MY SOUND BATH EXPIERENCE

Typically I am not a meditation type girl, I pray in silence but ultimately i prefer background noise… even during brainstorming. However because I am this way i tend to consistently have something going on. My mind is always thinking I need to do something. After a while i overwhelm myself and decide I need a chill day where i do nothing. 1 day turns into 2, then not only am I not working, I am disappointed in myself for not working. I wish I could say I could pray myself out of a funk but for me it doesn’t work that way. 

I heard good things about Sound Baths and how it was a great way to set intentions so I decided to give it a try. My first experience was amazing! I went in for a mind clearing and to be able to find ways to be more productive in my business and I left with knowledge on how to do exactly that. Before the session the instructor (who is also the owner) Laurie, really set the scene for intentions of healing, productivity, and overall wholeness. She gave a great explanation of how the course of meditation would work and guided us through the sounds. After her explanation we were off! 

I enjoyed it so much i found myself having ideas flowing to me so effortlessly, I thought to myself “I need to write this stuff down”, however i just hoped I would remember them when I got up. It was a 45 min session so I did catch myself drifting to sleep a couple times while I was laying down with a bean bag over my eyes. I  would literally spring back awake because they have a strict no sleeping 

 policy. If you are snoring you will have to sit up for the rest of the class and I did not want to be that girl!

This past session i rejoined the Sound Bath session for a different reason. I did not know what was wrong but everything seemed off with my body, it was the holiday season  around the time covid was at a high  and my work hours were very crazy. I was exhausted and felt issues with my pelvic and vaginal area. I carry all of my stress in that area so naturally I can tell when its off.

While on a date to the museum, I asked my date if he would be into doing a sound bath together since i knew he enjoyed meditation. He agreed and we set a date. It was his first time doing a sound bath so we were both super excited. 

We had a different instructor this time and although she did not set the mood as well as Laurie, she did get the job done(In her defense she sounded a little under the weather). This time I focused on healing. As instructed I focused the vibrations to each part of my body feeling lighter and lighter as I made my way down from my head to feet. I remember rubbing my leg to make sure I wasn’t tripping because I felt so light. We are instructed to sink into the floor which somehow gives off a weightless feeling 

Here’s where it got crazy, I focused on my pelvic and vaginal area. I imagined it at its healthiest most perfect version of itself and in that moment i started to feel a sensation I have never felt before. It is hard to explain but it was a intense sensation; so intense that I knew it was not just in my mind. I immediately wanted to take my mind off that area and sit up but something told me to lay in it. As the vibrations echoed though-out my body I felt an uncomfortable but not painful feeling. I would say it felt like it was echoing for about 5mins then i decided to move down to my legs and feet. As soon as I moved on the sensation slowly faded away. 

When the session was complete I got up and felt like nothing ever happened. Obviously I could not ask my date if he felt the same sensation because *penis* but don’t think I didn’t google it as soon as i got home! 

To my surprise they actually have online sound baths that focus not only on vaginal health, but sounds that aide in clearing bacterial infection, relieving vaginal itching and burning due to hormonal changes, and get this; sounds for intensifying your orgasm.

My recommendation is definitely try a Sound Bath. The benefits are endless! I know they have online options but Im sure it pales in comparison to an in person session. Below is the studio I go to! I really don’t want to share the information because it is not a huge studio and I don’t want you all blowing up my spot… but for the greater good I will.

Unwind Studios

3222 Mercer St.

Houston, Tx, 77027

Book:  https://unwindmeditationstudio.com/sound-bath/

Cooking with The Heiress: Baked Chicken and Basil Mashed Potatoes

OMG I am so excited to welcome a new segment to the blog and IG. I would not necessarily call it a cooking segment but more of a truth segment, featuring some cooking. 

I am currently in the dating phase of my life, so far, here is what I've learned; Houston has a great dating scene. There is a sea of men who are both established and cultured. They are into designer fashion, and traveling the world, overall a bunch of great catches. They also have 1 thing in common, they want to know if you can cook. 

Now I can cook, but something about skipping over my education, career, impeccable fashion sense, and reputation for being very poised at all times really annoys me. Y'all worried about cooking and cleaning but no one asked me if I can check my own oil (which I can... thanks to my dad) or if I can lift my left leg up to my face... which I also can do.

