Beauty vlogger and award-winning YouTuber, Jackie Aina is on the digital cover of Essencemagazine. The YouTube star glows in the shimmering light with her silver eyebrows, extremely blonde hair, bling nails and glittery lips.
The Nigerian-American YouTube star began her YouTube channel in the summer of 2009. After She narrates to Essence how much she loved watching YouTube, and in the process, her best friend convinced her to start sharing videos. She said to Aina, ‘You should just put your looks online.’ At first, Aina refused, then she decided, ‘You know what? Why not? I’m not doing anything bold with my life. I might as well.’ However, Jackie Aina clearly stated to Essence that she wasn’t planning to start a YouTube channel.
She narrates how hard it was at the time for black women to find their own shades in makeup stores:
“I COULDN’T GO TO MAKEUP COUNTERS AND GET THE HELP THAT I NEEDED. I WOULD ASK THEM LIKE, ‘OH, HOW DO I APPLY CONCEALER?’ OR, ‘HOW DO I CONTOUR?’ AND IT WAS ALWAYS LIKE MY SKIN TONE WAS A DETERRENT TO EVERYTHING,” SHE RECALLS. “ACCORDING TO THEM, IT WAS LIKE, ‘WELL, YOU’RE DARK. SO YOU CAN’T REALLY DO THAT.’ IT WAS JUST LIKE, ‘OKAY, I’M SURE THERE’S A WAY AROUND IT. YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING.’”
Jackie tells Essence that she started her Youtube Channel with filling the voids that weren’t existent in the content creation industry. She made videos like “The Worst Beauty Brands EVER for POC!” which made her platform grow so well. With those videos, she called out brands that were not “chocolate-girl-friendly” or satisfying enough for dark skinned girls.
Jackie Aina definitely didn’t straitjacket on only blasting those makeup brands. She’s been creating video tutorials, makeup hacks, and so many other helpful content for her audience. Addressing the fact that some of these videos seemed a little rude, she defends her content creation to Essence:
“WHAT GOOD WOULD MY PLATFORM BE IF IT WAS ONLY NEGATIVITY AND BLASTING PEOPLE ALL THE TIME?”
“WITH MY CONTENT, I ALWAYS TRY TO THINK, WOULD IT BE HARMFUL TO MY COMMUNITY IN ANY WAY? WOULD THIS UPSET OR ENCOURAGE A STEREOTYPE IN ANY WAY? AS MUCH AS I WANT PEOPLE TO ENJOY MY CONTENT, IT’LL NEVER BE AT THE EXPENSE OF MAKING OTHER PEOPLE LOOK BAD. I’M ALWAYS TRYING TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT MORE THAN ANYTHING.”
Jackie Aina will never fail to be one of the greatest beauty YouTubers of our time, and we’re so proud that she’s also Nigerian. Definitely, many Nigerians at home and in diaspora have always impressed us with their great achievements so far.
Stretch marks are a common problem for both men and women and they often tend to have an effect on people’s confidence. Whether it’s there due to pregnancy or sudden weight gain, this is one physical feature that can be commonly seen on the waist, thighs, lower backs, hips, breasts, arms, and buttocks.
Normally, stretch marks appear as bands of parallel lines on your skin. These lines are a different color and texture than your normal skin. They appear when the dermal layer of the skin is suddenly stretched, as in the case of pregnancy.
Here are a few ways to clear up stretch marks naturally; 1. Argan Oil Vitamin E enriched Argan oil increases the elasticity of skin and rubbing it on the stretch marks might heal the broken tissues gradually making the marks fade.
2. Lemon Juice Lemon juice is known for its natural bleaching properties, so it helps reduce the visibility effectively. Use fresh lemon juice daily or simply rub a sliced lemon wedge on your marks to see results.
3. Egg White High in proteins and amino acids, egg white is a super food for the skin. When applied on stretch marks, egg white will help lighten the marks while also tightening the skin.
4. Potato Juice Potatoes contain starch and other skin lighting enzymes which is why they are often used to lighten dark circles, spots and blemishes from the skin. It bleaches the skin and effectively reduces the visibility of stretch marks when applied regularly.
5. Aloe Vera Gel Remove the outer layer of the aloe vera leaf and take out the sticky gel from the inside of the leaf. Use the aloe vera gel on stretch marks and wash off with water
For someone who once referred to herself as an “exercise junkie”, Ruby Agu does a whole lot more than exercise. She is one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing fitness professionals. Ruby got into the fitness profession after losing 35kg of excess body weight within her first 12 months of a devoted exercise and healthy nutrition lifestyle. In June 2015, she began helping people to begin their weight loss journey – even before she became a NESTA-certified weight management specialist and fitness nutrition coach, an IREP-certified fitness trainer and a Licensed STRONG by Zumba® Instructor.
