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Wearing makeup everyday without removing them properly tends to block skin pores causing constant breakouts and blemishes that dull and age the skin giving it a lackluster appearance.

For days when there’s no need to wear makeup, the skin should be cleansed, moisturized and left to breathe but if you must wear makeup, ensure to remove every bit of it and replenish the skin of the stripped moisture.

For ladies who tend to wear makeup everyday or often, note that these listed bits should be done often.

1. Deep cleansing

After using a makeup remover, take the residue off with a deep cleansing astringent or a facial wash that totally gets rid of leftover makeup to make sure the pores are thoroughly clean and closed.

Whether you wear a lot of makeup daily or every other day, this step is extremely important.

2. Exfoliation

Exfoliation essentially helps to reveal newer, softer skin by getting rid of dead skin cells that build up over time. When dead skin cells are not removed, the skin pores get blocked, it loses its shine and brightness so this is an essential part of skin routine and especially when you wear makeup often.

This can be done weekly to ensure the skin is not unnecessarily stripped of moisture.

3. Facials

Getting regular facials done by professionals is a must do periodically to make sure the skin stays in great shape. Opt for facials specially tailored to suit your skin; a professional is always in the best position to do this.

4. Serum (For rejuvenation)

In between getting the skin cleansed, treated catering to it overnight is also a must. Make sure that after the washes and cleansing every night, it’s replenished using products that work on it (the skin) even while you sleep.

5. Sun Protection

Whether you wear makeup daily or periodically, ensure you have sun protection always. Use moisturizers, makeup etc with enough SPF (sun protection).

Credit: pulse.ng

What is your best tip for dealing with overbearing customers/clients?The following answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Use Your “Spa Voice”

I have this thing I’ve always used — whether it’s for angry friends, bosses or teachers — called my “Spa Voice.” I soften my speaking, acknowledge what they’re saying and don’t raise my voice in a way that could be at all misconstrued. Doing this not only calms them down, but allows you to have the upper hand against their complaints as you’re giving them no fuel for their fire. – Rob Fulton, Exponential Black

2. Kill Them with Kindness

The customer is always right, especially with a consumer facing product like ours. You sometimes get overbearing and demanding users, who either nitpick or are just not happy with anything you do. I find it best to agree and listen. Most of the time they are unhappy or disjointed about something that’s happening in their personal life and they are taking it out on you. So just grin and bear it.  – Joseph DiTomaso, AllTheRooms

3. Just Start

Even if it’s small, just taking the first step with them is the most crucial part. – Wade Foster, Zapier

4. Keep Communication to Email

Unless it can be solved with a lightning quick phone call, keep the communication with the customer to email. Have an auto-reply only to that customer notifying that you check email three times a day, at 9 a.m.12 p.m. and 4 p.m. This will manage their expectations and give them time to figure out the issues themselves. – Adam Stillman, SparkReel

5. Fire Them

I’m not one for customers that are overbearing and take up way more time than they should. If you’ve pulled all the stops and worked with them to the point of insanity, it’s time to fire them. In the beginning you can’t do this. But once you develop stronger relationships you can choose. Sometimes it’s not worth your mental capacity to deal with overbearing customers. – John Rampton, Host

6. Set and Enforce Boundaries

Just because someone calls you on the weekend doesn’t mean you have to answer the phone. Just because they email you at night doesn’t mean you have to respond right way. If someone acts inappropriately in a meeting or call, politely excuse yourself. And don’t be afraid to end the relationship if you need to. Clients like that can poison your whole business. – Mary Ellen Slayter, Reputation Capital

7. Be Assertive and Reassuring

Be honest about the work and intentions, all while being assertive to highlight that you won’t be pushed around. You have to be clear that you have expertise and experience in your work and reassure them that the end result will come out as planned. – Stanley Meytin, True Film Production

 

Credit: www.under30ceo.com

 

Dr. Anita Jack-Davies, an academic and cross-cultural expert with over 20 years of experience in training and instruction, has launched Badges2Bridges – an online program that trains police officers on race, racism, and anti-Black racism.