Anyway, I am bringing back the assumption that black millennial women can and do cook 1 black woman at a time. I will be making quick and delicious dishes that I enjoy and handing out the recipe while doing it. This first recipe is one of my favorites that I like for my mother to make me when I am in town. although I am only making about 2 servings, I think the more servings the better it taste. 

Baked Chicken

Chicken Ingredients

4 Chicken Thighs

1.5 Table Spoons of Cooking Oil 

.5 cup of whipping cream

.5 cup of whole milk

1/4 of an Onion (Chopped)

1/4-1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Chicken Seasonings:

Seasoning All

Garlic Powder 

Instructions:

I start with washing the chicken in Lemon Juice, Vinegar works as well. Not too much of either and rinse when done. When I say rinse i mean like a drizzle of water... You know what if you don't usually wash your meat just skip this.

• Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit 
• Season Chicken- Make sure the chicken is well seasoned
• Add Oil to baking dish- the oil should coat the bottom of the baking dish so if 1.5 TBSP is not enough to coat the bottom of your baking dish, use a little more. 
• Add the chicken to the baking dish and cover with aluminum tightly.
• Bake for 20 mins then remove Aluminum 
• Mix your Half of a cup of Whipping Cream with your Half of a cup of Whole Milk
• Add the Parmesan Cheese to the Mixture *I did not add Parmesan to my mixture because I forgot it but it does tastes great!*
• Stir then add to chicken 
• Bake for another 15-20 mins until Golden Brown
• Remove and let it cool

Basil Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

3 Medium Russet Potatoes (Any kind of potato will do)

2 TBSP of Butter

1/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

Basil Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

Instructions

• Chop your potatoes into cubes
• Boil them until you can easily pierce them with a fork (About 12 mins)
• Drain the water and return potatoes to heat. Start breaking the potatoes up with a potato masher or a spatula ( I couldn't find my potato masher, it must have gotten lost during the move) *If the potatoes are mashing easily, you can remove them from the heat*
• Add Salt and Pepper to your liking
• Melt your butter while you are mashing your potatoes
• Add Butter and spread throughout the mashed potatoes
• In a Pan add the Heavy Whipping Cream and Basil Seasoning, Allow it to heat(not boil)
• Stir then add to Potatoes
• Fold mixture into potatoes until completely combined

Plate and enjoy!  

Ladies, this is a simple meal! If you are trying to impress a new boo, or having some girlfriends over I would suggest adding a vegetable side, but really that's it! You can whip it up real quick and look like you cook all the time. Good-Will Cooking

-Mariyah 

The Black Lady Sketch Show: Gel it like it is

 Check out one of my favorite sketches from the black lady sketch show. They did an amazing job and the pure talent is unmatched. If you have not started watching The Black Lady Sketch Show please do, as both seasons are currently on HBO max.

How the Diva Cup Changed My Life: Diva Cup Review

 

    Randomly at the beginning of the pandemic I decided to try the Diva Cup. A Diva Cup is a menstrual cup that is placed inside the vaginal canal and is made to catch your discharge(I know I just lost my male audience). I thought about how much money I could save getting off tampons and night time pads and was sold. I also heard good things about it on youtube. None of my friends had tried it yet so I was going in somewhat informed and somewhat blind.

    

    I made a trip to Target and found a whole aisle worth of menstrual cups. In true Mariyah fashion I went for the "designer" version and started to compare the 2 Diva Cup sizes. I remembered hearing that the size 2 was for women who had given birth so I grabbed the size 1 and checked out. 

    

    My period was set to come that day so I figured I could practice a

Becoming: Why I loved this read

I have always had a fascination with Former First Lady Michelle Obama. I always try to peg what type of “Black person” people are by listening to how they speak about their life as a youth. Do they understand the black plight in America, are they so far removed that they have no desire to understand. Up until the book and attending the Becoming Book Tour, not very much was said about her upbringing and her experiences in life leading up to present day that I could gather. It was not until I read her book that I was able to get the full picture.

Her story filled me up with so much inspiration. From telling us about her first fight, her first job post law school, to her first love then her current love. Her memoir was an open love letter to the ever-growing black girl inside me and I wanted to share her story with every women in my circle.

I will elaborate on some of my favorite parts of the book without flat out giving the book away, as this post is to inspire you to buy the book or finish it, if you have not already. It is pretty long but a few of my friends were able to listen to the audio version of the book and they enjoyed it just the same after a few listens.

