The new year hype and 2018 left me feeling ballsy, as I set my goals for 2019. As the only person holding myself back,  I had to admit- I found myself intimidated by my plans for success. Audaciously asking myself “who does she think she is?” The audacity- IDKWTFUTURBIWBYA (crazy boss chics be knowing) . Thats right– I’m in competition with myself. Our biggest threat to our success can be ourselves and the negative behaviors we nurture. We must allow ourselves to think BIG, with no boundaries.

If you’ve ever gathered the nerve to haul off and slap a bi🤬h or chase your dreams, you know that kind of bold faced courage takes some self reflection. Championed the buzz word for 2018– self-care—(not to be confused with the self obsession of narcissism) is the epitome of solitude & conscientiousness. As we ascend to our highest self, tuning out the voices of naysayers, we become mindfully expressive and reflective. As a result our creativity and self-confidence strengthens.  Sometimes these ideas and actions can seem overwhelming,  but if we take it one pep talk at a time, a little ‘yes bishhhhhhh’ here and there- express ourselves and be our own hype woman. We become centered, energetic and  prepared to DO THE WORK.

Whether your hand game or head game is strong, you should know the difference between self-confidence and the ego. There’s a thin line between believing in yourself when you say “you’re a badd bish” vs wanting the world to acknowledge that you’re a bad bi🙃h. If narcissism gets a bad rep, where do we draw the line between self-confidence and narcissistic, egotistical acts of self-importance, particularly in a society where selfies and self-promotion are acceptable and accessible? Just make sure you are doing it for you and not your ego. Why wait on the world to recognize your greatness? If you’re willing to do the work, ask for what you want.

Confidence can be confused as cocky, if you’re looking for the approval of others.  Our confidence should not be a reflection of others self-esteem, where in our confidence can easily be mistake for arrogance. How someone else feels about you should not effect your self-esteem or represent your worth. Remember self confidence is based on ones overall belief/trust in ones ability to achieve some goal.

 

The belief in one’s own judgement ability is developed by measureable past wins and losses. Before automatically start recanting all your L’s, let me tell you “you’re still here”—number one on the win list and no small feat. We must acknowledge our wins no matter how big, nor small and not by the measures of someone else’s success. Don’t discredit yourself, believing what you want is unobtainable because the world is trying to convince us we’re not worthy. Never apologize for wanting what you want.

IT’S OUR YEAR TO WIN! If we’re not entertaining WYD texts in 2019, we sholl as heck ain’t doing self doubt! This year we can compete with ourselves and have the confidence to:

1. Dream big & not hold back.
2. Do the work.
3. Ask for it with no ego.
4. Don’t discredit yourself, apologizing for wanting what you want.

 

 

Inspired at a young age by the pages of Seventeen, Teen and Word Up magazine- beauty, fashion and entertainment was my destiny. I fell in  with the crazy, electric concepts behind editorial looks. Working in the world of runway has been more than a dream and exploring unconventional methods of makeup have  makeup enthusi-arist.

Gone are the days, wherein we refer solely to magazines, books, periodicals and TV for information and inspiration.   With so many media meduims at our disposial these days- there seems to be a disconnect between the beauty industry and  social media. The war on makeup has wedges a divide between artist, beauty influences and civillians.

As a “professional” makeup artist, I struggled with rivalry sides. Can’t I admire the latest beauty trends- all the while valuing and appreciating art’s everlasting, long influiential history.  As a professional, why not selectively incorporate those trends best suited. The runway  is a trend report influenced by art and glamour for the everyday trendy woman. Except its show- a form of entertainment.

In the beauty seasons of full coverage, contour and percision-Couture Catwalk reloaded was inspired by makeup artist Tom Pecheux for Chanel Couture. Couture Catwalk reloaded is about bringing color, confiedence and simplicty into the everyday world. Because everyday, the world is our runway.

💄Checkout the live look demonstration:

 

Rewind to this time year last year, 02/14/14. It was Valentine’s Day, and instead of celebrating and spreading love, I observed Singles Awareness Day. Rather than celebrate self-love, I was the bitter and battered girl behind the screen, posting condescending propaganda to social media. All a facade.

We all desire to love and be loved. I once read somewhere that “God doesn’t give you the people you want. He gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be.” And in the process of waiting to be loved, I met “K”.

STUCK.  We’ve all been there- mentally, emotional, finacially, or physically stuck. At the time, I was stuck battling 3 of the 4 of life’s road blocks. I loved how “K” distracted me and made me feel in the beginning. Usually, I always felt unappreciated and undervalued by men. Like a trophy, he was a great reminder of my worth. But just like a temporary finish on an overly polished fixture, that too begin to tarnish.  Once again, like a bad joke, I was left holding the trophy  (on stage, in an empty room) wondering where it all went wrong. Like all bad jokes, it starts off as a good idea with potential. Eventually things just end up spiraling down hill, resulting in an epic fail.

Although there was no fairytale ending, I now understand his purpose. “K”really forced me to rely on myself and seek who I was as an individual; How not to rely on a man for identification or happiness.

Before him, I didn’t really understand who I was or what it meant to be completely happy. I thought a boyfriend would complete me. I thought he could expose me to ME. I never realized that before “K”, I had always been happy and held relentless power and firsthand ability to control that.

My worth assurance and personal development is my job. Ideally, it should have been my father’s to instill that in me; to expose me to what the love of a man feels like; to steer me clear of bad decisions and traumatic male encounters.

Likewise, I could have invested more energy into discovering myself, had I not wasted so much time and energy searching for love and identity in a man. All along, what I was in search of was within me. I possessed that power and the dark periods that “K” and I shared, although secret and separate, gave strength and light to the rebirthing I needed to epiphanize and evolve into myself. As a means of escape and survival, I managed to find my personal passion and identity, through the pain and turmoil associated with “K”.

While physically, I can truly appreciate the exotic, erotica of his love; the result of 2K14 was not about finding Mr. Right, but about finding myself.  2K14 was about the rebirth of me. Meet Zarielle Washington. 😘That’s who I celebrated my eternal love with on Valentines’.

#SoulfulSelfie #ZarielleWashington