Dr. Jack-Davies, who is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultural Geography at Canada’s prestigious Queen’s University, has designed her program to be offered as a Zoom webinar (2 hours) or live interactive training with uniformed and command staff.

The invaluable training program is customized to meet the various needs of police departments all across the country. Currently, the program is training officers on the topic of race, racism, and anti-Black racism. Other topics are available including “Policing African American Communities”.

Here are some of the benefits:

* Staff will gain confidence when working Black and other racialized communities.

* Officers will be better prepared to de-escalate tense interactions based on cultural misunderstandings or miscues.

* Learners will gain increased confidence with community-based policing and during home visits, traffic stops, highway stops, and other face-to-face interactions.

For more details about the program, call 613-453-9534 or visit their official web site at Badges2Bridges.com

 

Nigerians have once again shown their passion for humanity and affinity for change by donating N1.6M, within 24 hours to cover  legal fees of “Alleged”   Rape Victim; Seyitan Babatayo.

In the past few days, we have seen the turn of events between Music Star; Dban’j and his alleged Victim; Ms. Seyitan, We have also seen how oppression was used in a systemic way In a bid to shut down the young Woman.

While it is okay for an accused person to defend their name , it is not okay to abuse your power and try to alter the Justice system Intentionally to suit your purpose, this is exactly what the Dbanj camp has shown in the past few days, abuse of power, Intimidation and infringement of privacy (Taking over her Twitter account, while she was  at another safe location).

According to reports,Seyitan was arrested and denied access to friends, family, and legal representation in the early hours of yesterday, after the outcry on social media from several activists like; Josephine Chukwuma, Anthonia Ojenagbon, Kiki Mordi and a host of others, she was eventually released.

 

The Plot Twist

Within 24 hours, women on Twitter raised over a million Naira for Seyitan’s legal fees to ensure she gets proper representation.

While this was ongoing, Someone was also tweeting from Seyitan’s Twitter handle ;

The first tweet:

The second tweet:

…and there was a tweet promoting Dbanj’s New song…Foolish much eh or publicity stunt?

 

 

Seyitan just wanted an apology……

 

There’s a hashtag – #SilenceDbanj  also trending 

There is also an ongoing petition to have the United Nations remove D’banj as a Youth Ambassador for Peace. The 2,500 signatures needed for the petition are almost complete. (Culled from Bellanaija)

Some Celebrities like Donjazzy, Tiwa Savage, MI Abaga and a host of others have also taken a stand

Thought provoking view by Elnathan John

This is truly a sad event, but as an organisation we stand against Rape, as we have been doing for years through our sister Organisation; Walk Against Rape. We also spoke with a member of Seyi’s family and she assured us that Seyi is safe.

Esther Ijewere

 

Temie Giwa-Tubosun of Life Bank has been announced as the 2020 Laureate for Sub-Saharan Africa and has won the sum of US$ 100,000 in grant at the 2020 edition of Cartier Women’s Initiative.

Because of Temie’s dedication to Lifebank, they have saved 8,000 lives. As a medical distribution company, Lifebank uses data and technology to discover and deliver essential medical products to hospitals in Nigeria.

Funkola Odeleye of DIYLaw and Temie Giwa-Tubosun were shortlisted as finalists.

The Cartier Women’s Initiative which was founded in 2006, has helped women over the years to reach their full potential by shining a light on their achievements, whilst providing them with the necessary financial, social and human capital support in growing their businesses and leadership skills. This initiative is open to women-run and women-owned businesses across the globe and sector with the aim of ensuring a strong and sustainable social and environmental impact as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Source: Bellanaija

See the announcement here:

 

If your pitch is accepted, the next thing to do is write your guest post. Especially if it’s the first time you’re writing for a site, you want to make it better than your best.

Do you want to guest blog on your favourite sites or become a guest blogger and don’t know where to start from or what to do?