From a youth Michelle was always an overachiever. What I loved most about this fact is that no one required her to be, she just naturally was. She tells a story about a time when she received piano lessons from her Aunt Robbie. Michelle was a new pianist but after a few lessons she decided; on her own, that she was ready for a more challenging piano piece. During one of her lessons she skipped to a advanced piece of music in the piano book and begin to play for her Aunt Robbie. She thought Aunt Robbie would be impressed because she was attempting such an advance piece, however Aunt Robbie could not have been more displeased. Robbie felt Michelle was not ready for a piece as such, but Michelle did not back down and voiced her opinion about how she felt there was nothing wrong with advancing herself to the next level. I laughed because this was me as a child. I always wanted to go into learning something on the 10th level. In ballet I wanted to be in Pointe, in track I wanted to run hurdles. I have always had to enjoy a slice of humble pie because of it as well. Michelle got a small taste of that popular pie as well in her book.

Michelle’s family made sure that she spoke proper English. As a family it was agreed that they would put their best foot forward when it came to being outside of the home. Her family valued education because of how hard it was for some of her elders to obtain it, as well as a decent job. Unfortunately, speaking and acting proper is not a wildly accepted art in the majority of African American Neighborhoods. Especially amongst children. This made Michelle the point of interest to one girl in the neighborhood. Every time Michelle came around this girl would act like Michelle was just the absolute worst, and Michelle really could not understand why. I understood why, because this was me at just about every single move I had to endure having a Father in the Military. I would go to the playground; Different, because I was “the only black girl there” and would be stared at, thrown sand at, and just all around mocked. I was too Black for the White Kids and talked too White for the Black kids. The difference with me though is my parents adopted the hood approach when it comes to bullying and they let me know I was well within my right to knock anyone out who wanted any altercation with me or my siblings. Once the kids realized I was about that life, somehow they managed to play in a more friendly manner. The sad truth is I am still pre-judged by people to this day, but I am use to it. Sometimes I peel back a few layers to show them we have more in common than they think, other times I don’t and keep it pushing, it’s a coping mechanism that I am in control of at this point. Michelle also found her footing in dealing with people with adversity’s towards her in her book.

When Michelle started her career she was “That Girl” the epitome of Black Girl Magic (or whatever that translates to back then). She worked in a High-rise, drove a Saab and had a wine subscription. She had it all! She stayed social and frequently went to Happy Hours. When Former President Obama joined her firm, she definitely did not slow down for him. I loved this so much about her. Granted she was worried about whispers that would occur if she did date the new superstar intern, however even when she did decided to take him a little more seriously she stayed true to herself. She gave President Obama a chance to prove himself worthy to her which didn’t seem very hard for him. Reading how their love blossomed constantly had me saying things like “man I wish this book existed prior to my last relationship”. I caught myself smiling and frowning while reading about their love story, that alone to me is worth the read. I learned lessons in patience, understanding, and so much more. The way they carried themselves during their stay in the White House was a pure reflection of their Love and their awareness to how they were viewed to the world.

If I have not convinced you to read or finish reading this book by now I don’t know what will. It is definitely your loss if you don’t! Let me know some of your favorite parts of the book.

Travel Tips and Tricks: Part 1

2019 is the year for travel honey! So many of my friends and family are gearing up to hop on planes and broaden their knowledge of the world. My girls and I are even putting our passports to work and traveling further than any of us have ever traveled before. With all of the commuting I decided to help out my rookie travelers and give some pointers to my veteran travelers as well. This post will help you navigate your way to obtaining a passport, as well as alerting you all of which countries require additional visa and fees to visit

~What do I need to Fly~

When traveling, the 1st thing you want to get situated is your documentation. To even be considered to board an airplane you need proof of ID. In the United States a Driver’s License, State Issued ID, Passport or Passport card are all acceptable forms. There are also a few more acceptable forms that can be found here https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification . Be sure to check your local wait times for these ID’s. Some of these ID’s you can retrieve the same day while others, like your passport can take weeks. My passport came about 3 weeks after I ordered it, however it is suggested that you order it 2-3 months in advance of your trip.

