Interviews&profile Archives

In Interviews&profile February 20, 2020 By Women of Rubies

Top beauty Blogger, Dimma Umeh Shares The Best Highlighters For Dark Skinned Women

Whether you wear makeup every day or occasionally, you are sure to have heard of the term highlighting. You go on social media and see a lot of ladies glowing as they bathed in gold. Well, it’s no news that highlighters are very much trendy.

Yet, with the endless number of shimmery options out there, how do you know which one is right for you? While highlighter has been all the rage for its ability to brighten your face instantly, finding the perfect one when you have a darker skin tone can be a serious struggle.

When it comes to choosing the highlighter of your dreams, dark women should avoid pinks and frosty whites. You want to pick a highlighter that would look like a part of your skin, as opposed to, like, a disco ball.

Top beauty blogger, Dimma Umeh has made life easier by putting together her top 5 highlighters for women of color.

Products mentioned

Black Up Sublime Powder – NPS 01
Bobbi Brown highlight powder – Bronze Glow
Anastasia Beverly Hills Highlighter – So Hollywood
Mac Mineralized Skin Finish – Gold Deposit
J Cat beauty only you glow girl baked highlighter – Pink Goddess

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In Inspiration February 20, 2020 By Women of Rubies

10 Boss Skills To Master Before Leading A Team

If you’re looking to get promoted or you’re starting a new job as a manager, here are some things that you should prepare for and skills you should gain before deciding to lead a team.

1. Vision

Been a manager, makes you responsible for not only your team, but also for a multitude of projects and tasks.

Good leaders are able to clearly see and act on the vision, manage projects, and can develop their team at the same time.

2. Adaptability

As a leader, sometimes you’ll manage several departments at once that are vastly different from one another. Despite this, you’re the boss so their success is still your responsibility. It’s important that you know enough about what they do and how their department should operate so that you can know how to manage your expectations and be able to answer questions and help when needed

3. Project Management

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Being a manager, you’ll be expected to clearly communicate and execute projects from start to finish. During this period, in order to successfully execute a project, you need a proper management of task.

4. Delegation

As a boss, it’s easy to get obsessed with your work. In other to avoid becoming a control freak, delegation is required. Keep in mind, delegation does not mean pawning off all of your work to your team. Instead, it means understanding the role that each team member has, the deadline of the work, the nature of the project, and strategically assigning portions of the task to each member based on those elements.

Once you start delegating though, remember to also trust and verify the work.

5. Organizational

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Being organized comes naturally for some people but seems impossible for others. Nonetheless, when you’re responsible for people and projects, it’s critical that you keep your space at least neat enough so that you can clearly find what you and your team need. Also, being organized in your space helps you become organized in other aspects of your work life including managing your team and project timelines.

6. Versatility

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Shit happens and things change in business. Sometimes, these changes are very unexpected and it disrupts you and your team’s normal way of work. As the leader, you have to be able to be adaptable and be comfortable with change. On the same note, you have to be able to know how to properly prepare and communicate these changes to your team.

7. Prioritization

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As a boss, you’ll often be given several assignments that might have conflicting due dates, or you may discover that you actually don’t have enough team members to efficiently execute. Being able to prioritize with limited team members, stretched resources, and conflicting deadlines will help you become a better leader.

8. Emotional Intelligence

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Emotional intelligence is defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” Having emotional intelligence will help you understand and motivate your employees, especially at times when they need it the most.

9. Confidence

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Having a high level of confidence will help you get past the hard times when employees are underperforming. Maintain your confidence, and understand how to instill a high level of confidence in the people you lead.

10. Boldness

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As a manager, you may find yourself between the thin line of wanting people to like you versus just wanting to become a good leader. Sometimes you have to have hard conversations and make the tough decisions that people won’t like. You have to be bold enough to remain focused and to also not be intimidated to tell your team members what you need from them.

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In Inspiration February 20, 2020 By Women of Rubies

Venus Williams: When You Feel Like You Can’t, Train Your Mind To Feel Like You Can

American Express enlisted athlete and successful businesswoman, Venus Williams to discuss the initiative, the importance of women in business and the balance between work and life outside of work.

The multinational financial services corporation is one company that is working hard to empower women to be more ambitious in the workplace and to take up their rightful positions as leaders despite male domination.

“At this stage in my life, I want to help others. Winning never gets old, but in a lot of ways I don’t want much more for myself, I want to focus on how I give to others, particularly entrepreneurs.” — Venus Williams

This week, during the Global Women’s Conference in Miami, American Express announced the launching of a new initiative called, “The Ambition Project.”

“There are going to be a lot of moments where you feel like you can’t, but you have to train your mind to feel like you can.” — Venus Williams

The Ambition Project has been in the making for two years now, this is when the AMEX executive committee (six of whom are women) learned that only a third of the company’s senior associates had ever described themselves as ambitious. This discovery led to the question of how to help their female colleagues achieve their ambitions.