Guest blogging is a strategy where you write for other blogs that could help you get enhanced traffic, quality backlinks, and increased brand exposure.

To become a guest blogger, you need to do the following:

Know Your Objectives

An effective guest blogging strategy starts with knowing your objectives.  You have to know where you’re headed and what you intend to achieve before becoming a guest contributor. Examples of objectives might include:

  • Driving traffic to a specific landing page (or to your site in general) to get more leads and sales.
  • Building awareness of your brand, products, and services
  • Improving SEO by attracting inbound links.
  • Positioning yourself as an authority in your field to command premium prices and get speaking engagements.
  • To land a job or consultancy role.
  • Increasing email subscriber numbers or your social media audience.

It’s extremely important that you have a goal in mind. This will help you know what type of content to post and the type of bio to craft.

Find Blogs/Websites You Want to Guest Post For

Before you start writing your guest post, you need to find the right blogs to target. Below are several methods you can take to find potential guest posting blogs:

  • Conduct a search on Google

Performing a focused Google search can help you find the right blogs. To search for a blog on Google, you must bear ‘Search Term’ + ‘Search value parameter’ in mind. E.g:

Keyword + ‘guest post’

Keyword + ‘write for us’

Keyword + ‘guest article’

Keyword + ‘guest post opportunities’

Keyword + ‘this is a guest post by’

Keyword + ‘guest contributor’

Keyword + ‘want to write for’

Keyword + ‘submit blog post’

Keyword + ‘guest column’

Keyword + ‘submit content’

Keyword + ‘submit post’

Keyword + ‘suggest a post’

Keyword + ‘submit an article’

Keyword + ‘contributor guidelines’

Keyword + ‘become a guest blogger’

Keyword + ‘guest blogger’

Keyword + ‘become a contributor’

Keyword + ‘submit guest post’

Keyword + ‘submit article’

  •  Check out the websites influencers in your niche are guest posting for

Some influencers in your niche disclose the other blogs that they write for. This can ultimately lead you to an exclusive list of quality blogs you can also guest-post for.

Form a Connection with the Site Owner

If the site you intend to contribute for is owned by someone you can directly pitch to, it’s important that you establish a connection with them first.

Unless the topic you’re pitching is extremely relevant and the content is mind-blowing, I’d precommend that you do not copy and paste guest post pitch templates you see online, as most of them are generic and do not tell the site owners that you’ve done our homework or make the effort to personalize your pitch.

So, how do you establish a relationship with these site owners?

First, get to know their site and the type of content they publish by following them on social media or by subscribing to their newsletters. This will help you get updated on the latest new happenings in their lives or business.

Also, read their content consistently for a few weeks, or longer, so you understand what matters to them and their audience. If they list their top-performing or featured content on their site, check that out, too.

Connect with site owners on social media so you can tag them when you share their site content. Share anything you really love and include a comment so it’s not just a plain link.

Comment on their blogs, sign up for their email marketing newsletter and respond to their emails. You need to form a genuine relationship with these people. Don’t fake it; they’ll figure it out and then you won’t achieve your goals.

Choose a Winning Topic

Once you have a good understanding of your target site, and what matters to the site owner, it’s time to find a topic to pitch.

You should already know what’s popular on the site. Now, think about how you can add value by:

  • Responding to what’s on the site
  • Providing additional information on a popular topic
  • Writing something new on a topic that’s likely to be popular with the audience

If the site has guidelines for pitching and writing, read them. If you don’t, site owners might just reject your pitch before even reading it.

Send Your Pitch

For your guest blogging strategy to succeed, it’s important to avoid generic guest posting pitches. Like I said above, most people can spot a generic message from afar. That is why you need to do your homework, so that you’ll be able to craft a winning pitch that’s personal to each site owner with very little effort.

What are the rules for sending pitches?

The first rule is to keep the pitch short and to the point. Site owners, especially those with authoritative sites, get a lot of pitches, so don’t waste their time.