So what are the prices for these identification cards, you asked? The prices for an ID to travel will range anywhere between $20 (State ID)-$135.00 (Passport Book). Many people in the U.S. start their traveling journey by going to Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean. If this is where you are heading this year, you have the option to purchase a Passport Card. The passport card is much cheaper than the book, and it is all that is required to travel to those destinations. For US citizens any place internationally; outside of the 3 places listed above will require a Passport Book and possibly a visa.

~Story Time~

My first trip with my current passport was for a trip to the Dominican Republic. I remember being welcomed off the plane to a steel drum band in the airport with dancers and tourist in awe of their lovely welcome. That was short lived because right after the welcome there was another line for us to wait in.

I noticed we were getting our passports stamped, which I was thrilled about because it is a goal of mine to have multiple passport books full of stamps from all the places I have traveled. I then saw they were collecting money from the patrons in front of me. This annoyed me, I thought to myself, I literally just spent over a grand to get here and now you want to charge us more just to get into the country. I mentioned to my then boyfriend, what if I did not bring any extra money; would they still let us in? I mean no one told us that there was a toll to get off the airplane and into the airport. I quickly got over it because I knew there were pools and cabanas waiting for us on the other side and paid the $20 USD to get into the country. Another thing that annoyed me was they stamped 2 pages of my passport! I literally just go the passport and I did not want them stamping pages all willy nilly. I planned on collecting stamps and since I had only been there once I only wanted 1 stamp.

I later found out that the Dominican Republic requires 2- blank pages of your Passport Book to enter the country. This is why my Book was stamped twice. Side note I have no clue why this is. Also they have a law where they charge a $20 Departure Tax. This tax is usually included in your airfare. If this charge was included we did not know because we were not aware in general of the charge, so we got played that time. The Dominican Republic’s Departure Tax is pennies on the dollar compared to other countries like Fiji, who has a tax of $125.00. To see a complete list of fees for different countries check out this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departure_tax 

This post has the potential to be extremely long, so I will be doing post throughout the year with other tips and tricks for us to use! In the meantime tag @the_socialiteheiress in your travel pics, I would love to see where you all are traveling to this year!

Business Trip Hacks & Tips

I started working with a new company back in March, and it has really been a whirlwind! In the mist of blogging, dating, and trips back and forth to Houston, I had to also squeeze in a business trip to Michigan. I am not new to business trips at all, I traveled at least once a year for business in my last position, however being I am new to the company and I had to learn their system.

If you know you will be traveling for business in the near future, Check out these tips below to make the experience as seamless as possible!

1) Company Card or Bank of Mariyah? Depending on your status and need for an expense account, your company may provide you a company credit card to take care of your traveling expenses and any other expense that comes up.  This is helpful in that you will not have to front the money for the trip. For those of us who are not provided a Credit Card, do expect to pay for the trip out of your pocket and be reimbursed at a later date. Side note: Travel procedures is a great conversation to have once you are hired in your position. This way you can prepare for the expenses.

My first trip in my career I was asked to come out of pocket for airfare, car rental, hotel stay, and all food and non alcoholic beverages tha I consumed on the trip. I had a Crazy Dumb Credit Card limit back then so it was not an issue, however had I only had my bank accounts and savings to depend on that would have been quite the expense. Of course I was reimbursed for everything... that I could provide a receipt for.

If you do not have the money, do not worry, must companies have an accounting department that could cover some of the expected costs by pre-cutting checks for hotel stays to make the burden a little better on you.

2) We Need Screenshots Honey! And when I say Screenshots I really mean cold hard receipts!  Business Travel is not the way you want to mess up your money. Keep each and every receipt you ever receive while on a business trip! This goes for wheather you have a company card or not.  I learned the consequences of loosing receipts the hardway. On a trip to Chicago one year I missplaced my receipts for all of the food and entertainment that I consumed while there. It was upwards of $200.00 and it was good as gone. I was still new to business travel and was honestly quite embarrassed to tell my accounting department that I lost those receipts so I did not even ask to be reimbursed.(The answer would have probably been no anyway lol)

To keep track of your receipts I would suggest:
Option A) Getting a Ziploc bag to hold any receipt you receive. I use a pouch that's cute and  small enough to carry everywhere.
Option B) Download a Receipt Collecting App. I use Reciptpal. It is really more of a precautionary measure of tracking my receipts. For instance If anything strange happens, like me running into Beyoncé, and she says "I like your receipt pouch, can I have it for Blue?" I can  respond with; "Yes Queen Bey", and proceed to giving her the whole pouch with my receipts in it. The exchange would be fine because I will have my back ups on the app.  Be sure that your company isn't stupid and will allow you to print off the receipts later. Some companies are strict on original copies of the receipts!

