Hi and welcome to the throwback series. 

This is the last throwback for this season and I hope you love it. 

The throwback picture for today is this photo of me in my typical way of dressing at the time. I loved this dress because it was simple and sexy. I was also a lover of blond hair so this two-coloured human hair was one of my favourites especially for this occasion I was attending which was a military decoration ceremony commonly called "gallon" in Cameroon. 

The shoes I bought from "Okirika" were comfortable and blended with the colour of my skin at the time. At the time I bleached my skin. I'm not proud of anything, but I was happy with what I was doing. I found a product that did the job well and also at an affordable price, a combination that was rare to see so I was happy. 

Thinking about it now makes me realize that we may have different perceptions of beauty at varying stages of our lives. These perceptions are mostly influenced by what society appreciates the most consciously or unconsciously. I was so determined to have lighter skin as I felt that was what I needed to feel and be beautiful. Growing up and seeing the attention that light-skinned girls always received contributed to setting that standard in my mind that the lighter you are the classier you are, the more beautiful you are, the more favoured you are, etc. So it felt normal for me to buy and use skin-lightening products at the time so that I could give society what they want to see and then benefit from the privileges that come with being light-skinned - which included having "better men" ask you out, being invited to VIP events and just making it through life easily because of the colour of my skin. 

But what I was ignorant about was the fact that everyone has got a preference when it comes to who they want to date. Some prefer dark skin and others light skin so you can be dark-skinned and still meet a good person to be with. Another thing is those beauty standards are like trends that fade away after a while. At a certain time, dark-skinned girls were owning up to their skin tone and they were appreciated more and more. But that was not what determined the turning point for me. I started having serious skin problems that wouldn't go away caused by the skin-lightening product I was using. The product that once did a perfect job did more harm than good to my skin and I had to stop it and give time to my skin to heal. The healing took a while. This experience made me realize that skin bleaching is not worth the stress. So I decided to stop bleaching my skin completely. 

I know as black women we feel unnoticed with our dark skin. But bleaching is not necessary and should be really discouraged.

That's it for this post. I hope you loved it. If you did please share. 

How are you doing? Hope well.

Though I've tried to be consistent with blogging, I feel that brainstorming the relaunch of the Ngumabi Collection has taken some of my attention from the blog and even social media. I started getting consistent with making content and going live on Facebook and Instagram but it's not been possible to maintain the same energy these past few days because building a brand is not easy no matter how small. 

It's been a stressful few days and to relieve my stress hot showers and sleep have been the remedies I have used so far. 

And to feel better I relaxed my hair last week to free myself from the painful hair combing I've been going through. I relaxed my hair myself at home and I did a good job. 

I haven't made any new products for Ngumabi Collection yet. I'm still working on ideas for the type of jewellery I will make for the relaunch. There are still outfits and bags from previous collections still available for purchase. Contact 696229223 by WhatsApp take a look and order. 

How is your week going?

Wishing you all the best.

And as an African woman living in an African country, I feel African women deserve even more support because we need to learn, unlearn and relearn a lot of things that will make us better women and help our communities to progress. That's why I am passionate about African women's empowerment.

- There are still African communities where girls are still denied access to school and are sent into early marriages.

- There are still African women who still think marriage is an achievement and that their happiness relies on being married. 

- There are African women who see marriage as means to get out of poverty and are passing down this limiting mentality to other young girls which makes them ambitious career-wise.

- There are African women who want more from their lives but are afraid to go against beliefs and what people will say about their ambition because they are afraid of people's opinions.

- Others are afraid that being ambitious and fulfilling their dreams will scare away or intimidate potential husbands or partners. 

All these and more are enough reasons to be passionate about empowering African women and encouraging them to follow their dreams for a better and fulfilled life. 

Which songs are you currently listening to?

Hi and welcome to the Throwback series.

Hope you are loving it so far.

Today's picture was taken on Christmas day in the year 2011. I remember I took this picture on my way to church. 

I later had to resit the courses because my complaints were not yielding any fruit and little by little I got over my breakup. 

That's the story behind this photo. 

Thanks for reading.

Have a fruitful and beautiful week.

I started making clothes in 2014. It was an exciting experience to see my imagination come to life after I designed the clothes. 

Looking back at my very first outfit I designed makes me happy. It reminds me of how I took the risk to find good tailors. How I went to the market to sort out material. 

Relaunching my brand makes me look forward to putting together all this effort and come out with products that are better than my imagination. 

#relaunchingngumabicollection

Yesterday I finished the 'About us page' which I wrote in English and translated into French. 

I feel ready. Ready to be creative again and fill the worth with my art. 

Now the pressure of setting up the blog/site of my brand is off my shoulder, and I feel more relaxed to do more house chores I have been postponing. Surprisingly I find it fulfilling. It should be because my ideas are more organized and it's easy for me to measure my progress in terms of productivity.

This weekend I'm making products for Ngumabi Collection. I'm making earrings for the relaunch. I'm looking forward to the designs. Hope you are too. 

What are your plans for the weekend?

Wishing you a relaxed weekend.

Hi and welcome to another post on the throwback series.