When Ruby experienced the journey of weight-loss, she began to appreciate all the challenges facing modern women on the same quest and was pushed to solve as many of these problems as she could… by starting her own gym. The founder of the RA-Fit Club and self-described “serial entrepreneur” has had her fair share of trials, with stories of business success and failure alike. A loving wife, doting mother of three girls and a deeply thankful survivor of a few life threatening health scares. Ruby shares her inspiring journey with me in this interview
Growing up
My childhood didn’t prepare me for what I’m doing now, but you can say that I was somewhat exposed to exercise and fitness at some point during my childhood, because we had neighbors that were actually in professions that made it necessary for them to be at the National Stadium in Surulere every Saturday. It used to be fun listening to them narrate their stadium experiences, and sometimes they would demonstrate some exercises to me. I remember doing my first sit-up crunch. I had just finished my SS3 exams, sitting and waiting for results – while adding weight (LOL). One of my neighbour’s sons (who had just become a referee like his dad) decided to take it upon himself to teach me some exercise moves. So, yes, you could say I had a little taste of it, and it was fun… I found out that I was good at it! But it ended there… or so I thought.
Inspiration behind your fitness club
It’s hard for me to pinpoint any single thing, because I have had a string of life experiences that kept pointing me in this direction. I first got into fitness as a profession after I had successfully shed 30kg of excess body weight within one-year of an intense exercise and healthy nutrition lifestyle. After I had been practicing as a fitness professional for a couple of years, I began to feel an aching need to make real contact with people out there who had expressed a need to be trained and motivated directly by me. It became harder to go beyond a certain level of contact with my people by keeping it purely online. At first all I wanted to do was have somewhat a meeting place where my clients could take part in group training sessions… just something small. But the more I searched for a location, the bigger the idea kept getting. And here we are.
Being a coach, nutrition and weight management specialist, Mom and wife
It’s been a rollercoaster ride, and it got a whole lot crazier after we started the fitness club, but love has kept me moving. The funny thing is that I have been in this crazy routine – as in, we’ve not had any sort of domestic staff in my household – for about 7 years! The fact that I worked from home for the most part of it was clearly an advantage – especially after my husband returned to a rigorous 9-5 routine 6 years ago (leaving home before 6am and sometimes returning after 10pm). There have been different phases in the coping story.
Reception
It’s tough promoting fitness to Nigerians, but I’m thankful for the increase in awareness of wellness, fitness and healthy living in today’s Nigeria. At first the club was very scanty (naturally), but in a year, we had over 200 registered members, and about 2-thirds of them are active and regular.
The neighborhood has welcomed us warmly, judging by the camaraderie we get from our members – who now see themselves as part of one fun-loving fitness family.
Harsh realities of weight loss and fitness.
For starters, you will have to give away all your big clothes (LOL), and don’t go shopping until you know you’ve hit your target weight… or gotten close. And this can be an insane experience, especially if it takes years of bouncing up and down the scale to get there (which it usually does). But seriously:
It takes time so one needs to be patient and requires taking a firm decision, being dedicated and disciplined – with both exercise and the things you eat or drink.
My Inspiration
I know it sounds cliché, but I am inspired by love itself. I generally want things to work out for everybody – and sometimes that is perceived as a weakness – but that’s how I always remember myself to be. I’m also deeply inspired by well-told stories in movies and international TV series – especially sitcoms, medical, legal and investigative drama types (Grey’s Anatomy, Bull, NCIS, Hawaii 5-0, Criminal Minds). It’s amazing how much family, friendship and pure love are written into these stories. I feed off that too.
I have a lot of people who have inspired me for years, and still do from all over the world, and here in Nigeria as well. But the one person who stands out for me in this sense is Maje Ayida. He has steadily grown his fitness brand in Nigeria, and he practically hand-held me into the level of “fitpreneurship” that I am at right now.
Reward
Oh my gooodnesss! I mean, I love a huge pay cheque – trust me, I do – but I’m going to go cliché on you again by saying this: My greatest reward is and has always been the smiles on the faces of my clients, and the testimonials they share with me when they are seeing progress in their fitness and health. I can’t explain how awesome it feels when a client walks into my office (or calls me on the phone) to say “mehhn, Mrs Ruby, I’ve started dashing out clothes o! They’re now too big for me” or “Ah! I went to see my cardiologist today and he has reduced my BP meds!”. Or even the cutest one ever, “Mrs Ruby, my butt is taking shape o!” LOL!
Challenges
I think that social enterprise leans heavily on education, which in our world today can be translated as content. Sometimes it is hard to keep up the pace of bringing this knowledge to your audience, and it has to be verified content, because you are putting your brand behind it. Ever since I started the RA-Fit club, both my blog and my social media content took a hit, because I used to be a lot more active in these spaces, sharing inspiration, tips and advice on exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle in general. I am working hard on getting my groove back, so that I can bring my wider audience into the excitement that we’re experiencing in the RA-Fit family.