3) Everything in Moderation. This is not the time to live out your best life on the company's dime. If you are not a frequent 1st class flyer I would not suggest purchasing that first class flight. Sometimes there is room in the budget for entertainment, however this is not the time to watch Hamilton on Broadway(Which is a $1000.00 ticket may I add). I have never been given specific instructions and budgets on either, but I have been told to be modest in spending.                          


4) Have Fun! You are traveling on the company's dime and if planned right you can get a nice little getaway out of it. Sometimes companies will let you extend your trip a few nights before or after for sight-seeing and soaking up that city's culture. This is the perfect time time to fly out your travel partner and explore the city together. You can even talk with the hotel and ask them to honor your company rate a few more days which is usually already very discounted. This part of the trip will come out of your pocket but it is still very much a discounted trip being your plane ticket is paid for and your hotel is discounted!

Share some of your Business Travel Secrets in the comments!

Sincerely,
Mariyah the Business Class Beauty

#CollegeGirlDiaries: The Lost art of Mentoring

"A mentor is someone who allows you to see hope in yourself"

-Oprah Winfrey

I attended a University that was huge on community service. Over the 4 years that I attended school I was apart of 8 different organizations and all of them had a community service component. One of my favorite community service opportunities was the Mentoring Group I participated in called Royalty. Royalty was founded by some good girlfriends of mine who invited me onto their E-board their founding year. 

The City of Huntsville is a very small town with nothing there except Correctional Facilitates (Yes, Jails). Like many places here in America, the city was made up of beautiful upper middle class neighborhoods, and of course a level of poverty right around the corner. Our Mentoring Hub was in the latter, at the Boys and Girls Club. Although there were many volunteers that frequently attended that Club, there were not many programs offered. My freshman year

Skincare Routine: Bliss Jelly Glow Ball and Fabulips Review

I was blessed to be taught about Skincare at a young age. I have always had some type of skincare regimen for as long as I can remember. My face literally does whatever the hell it wants as the seasons change which is why I frequently change skincare routines to keep up with the changes.

I am a huge fan of Bliss Products. I started off in college with their FatGirlSlim line which was different cosmetics creams and gels for skin firming. It was also my very first purchase from Neimans, so you know I felt all the way legit! They are now in all types of stores like Ulta and Target so its becoming more of a household name. I purchased mine from Target, Get yours HERE  !

I am a sucker for cute packaging and unique items so I had to have this Pink Jelly Ball when I found it in Target. The ball is soft, moist and cold to touch. The company did a great job providing packaging to preserve the product. I still use the packaging to hold the ball and it has not dried up at all. Here is footage of me using the ball (Youtube link)

I loved the Jelly Glow Ball. Being it is a ball, rubbing it on your face was like a slight facial massage. It also did a great job cleansing my face. After I rinsed off the product, my face was so soft and squeaky clean. I first used it on a full face of makeup and as promised it melted away all of my makeup. I will be giving this item 5 Stars!

On the complete other hand The Fabulips Review will not be as positive. Bliss is a well known brand for luxury and high quality products. 

Spring Fever Baby!

It's spring, so its only right that I drop a few pics to have these boys sprung (LOL). But seriously I'm just excited to wear floral prints again. Now,  I'm not going to front like I wasn't wearing floral prints in the Fall and Winter but I made sure to wear darker patterns so its all good. This look is from the website Pretty Little Things. The Shoes are Trina Turk.

#SocialiteFridays: Black Panther Edition

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

 

So finally, the wait is over and we were all able to "Get our Lives" to the movie of the decade: "Black Panther". When I tell you this was a wonderful gift for Black History Month, I mean it! The amount of positive energy I received going to the movies with my family should have been bottled up and sold. [ I also required all of them to dress in Dashiki's and Black Panther Merch. but I'll get to that!] This is a little bit of a spoiler, so if you have not seen the movie, please continue to read because you ought to be ashamed of yourself, and don’t deserve to be surprised (jk…not really).