Second, use their name. Most site owners won’t read pitches from people who can’t be bothered to research this basic contact detail. So, if the site owner’s name is Wuraola, your email should start with “Hi Wuraola” or “Dear Wuraola.”

Third, include the post title. In fact, some successful pitches use this in the email subject line and as a secondary heading within the body of the email. For instance, if I wanted to pitch this topic to a site owner, my email subject line would be ‘The Ultimate Guide To Guest Posting For Beginners’ instead of ‘Guest post pitch – XYZ site’.

If the person you’re pitching loves your title, you’re halfway to a successful pitch.

The next thing to do is to describe the post briefly. Say what it will cover in a couple of sentences or a few bullet points. Tell them how your post will help their readers.

Finally, show them why you’re the right person to write the post. You don’t have to send in your resume, just drop in some badass points on why you’ll make a great contributor.

P.S. Here’s a sample of a guest post pitch you can use or tweak to suit you.

Email subject line: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO GUEST POSTING FOR BEGINNERS

Address site owner by name: Dear Wuraola or Hi Wuraola

Familiarity with the site’s content: I noticed that you’ve been publishing a lot of content around blogging and can’t help but create a blog post that would be beneficial to your readers. I know they love blogging tips (looking at the comments after every post you publish and the number of reshares)

Qualifications for writing/why you’ll make a great guest blogger: and since I’m a content creator, I’d love to create a topic that aligns with your readers’ needs.

Brief post synopsis/outline: Over the years, there’s been plenty of speculation about the death of guest blogging, but the tactic remains one of the most effective ways to promote yourself and your business. From freelancers like Elna Cain who used a guest blogging strategy to make a full-time income from freelance writing and Buffer used guest blogging to attract 100,000 customers; guest blogging is indeed a powerful content marketing tool.

Last paragraph: Wuraola, would The Ultimate Guide To Guest Posting For Beginners be of interest to you?

Salutation: Sincerely, Linda Jones

(Optional): I love The Copywriting Chick Blog. Thanks for being an amazing resource!

So, here’s the pitch:

Dear Wuraola,

I noticed that you’ve been publishing a lot of content around blogging and can’t help but create a blog post that would be beneficial to your readers. I know they love blogging tips (looking at the comments after every post you publish and the number of reshares) and since I’m a content creator, I’d love to create a topic that aligns with your readers’ needs.

Over the years, there’s been plenty of speculation about the death of guest blogging, but the tactic remains one of the most effective ways to promote yourself and your business. From freelancers like Elna Cain who used a guest blogging strategy to make a full-time income from freelance writing and Buffer used guest blogging to attract 100,000 customers; guest blogging is indeed a powerful content marketing tool.

Wuraola, would The Ultimate Guide to Guest Posting for Beginners be of interest to you?

Sincerely,

Linda Jones

P.S: I love The Copywriting Chick Blog. Thanks for being an amazing resource!

Write Great Content

If your pitch is accepted, the next thing to do is write your guest post. Especially if it’s the first time you’re writing for a site, you want to make it better than your best.

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Craft an Amazing Headline

Start by taking a look at the headline in your pitch again. Even if the site owner loved it, it won’t hurt to come up with some alternatives. A great headline includes the benefit(s) for the reader, uses action words and taps into emotion.

  • Link Appropriately

Ideally, your guest post will have a great link profile, which helps with SEO and building authority. That means you should include relevant internal and external links in the guest post you’re writing. Within the content, link to great content from the site you’re writing for, and useful resources on external sites. This helps give the content a good link profile, which is also good for SEO and building authority.

  • Include Images

Finding images can be tasking, especially if the site owners have a lot on their hands. So, except they tell you that they’d rather insert the images themselves, you should add them. You can get free images from Pixabay, Unsplash and Canva.

  • Format the Post Correctly

Finally, format the post so it matches others on the site. Observe how and where they use subheadings, capitalization, bold text, lists, etc. The less work you give site owners to do, the more of an asset you are.