Projects and Activities
I had a health scare in 2014. In summary, I had a surgery by which I survived a close shave with something called endometrial hyperplasia. This experience led me to do a lot of research into female reproductive cancers. In October 2015 I held GyFest, a small gathering of women to shed light on truths about gynaecologic cancers, and to encourage women to speak up… and to speak up fast – whenever they notice any changes in their body. Don’t ignore the signs. Speaking up early saved my life. Running the club has opened my eyes to the fact that so many women are going though a lot of health-related issues, and they keep it to themselves. This year I intend to make GyFest not just an event but a movement, because I’ve learned a lot within the past year about the need to inspire more courage in women.
Giving up
It’s hard running a business (and a startup, for that matter), especially in Nigeria’s current economic environment, but because for me RA-Fit is – first – a labour of love, I can break up with the whole idea of it at night, we kiss and make up in the morning, and I just can’t wait to get to work and do what I do. I have always said that this is a calling for me, not just a career. One of the reasons I didn’t set out to start a gym in the early days of being a fitness professional is the capital-intensive nature of it. It takes a lot, and you sometimes need more support than you think… financial, emotional, spiritual and otherwise. I pray now more than I used to, and I thank God every day – even when the challenges seem most unbearable.
Being a Woman of Rubies
I asked myself the same question before this interview… then the easy answer came to me: my name is Ruby perhaps? (LOL). But seriously I sometimes ask myself where I get the courage to embark on some things. I guess it’s in me. I’ve been through a lot in my life, as a child, a student in university, and in my years as a married woman and mother. Somehow, I think my early-life battles with financial and social status put this thing in me that sees to it that I won’t sit back and do nothing… ever. I’ve had friends refer to me as a fighter – maybe that’s what I was created to be.
Advice for women who are finding it hard to lose weight and are yet to embrace fitness goals.
Our tag-line at RA-Fit is “Find Your Fit”. The truth is, sometimes we spend more energy benchmarking ourselves against what other people are able to accomplish in this space. We don’t all look the same. Every woman’s body is framed in one of so many diverse beautiful ways, and if we would just focus on bringing forth the particular beauty that is ours, then the fitness goals we set for ourselves become more realistic and less scary, because – truth be told – this is not meant to be a one-time thing, it’s a life-long journey. So I would say in short: set realistic goals, take baby steps, be patient and enjoy every stage of you because the next stage will be glad you did.
Damilare Osundare a.k.a Asiri Comedy ,inspirational singer, Nosa and actor Seun Ajayi have been named amongst the speakers expected to facilitate at this year’s Revamp Conference tagged ‘The Old meets the new’.
The 2019 edition of the conference is scheduled to hold on the 22nd of June 2019 at Prime Rose Event Centre, Ogba ,Ikeja Lagos.
These entertainment icons will alongside other panelists, thought leaders and experts coach, counsel and inspire the young Nigerians who will be attending the third edition of this summit.
The vision of this year’s edition is to bring menthors from the older generation and mentors from the new school under one roof to inspire the teenagers and youths. The focus is to glean wisdom from the old and intelligence from the young achievers.
According to Precious Eniayekan, Convener of the Conference: “It’s been an amazing journey, this is the third edition of the Revamp conference and I can boldly say this is what we have been called to do. For me, raising a generation that will raise the next and the next and the next is something all of us must pay attention to. The stellar initiative is here to stay and we are taking Revamp to the world”, she said.
Menstrual cramps are common pains experienced by women before and during the period which cause major discomfort. While making use of prescribed drugs, like aspirins, may be advised, it is also good to note that natural remedies are available and efficient like the few explained below;
Stay Hydrated
One common remedy for menstrual cramps is to stay hydrated; in other words, drink more water; this helps to ease bloating which makes symptoms worse.
Get in the habit of drinking six to eight glasses of water each day, especially during your period. Add some mint or a lemon wedge to make it more palatable, if you dislike its plain taste. While you’re at it, back off of the salt, which encourages fluid retention and bloating.
Diet Is Key
Your dietary and lifestyle habits can either relieve or worsen period cramps. If you experience monthly menstrual discomfort, it is advisable to avoid certain foods like refined foods including sugar, glazed doughnuts, bread, and pasta. Avoid trans-fatty acids that are found most often in, for example, French fries, cookies, onion rings, crackers, and margarine. Ditch alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. All of these things increase inflammation and may encourage period pain. In replacing tea or anything caffeine-related, you can indulge in sipping chamomile tea which may help reduce cramps when you menstruate.
Try The Heat Therapy
Placing a hot water bottle or heating pad against the abdomen can relax the muscles and relieve cramps. Study shows heat helps the uterine muscle and those around it relax, which may ease cramping and discomfort.