The story is based in Wakanda, a fictional city in Africa that houses some of the most beautiful, strong, intelligent, caring, and loyal people ever known to man. (Side note: You're not trippin, this place does sound a lot like Houston, Texas #shamelessplug). Wakanda's claim to fame is a blue precious metal called Vibranium. They use if for their weapons, healing, technology, and so much more. The benefits of the metal are endless and require around the clock surveillance to make sure it stays in Wakanda and is used for what they see fit.

Of course, there is opposition. Some members of the city as well as “Long Lost Cousins” of the city, wanted to capitalize on its resources and use the metal for their own agendas. Micheal B. Jordan aka Erik Killmonger was a part of the opposition and I seriously wanted to slap him and make-out with him half the movie. (Semi-villain or not the man is FINE). T’Challa aka The Black Panther aka Chadwick Boseman was not having any of that, and he and the members of Wakanda fought for the integrity of Wakanda.

What I found most magical, was

1.     The people of Wakanda. They really loved their city and culture. People left the city to explore the world and help others, but their loyalty was to Wakanda and making sure it was thriving and held true to their culture.

2.     The costumes. Their costumes were so beautiful, and futuristic. I mean if they do not win Best Costume Design at the Oscars, we will have a real issue.

3.     Relationship roles were #goals as well and truly how our generation is starting to pan out. T’Challa was madly in love with Nakia. He loved her so much so, that he would sometimes freeze up at just a glance of her, even during combat. She knew he wanted her too, but she had her own dreams and goals for herself and refused to sell herself short. T’challa eventually won her over but came to her like a man and made it worth her while.

Overall this movie was amazing, the action scenes were amazing, the comedy was amazing, and I literally have yet to hear a bad review. For the debut weekend, it brought in $201.8 million, which is the 5^th biggest opening of all time. This was a huge success for Marvel, and the culture as well!

#WakandaForever

 -Socialite of Wakanda

 

Winter Does Not Have To Be Dull. Right?

In Texas we may have had a good 6 Days of Winter and the days were not consecutive. This is exactly how I like it! As the weather was reverting back to its warmer temperatures I was able to wear this layered number from the Trina Turk Winter Collection.

"Best Of" 2017: Sephora Edition

This year, I really took my hair care, skin care and make-up regimens to the next level. I have seen great progress and wanted to share some of my favorites.

 My favorite Make-up Collaboration for 2017 was by far the Moschino X Sephora Collaboration. The eye shadow and lip gloss is heavily pigmented, which is a must for me. I have always loved The Moschino Brand. They do a great job mixing chic elements with urban elements, which is totally my style. Their Teddy Bear Make-up Line held true to their style and sold out almost immediately.

#TBT to New York Fashion Week 2K17

Many people do not know this about me but my dream job is to one day plan events for Paris Fashion Week. I am currently learning French, and expanding my event planning education. This past September, I was able to live out my Sex and the City Dream (sort of) in the big city for Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018. I set working for New York Fashion Week as a short term goal that will eventually help in achieving my Long Term Goal of doing events for Paris Fashion Week.

Ever Since I started my Career in Events I knew I wanted to do events on a Larger Scale. I dreamed of attending Fashion Weeks and Award Shows all over the world and being able to listen to people marvel over the work I have done coordinating these events. So I said, “enough dreaming, let’s start doing.” I sent my resume over to a few different companies, booked my flight and Headed to New York.

Instantly when I arrived it was very late, dark, and air was thick of urine. Yes, Piss! I’m not sure if it was sewer day or what, but it was a smell that you could not get away from. I thought to myself, what have I got myself into. I ordered my Uber and headed to Manhattan. Once I drove a bit the smell started to ease up and I begin to see the beautiful city light up. All of the designers, Duane Reads (Which is a fancy name for Walgreens BTW), Sky Scrapers, and Billboards made you feel like you were in a movie. It was a lot to take in but I was determined to do so in 6 days.

I also enjoyed the cat-calling. Yes, there are men who go out of their way to tell you how beautiful you are, on every block. So many people complain about it but I think it is the sweetest thing. They were the main people I would ask directions from. Them and the gorgeous men wearing suits catching public transportation.

I was picked up by 3 different companies and assisted the coordination of 7 shows. Yes your girl was grinding. I was late to half of the call times though. I just could not figure out the subway to save my life. I started giving myself 2 hours to get from venue to venue. I finally met some friends who helped me towards the end, now I’m a pro.