Craft A Bio That’ll Blow Their Minds

You need to work that bio because it’s where you get to link back to your own site/social media page and resources. Options commonly offered include:

  • A single link to your home page
  • A link to any page/resource on your site
  • A link to your site plus a social media link
  • A couple of web and social media links

Be Responsive

You wanted to be in the limelight and now, you’ve got the opportunity. Leverage it and do not put it to waste. Respond to comments on and mentions of your post.

Why? Apart from the fact that it’s good manners, it’s also a great way to connect with your new audience and achieve some of your set goals. Who knows? You could land a client or clients. Or even a beneficial partnership/collaboration deal.

Blog owners will also be happy if you’re responsive, making it more likely they’ll be receptive to new pitches, or will suggest ways you can contribute further. This moves you even closer to achieving your goals for your guest blogging strategy. And if you aren’t able to respond to posts on their sites, you can get traffic or DMs on your social media pages, email or websites. Be sure to respond to them.

Promote Your Content

Content promotion is a key part of your guest blogging strategy so more people read your content and follow it back to your site. You can promote your guest posts via email, on your social media pages or website. Also, encourage your subscribers and followers to visit, comment and share.

Write More Guest Posts

Don’t stop at one guest post and call it a day. The more posts you write, the more online presence you have, and the more people think of you as an authority. That leads to more invitations to write and participate in events, more traffic to your site, and more leads and sales.

Of course, if you’re writing a lot of guest posts, you’ll need a way to keep track of them. That’s why it makes sense to have a guest blogging calendar.

An easy way to do this is to create a new calendar in Google Calendar and add the titles and due dates of any guest blogging commitments.

Source: Bellanaija

At age seven, Neijae Graham-Henries also known as the world’s youngest barber, found her passion when her brother chose to discontinue the Junior Barber Academy in North Philadelphia.

Now, the 9-year-old spends her time going to school and giving free haircuts to those in need and at the same time mastering her skills from Philadelphia barbers. Young Graham-Henries is confident about her career in a male-dominated profession and her resolve to pursue her passion has won her the World Record Academy title of “World’s Youngest Barber’.

Neijae says she didn’t think much about giving haircuts before she heard of the academy. “I would braid my own hair and my doll’s hair, but I wasn’t really interested in barbering. I thought only boys could do it” she told TIME for Kids.

Graham-Henries received national attention from outlets like BuzzFeed and Inside Edition when a video of her working went viral on social media. She also got invited to speak at the Essence Beauty Carnival in New York City.

Watch the video below:

Pamela Taylor, the 57-year old white woman who made a racist comment about former first lady Michelle Obama on Facebook two years ago, is now going to prison for embezzling more than $18,000 in FEMA disaster benefits.

Taylor, the former Clay County development director, has recently been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison and to pay $10,000 fine. After serving her sentence in jail, she also has to undergo home confinement for the first 2 months and supervised release for 3 years.

In 2016, Taylor also made national headlines after comparing then-first lady Michelle Obama to an ape. In a Facebook post after Trump’s election, she said, “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing a Ape in heels.”

She was then suspended from her position as Clay County development director but returned to work about a month after.

In the FEMA embezzlement case, Taylor reportedly claimed her primary residence was damaged by the flooding in West Virginia that damaged other homes and buildings and killed at least 23 people in June 2016. She also said that she stayed in a rental unit after that.

However, it turned out that her home was not damaged and that she was still living there, not in any rental unit as she have initially claimed to receive more than $18,000 in FEMA disaster benefits.

“The flood was a natural disaster. Stealing from FEMA is a man-made disaster,” U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart said in a news release. “The floods of June 2016 were historic and devastating to thousands of West Virginians. Lives were lost. Too many of our brothers and sisters lost everything. FEMA dollars are critical but limited. Stealing critical FEMA dollars is a crime — literally and figuratively. Taylor’s fraud scheme diverted disaster benefits from our most desperate and vulnerable, those most in need of help.

