick back and let your worries fade away. 

  Inkey List Tranexamic Acid This brightening serum also contains 2% ascorbyl glucoside, which is a vitamin C derivative that works to brighten the skin just like pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid) but is more stable.

 It not only brightens the skin but also offers antioxidant benefits and helps improve collagen production for firmer, more youthful-looking skin. It also includes 2% Acai berry extract to help even skin tone. Suitable for all skin types, this treatment is ideal for dull, discolored skin. The serum has an opaque gel texture that is non-sticky.

Naturium Tranexamic Topical 5%  is a tranexamic acid serum that uses 5% tranexamic acid and is enriched with niacinamide, kojic acid, and licorice root extract to brighten the skin, improve uneven skin tone, and diminish the appearance of discoloration and patchy skin.

If you are in Nigeria, like I am then it may be a bit pricey and difficult to lay hands on the above three products but as your skincare gaurdian angel I found two equally effective products for both high and low price points

Hada Labo

Belo Tranexamic

Have you tried any?Do share!!

 
 In February of 2020, Jenevieve burst on to the scene when she released her very 1st song  “Medallion” under independent label Joyface Records. The track, produced and co-written by Jean Benz, highlighted her incredibly unique and soulful voice and received instant praise and acclaim for its tasteful nod to Neo-Soul and 90’s R&B. 

Jenevieve followed up her impressive debut with her 2nd single “Baby Powder” in March of 2020. The song immediately landed on major playlists, and along with its accompanying video, quickly garnered millions of plays and views on all major platforms. 
 Listed as one of Pigeons & Planes’ “21 Rising Artists to Watch in 2021,

Nosta Cafe is hands down the best ice cream experience in Abuja. Situated in the heart of the city, it is a cosy space offering sweet treats like cake slices, icecream, dessert and the best coffee ever(honestly try it). Not to mention it shares a space with one of the best pizzas in the city. 

So if you are looking for a plethora of unique ice cream flavours to choose from, this would become your haven. They boast of flavours like mango, salted caramel,  chocolate, cotton candy, birthday cake, caramel butter, spumoni, huckleberry or low fat vanilla and so much more. The texture of their ice cream is rich and smooth and it is so creamy.

A scoop of ice cream costs NGN800. You can have as many scoops as you wish in a cup or a cone(the cone costs N200 and the portions are huge. Assorted toppings are also available on request.

Where is your go to for sweet treats?

 I think I am like Osun. She is me and I, her. I am a goddess, reliving this life again. I wonder about all the mistakes I have made, all the times I have been here, all the lives I have lived, all the ones I have loved or hurt. 

Osun is the goddess of love. In another life, I have been called Aphrodite. I hold the sweetness of tears, that longing that we have for expression, for the fullness of lips on lips, for the lull of moonlight on another's skin. 

I have gone round the world a million times before, yet it seems I never learn. I do not hold love, love holds me. Love chooses me as its goddess, as its servant, as its chalice. I do not choose it. Because let me tell you, somedays I hate the softness of my soul, I hate all mankind for only knowing how to take.  But what am I if the rest cannot suckle from my breasts, would I be a flower if I refused the bees my nectar? For they too did not choose their fate. But they must take from the flower, so they can give honey to the child. 

So you see, I am still learning, that I am here to shine, but also here to burn. And what a glorious miracle that is, to know love this deeply, this intimately, to love so much that it consumes me, every time.