If you are into Thrill-styled Rollercoasters, take a Taxi in Manhattan. Those Speed Demons are quick but there is a good chance that you will feel like you are about to die. The driving is so bad, yet they maneuver around one another pretty good. I took one and decided my life and wallet would benefit more from taking the Subway or Uber.   

This trip to New York taught me so much about myself. I’ve always been a go-getter but for the first time in my life I was able to use the talent, education, and passion that I gained for myself to make a dream of mine come true. I did not have an inside connect, my parents did not know someone, there was no affirmative action, my hard work earned me this experience. It was an experience that money could not buy, and I am a better person because of it!

I made this post and video to say this. It is so important for you to know what your end goal is. It is great to dream, but if you really want to achieve your dream, you will have to set goals that line up with that dream. How can you be an expert event planner, but you only have experience planning birthday parties for 10 guest and under? That does not make you an expert that just makes you good at planning small birthday parties. If you are not willing to be an expert in the things you are most passionate about, be prepared to be mediocre until you decide to make a change. Be prepared to be restless, and anxious about your future until you start making time for your passion. The only thing stopping you from your own greatness is you!

Sincerely,

Mariyah Carrie Bradshaw

 

 

Nicki Minaj's Lipstick Reveiw [[Nicki's Nude Edition]]

Finally... my review of Nicki Minaj's Mac Lipstick " Nicki's Nude". I bought this lipstick a month ago and I just found a way for me to wear it in a way that I actually like.

So, the picture makes you think that this is a "Black Girl Nude". Look at how brown it is in the picture! I was hella excited because I am all about a brown lip. However when I tried it, I was shocked to find that it was more of a regular nude. I asked the Mac Employee to show me all the new shades just to make sure I was not crazy.

How I Purchased a Brand New House at 24 years old

I want to start this blog off by saying, "Buying a house is definitely something to be proud of." Please do not take the tone of this blog to heart, and feel as though I mean otherwise. With many different walks of lives come different experiences, so me downplaying my experience is not me speaking on yours. Now after saying that,

Socialite Sundays: Chance The Rapper Concert Edition

It took me a while to get this post up, so I'm sorry! But its coming with a video as well so You're Welcome!

I already knew I would enjoy this concert! I became a fan of Mr. Chance a few years ago when he was featured on the song Baby Blue with Action Bronson. Later on, I fell in love with his craft again on the Kanye West's Song "Ultra Light Beam".

Go to the Strip Club... But dont post about it

Gentleman's Clubs have had a reputation uplift over the past few centuries. There has always been something taboo about women dancing erotically for a random male counterpart in exchange for some sort of pay off, but somehow we have normalized it in this day and age. The Strip Club is looked at as a, Reunion facility, Farewell to Single Life Celebration Arena, and even an Office for business.

SocialiteSundays: The Baddie Brunch Edition

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to network with some fellow baddies here in Houston. Although I showed up late (In true Mariyah Fashion) I was able to jump in and really learn so much about the fellow ladies attending the brunch. 




While there, one thing that really caught me by surprise was the amount of ambitious women there were in one room. Almost everyone had a side business that they worked while also working full time. Some ladies were even in business for themselves full time. With all that knowledge in one room, I’m not sure how anyone could have left without being inspired.

What really drew me to this event

5 Tips to Having the Best Day Ever... Every Day

**Side note**

This picture has nothing to do with the post, I was just feeling the beat down Kim gave my face, and wanted to share a glimpse of my Super Bowl weekend in Houston with you all... Carry On

We all have those small nuances of our day to day lives that we really love. These pleasures are nice, however we do not consider them a major game changer if we do not get to experience them every day of the week. An example of this in my life is walking from my car to the building at my job. Although I have my own personal parking space, the parking lot is not paved. There are a plethora of rocks, and dirt  for about a good 50 meters. It has been this way for the 4 years that I have worked there yet I still forget about 2-3 times a week to bring a pair of flats to walk  the treacherous journey to the main building. Needless to say just walking into work with my heels puts me in a bad mood.

This is something that can be fixed just by keeping a pair of flats in my car and office to go back and forth with. It is a small task but the payoff is great. It literally will make my day a tad bit better. There are 100 small things like this, that we all experience on a day to day bases. Finding solutions to them will continue to increase our chances for a great day! I will be sharing 5 ways to make everyday, your best day ever.