Source: blacknews.com

Khaliyah and Aaliyah White, twin sisters from Philadelphia, have graduated as the number 1 and 2 students of their class at GAMP High School.

Despite the hardships they faced, Khaliyah graduated valedictorian and Aaliyah graduated salutatorian with their drive and motivation.

The twins dedicate their success most especially to their mother who passed away last year. “She was proud of us for everything that we were doing,” the twins told NBC News about their mother.

Aside from their academics, the two sisters were also occupied with participating in track and field and theater plays.

Due to the pandemic, they will be having their graduation virtually wherein they are set to address their fellow graduates.

“We’re still doing everything even though it is not the same as before. We’re going through this and we will be stronger and more prepared for anything that comes in the future.”

Both of them are pursuing premed but Khaliyah is heading to Delaware State University, while Aaliyah is going to the University of Pennsylvania. It will be the first time they will be separated for long and they are excited about what is ahead of them.

Ending a marriage you have spent years nurturing can be very hard. On one hand, you are happy you have made a good decision for yourself, on the other hand, you feel an overwhelming feeling of loss.

It can be particularly hard for women who don’t have the right support or who live in a society where divorced women are stigmatized.

For these reasons and more, Tinuola Okenimkpe is sharing her personal experience to help divorced and separated women move on and live their best lives after divorce.

ABOUT TINUOLA OKENIMKPE

Tinuola Okenimkpe, popularly known as Tinu-Ola-Onipekun, was born in Kaduna, Nigeria. She studied Computer science at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria.

She started her journey as an entrepreneur at the age of 19 and currently owns and runs a cake store known as Dreamtreats Cakes.

A divorced mother of 2 children and an adopted cousin, Tinuola, who has a can-do attitude towards life, loves to inspire others to pick up their dead dreams once again, dust them and run with it. She derives fulfilment from helping women get back on their feet especially after experiencing a loss.

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS

Beautiful Beginnings is an organization she founded to provide support for women who have experienced a loss. She has gone ahead to release her debut book also titled Beautiful Beginnings, focused on helping others find the courage to move on just like she did.

She has another soon to be released book titled Now That You Are Divorced, a step by step guide to finding your groove back.

WHY SHE STARTED BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS AND WROTE A BOOK

My marriage ended after 10 years. From my experience, I found out that society has defined the way a divorced woman should look and how she should carry herself. It was considered a thing of shame and you were literally labeled a failure.

After divorce, one was expected to be silent, and talking about it only made it worse. Due to lack of support both from the community, religious organizations and sometimes even family, most women considered divorce an end to their lives and their dreams.

And many others remained in marriages that should never have been because of the fear of stigmatization. I also found that many divorced people had a sense of overwhelming loneliness during this process and for many, it was literally impossible to pull through.

Over the last 9 years, I discovered a lot of things I wish I had known earlier on. While that knowledge may not have eased the pain, it would definitely have made a lot of things easier and helped me get my groove back earlier.

I am very passionate about helping other divorced women through that season and that is why I started a support system known as Beautiful Beginnings.

HER BOOK – BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS

Reading the book Beautiful Beginnings will give you a fresh perspective and help you find the courage to move on.

You can also sign up for Walk With Me, a 30 days session.

Benefits include:

– Discover the truth about who you really are
–  Get tips for going through a divorce with less drama
–  Pick up your dreams again…. they are valid and possible.
–  Learn to raise outstanding kids despite and in spite of what you are going through
–  Find the courage to move on with your career or start a business
–  Build a support system
–  Get your groove back

 

GET IN TOUCH WITH TINUOLA OKENIMKPE

Instagram: instagram.com/tinuolaonipekun

Facebook: Tinu Ola-Onipekun

Phone call: 09079006877

WhatsApp: 09079006877

Email: mybbeginnings@gmail.com

 

This article was culled from Woman.ng, In support of the Author’s work as it relates to marriage and separation. It is not our original content , neither did we conduct this interview.