Venus took part in the chat about The Ambition Project and shared her own ambitions.

“I was taught ambition and I’m happy to have had that guidance but of course having a natural love for what you do helps you to be ambitious. Having all of that created an opportunity for me to just go for it. This is why I always recommend doing something that you love,” Venus revealed to HelloBeautiful in a private chat.

The prized athlete signed on to be a spokesperson for AMEX’s initiative because it’s important.

“Sometimes women are not encouraged to be as ambitious as men. Women need to support. They need someone to have their backs and tell them, hey you can do this, which is exactly what AMEX is doing. It’s amazing to have a company like American Express behind this because they can really move the needle and create a new normal that really makes a mark for people. I am excited that this is happening and that American Express is taking a special interest in women and helping them in realizing that their ambitions can change the world.”

Venus agrees that women face many barriers when it comes to breaking through the glass ceiling. “When you think about the strides that women have made just in the last 30 years, it has been huge,” she added. “Sometimes we need that nudge. Sometimes we need that vote of confidence. Sometimes we need that support and that’s why this initiative is so important.”

The amazing athlete believes in leading by example, which empowers her to go hard in every aspect of her life. “I think that by doing your best, you inspire other people, doing something positive in your own life can inspire others to do the same. Every day, I try to do my best for myself so that everyone can see what they can be too.”

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In Career Gems February 19, 2020 By Women of Rubies

Dakore Akande Covers The Annivesary Issue Of Genevieve Magazine

Photo Credit:

Photography: @theseyekehinde

Styling & Wardrobe: @s.b.youme

Creative Direction: @sonia_irabor

Hair: @zubbydefinition

Make-Up: @bimpeonakoya

In Inspiration February 19, 2020 By Women of Rubies

WCW | Our Woman Crush Wednessday is Juliet Ehimaun

Juliet Ehimuan is an expert and entrepreneur who currently serves as Google‘s Country Manager in Nigeria.

In August 2011, she was listed in Forbes ‘ “20 Youngest Power Women In Africa.”

According to London Business School Reviews she is one of 30 People Who Are Changing the World, according to London Business School Review.

Below is a brief profile of her by London Business review

Juliet Ehimuan wants to raise human dignity by helping to develop human capacity and create opportunities for growth. But Ehimuan is not a charity boss or a UN chief. As Country Director of Google Nigeria, she’s a global tech leader whose contributions to technology and entrepreneurship have won her multiple awards and recognition, including being named one of Forbes’ 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa and featuring in the third series of the BBC Women of Africa strand, Power Women.

She is a member of the London Business School Global Women’s Scholarship. In 2012, she won the “IT Personality of the Year” at the 2012 National Information Technology Merit Award.

We love you!

In Inspiration February 19, 2020 By Women of Rubies

Meghan Markle’s British Vogue Issue The Fastest Selling In The History Of The Magazine

With Megan Markle becoming a member of the royal house, her space has constantly been thrown in the spotlight.

It’s common for members of the royal house to appear on magazine covers but when Meghan was asked to guest-edit the 2019 September issue of British Vogue she further edged herself into history.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, announced that the issue was the fasted selling issue in the history of British Vogue, having been sold out in 10 days, and was the best-selling issue of the decade. In its 103-year history, it was also the first time a September issue was guest-edited.

Meghan’s concept for the issue was to put a spotlight on women who are making a positive change in the world. Instead of her face on the cover, she had the likes of supermodel Adut Akech, English actress Gemma Chan and activist and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

“You have an editor’s eye, I mean, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Edward says about Meghan’s editorial direction. Wit this influence as Duchess of Sussex is the clear cut reason for the success of the “Forces of Change” issue.

Although Meghan, has recently stepped away from her official royal duties, she was expected to join the list of other royals who have graced the magazine’s cover – but she chose to pay homage to other women instead. Other royals like Princess Diana in 1981 and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, who appeared in 2016 have graced the British Vogue’s cover.

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In Inspiration February 18, 2020 By Women of Rubies

Meet Juliana Stratton, Illinois First Black Lieutenant Governor

During black history month, light is shed on many people who show and prove that black lives matter.

Juliana Stratton is one such person, she became the first African-American to serve as Illinois’ lieutenant governor. She is also the fourth African-American woman in U.S. history to hold a lieutenant governorship.

A lawyer and politician she has been serving as the 48th lieutenant governor of Illinois leading the Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative, and chairing the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Military Economic Development Council and the Illinois River Coordinating Council.

She began her own consulting firm which focuses on alternative dispute resolution and served as a mediator, arbitrator and administrative law judge for several government agencies.

Born September 8, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois, she has been known with notable works such as sponsoring 38 bills, eight of which she managed to sign into law, including legislation on prison and criminal justice reform.

Lieutenant Governor Stratton previously served as Director of the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She was Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, and a Deputy Hearing Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection.

Stratton advocates for the creation of safe spaces for the youth, and is also a restorative justice practitioner and trained peace circle keeper whose aim is to improve public safety and building stronger communities.