One can also place a heating pad on the lower back to get rid of back pain. Another option is to soak in a warm bath, which can help relax the muscles in the abdomen, back, and legs.
In the absence of any of the above, massages, mild exercises and reducing hectic routines should be implored.
The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPHARM) has reechoed the result of a 2018 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODOC) which said that 14.4 million Nigerians aged between 15 and 64 years are drugs users.
Speaking ahead of NAPHARM upcoming conference in Lagos tagged: ‘Pharmacy United Against Drug and Substance Use in Nigeria,’ Chairman of NAPHARM Drug & Substance Abuse Committee, Dr Lolu Ojo, raised concern over the “staggering and unsavoury statistics of Nigerians abusing drugs,” saying, “if the menace of drug abuse are not checked, it will impair all efforts to put the nation on a higher political and economic pedestal.”
Vanguard reports that according to NAPHARM, Nigeria has 10.6 million users of Cannabis; 4.6 million users of pharmaceutical opioids, 238,000 amphetamine users, and one out of every five users of drugs are already dependent.
Ojo continued:
One out of every four drug users is a woman. There are unconfirmed reports that the age of use has gone down to 7 years which means that the children in primary schools are already involved. We wish to sound a note of warning that this challenge may even be more than the current official estimates at our disposal and we will request the nation to be aware of the iceberg phenomenon that this subject may present before us.
There is practically no major city in Nigeria that does not have hideouts or joints or clubs or ram-shackles where the young ones gather to buy or use drugs of different descriptions to feel good.
We are organising a 1000-man sensitisation and awareness walk to educate and inform the public on Monday 10 June 2019, symposium themed: Sustainable approach to the eradication of drug and substance abuse in Nigeria.
Each week, Jada Pinkett Smith and her family sit around the Red Table to talk about some of the most riveting topics around. There have been so many memorable episodes of the show with Ayesha Curry, Jordyn Woods and others making headlines through their appearances.
Recently, Ciara graced the table with her story, which Jada says has been incredibly influential. J
Ciara’s most recent album is called Beauty Marks. The body of work tells a tale of how Ciara has turned her ugliest moments into the most beautiful life she could have. She knows that everything that happened to her over the years has led her to find the love of her life, Russell Wilson. CiCi’s son, FutureZahir, is a major part of her sit-down with Jada, Willow and Adrienne. The singer was engaged to Future when they welcomed in Baby Future but something about the relationship was so toxic that she needed to call things off. Ciara knew that she needed her life to calm down and when she first started hanging out with Russell Wilson, she says it was “just different.”
Ciara is striving right now and nothing could have happened without all the emotional scars she lived through along the way. She’s wearing so many hats and as a mother of two children now, she still finds time to be there for her kids. Watch the full episode below.
The May magazine cover for MediaRoomHub is out and to commemorate the Children’s Day, they have featured Success Adegor. Success’ story is not only unique, but it’s also a wakeup call for us all to make education a priority for every Nigerian child.
A few weeks ago, a viral video of a little school girl, Success, surfaced on the internet where the smart and outspoken primary school girl was being questioned by her neighbor, Stephanie, as to why she was returning home rather too early from school on that fateful day. In an outburst, Success said she was sent away for not paying her examination fee.
Of course, situations such as this call for concern amongst many Nigerians as there are so many similar cases out there. Thus, within the space of 24 hours, celebrities and individuals alike raised funds in order to ensure that Success remains in school and yes, they made it happen.
According to MRH,The Success incident came with a lot of controversies which prompted us to travel to Sapele to interview her and her parents. Thus, in this conversation with us, Success talks about how she met Stephanie, whether or not her parents appreciated Stephanie thereafter, how the incident was actually one of several others in the past, how some public figures used her situation for publicity, her future ambition, how she feels about stardom and more.Visit www.mediaroomhub.com for more.
Serena Williams has made history as the first athlete to make Forbes’ list of the World’s Richest Self-Made Women.
According to the publication, the 23-time Grand Slam champion made the list as a result of her estimated fortune of $224m (£177m). The majority of William’s fortune has been made as a result of her “brain and brand rather than her backhand”, according to Forbes, with the star investing in 34 startup businesses in the past five years alone.
Opening up about her financial investments, Williams told the publication: “I want to be in the infrastructure. I want to be the brand, instead of just being the face.”
In April, Williams announced she was launching her own venture-capital firm.
Forbes reports that 60 per cent of Williams’ investments so far have gone to companies led by women or people of colour.
Adun, the daughter of late Nollywood actress, Moji Olaiya
has graduated from Babcock University two years after her mum’s death.
She shared photos from her graduation with the caption, ‘a
degree hotter. I’m grateful to God and my family for helping me come this
far’.Bsc international law and diplomacy