She was also a founding board member of the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and served on the Board of Directors of the Juvenile Protective Association.

On her words during her inauguration ceremony after she took the oath of office she remembered how her great-great-grandfather, William Stevens, rose out of slavery.

“On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state. Two hundred years later, with the DNA of my formerly enslaved great-great-grandfather William Stevens as part of my genetic makeup, I am proud to stand before you as our state’s first black lieutenant governor,” Stratton said.

“These brothers, formerly enslaved, were industrious, and continued to build this community,” Stratton said.

“They farmed the land, growing cotton, vegetables, and fruit, and tended to livestock and poultry. They helped create every institution their tenants needed to live full lives: a church, a school, a general store, a post office.”

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In Inspiration February 18, 2020 By Women of Rubies

Ntsiki Mazwai wants women to stop ‘hiding’ afros under their weaves

Ntsiki Mazwai has once again weighed in on the debate about black women wearing weaves, encouraging them to rock their natural hair with pride.

Ntsiki joined the heated conversation on social media this week after a mother was upset that her child was sent home from school for wearing long braids.

She took to Twitter and pointed out that there was nothing to “brag” about for women who hid their real hair by wearing weaves.

Ntsiki also claimed that black women were the only people on the planet to wear two hairstyles on their head at a time.

“They brag about the Afro they are ‘hiding’ under a weave. You’re wearing a set of hair, sisi. You’re the only woman on the planet who has two hairstyles on one head at the same time.”

During the heated hair debate, Ntsiki posed a question to the mother who was complaining that her child was told to go home.

“You’re a mother in fake hair and complaining that your child can’t have her real hair at school? Are you serious? Exhibit A is in the mirror. That’s the person who gave whites permission to disrespect our hair. You have shown them that the official standard is white hair.”

While some applauded Ntsiki for helping black women to have pride in their natural hair, others claimed that women had the right to choose what they wanted to do with their hair.

Source: Timeslive

In Inspiration February 18, 2020 By Women of Rubies

Chimamanda Adichie Comes First At This Again!

Award winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will become the first black woman to deliver the address of the University of Pennsylvania at the 264th Commencement since 1978, and will also receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. This will take place on the 18th of May.

The announcement was made by the Vice President and University Secretary, Medha Narvekar.

Amy Gutmann, president of the University said: “We are honored to bestow our highest degree on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and have her address our graduates at Penn’s 264th Commencement. Her compelling narratives and absolutely fascinating commentary on complex cultural issues elevate the power of the individual voice.”

Penn trustee and chair of the trustee Honorary Degree Committee Julie Beren Platt, stated that: “It will be our pleasure to welcome renowned author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as our 2020 Commencement speaker and to celebrate the contributions of all of our extraordinary honorees. Their exceptional achievements encompass world-changing discovery, creativity, scholarship, the guardianship of justice, and compassionate service to others. We are privileged to honor them as we celebrate Commencement and our wonderful Class of 2020.”

Congrats to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie!

In Interviews&profile February 17, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

MEET THE NIGERIAN FEMALE NAVAL OFFICER SERVING AS HELICOPTER SQUADRON IN THE U.S

Nigerians are breaking boundaries all over the World.

This is the Inspiring story of Adeyemi, a graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University who is making us proud in the U.S Navy. She Immigrated in 2009 from Nigeria, and earned her citizenship in 2013.

Today, Adeyemi who is happily married with one child has been commended for her diligence and commitment to service in the U.S Navy. See her Inspiring story below

According to Navy You Outreach ; 2nd Class Adeyemi Planche, a native of Columbus, Ohio, joined the Navy to do something challenging. Now, six years later, Planche serves with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3, working with one of the Navy’s most advanced helicopters at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.

Planche is a retail services specialist who is responsible for ordering supplies to meet the needs of sailors.

“I like putting a smile on people’s faces, especially when we work with morale, welfare and recreation,” said Planche.

Planche is a 2001 Dupmos High School graduate.

According to Planche, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Columbus.

“If you work hard, you can achieve anything you want to,” said Planche.

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

Pilots and aircrew are trained in the squadron to fly MH-60S “Seahawk” helicopters to ensure they are prepared for peacetime and warfighting missions.

Helicopters are equipped with the ability to conduct replenishments at sea, search and rescue missions and support other operations as needed

There are many opportunities for sailors to earn recognition in their command, community and careers. Planche is most proud of earning personal recognition from the commodore aboard USS Pinckney.

“We earned a 100 percent score in records management,” said Planche. “This had not been done before, so it was a big deal for us to accomplish.”

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Planche, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.

“Hopefully, I can start a tradition for my children to consider a career in the military,” said Planche. “I like discipline, and the military definitely provides that. I immigrated in 2009 from Nigeria, and earned my citizenship in 2013. I feel really good being able to serve in the military defending this country. It’s a job I can definitely be proud of.”