Not Mandatory But Freaking Good: My Blog Girl Crushes Part VII.

Elaine Lu of Laineygossip.com.

Who? Blasphemy, go kill yourself.

Before we begin, just check out this TEDxTalks video please.
Also, you may want to read this interview:

And last but not least, check out Laineygossip.com.

Alright, now that you have been given a crash-course in awesomeness, we can begin.

What can I say about Lainey? I can write a whole book about her but I'll keep this post short because she'd want that.

I discovered Laineygossip.com later than most people. I then proceeded to read every post she's ever written that's available online.

I never want to meet her because if she disliked me, I'd want to die (I have a tendency to over-use exclamation points and because she hates that, I'm now very careful about it).

Straight up, I want to be her. She is fucking awesome. Even if you don't like celebrity gossip, you'll appreciate her writing. You'll respect her as a human being, you'll want to go and get a drink with her. She's too boss. She is cool as hell.

I love her.

For the longest time my family thought I actually knew her because I'd always start a conversation like "Lainey said-" So when they asked me what I wanted for my birthday, the answer was simple: a smutty shout-out.

And will you look at that, I got it!

Sigh. One of the highlights of my life.

*Photo courtesy of Lainygossip.com

Not Mandatory But Freaking Good: Blog Girl Crushes Part VI

Christine Teigen of Sodelushious.com

I follow Christine Teigen on Twitter because she's unapologetically judgy in a funny way and I love that in a person. It makes my inner-bitch happy.

Anyway, I knew Christine had a food blog but I'm a vegan and Christine doesn't "fux with vegans". What would be the point of reading about dead, rotting flesh soaking in different sauces?

Um, you so silly Juwon. Christine is hilarious. Everything she writes is awesome.

New bucket-list item: become Christine's friend.

I'm currently reading all of her posts and it truly is a great read for anyone who loves food. Do something nice for your inner-fatty!

Not Mandatory But Freaking Good: Blog Girl Crush Part V

Jillian Harris of Jillianharris.com 

Most people who know me know that I am a former Bachelor addict (no I did not follow Sean's season. After Emily and Jef ended things, I decided a break was necessary. It still hurts too much).

I've been watching the show for years and while Emily turned out to be a pleasant surprise, my favorite bachelorette of all time is still Jillian Harris.

The Canadian cutie made me a fan because she seems like a cool gal. She came onto the Bachelor already established in her career and content with her life. I'm all about the girls in the world who don't expect men to complete them.

Now try not to hold the fact that she was on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette against her. Jillian's website was launched in the vein of Goop but I actually check hers out more frequently.

She has great interior decorating tips, yummy recipes and cool fashion tips. Personally my favorite part of her website are the photos of her and her friends and family. Jilly's a "Live Laugh Love" girl and her photos remind me to enjoy the life I have instead of moping about the things missing.

*Photos courtesy of JillianHarris.com

Not Mandatory But Freaking Good: Blog Girl Crushes Part IV

Ashley Madekwe of Ring My Bell. 

Why do I read RingMyBell.com? Helloooooo, she's Ashley from Revenge people.

She's as pretty as a doll and she dresses the way I would dress if I weighed nothing and she's part-Nigerian so I'm supporting one of my people okay?

If you like fashion blogs, hers is a good one to check out. She pairs clothes in unexpected ways but she's not so avant-garde with her style that it's unwearable.

And she'll inspire even the biggest lover of flats (that would be me) to embrace heels and walk the streets like you're Naomi on a runway.

Sigh. Serious girl crush.

Not Mandatory But Freaking Good: My Blog Girl Crush Part III

Fabiola of Diary of a Third World Fashionista 

ThirdWorldFashionista.com is a blog I stumbled upon while I was procrastinating like a champ. I don't frequent lots of style blogs because I usually can't afford the clothes the girls are wearing but what's so amazingly awesome about Fabi is the fact that she sews most of the clothes she wears.

And they look fantastic.

Besides her boss skills behind a sewing machine, I find it comforting to read about another girl's struggles living in a third-world country.

Now let me make something clear: there are parts of Lagos that are like any other city in the states. People who live in Lekki, Victoria Island, things people take for granted until it's no longer available.

But I live in Alagbado.

We don't have those fun things in the boondocks and it can be a bit boring on my side of town. But Fabi, who lives in Honduras, would tell me to dress up, head to the market and have an impromptu photoshoot among the bootleg DVD stand.

Reading about her adventures in an underdeveloped country motivates me to take my lemons and make a tart yafeelme?

 Love her.

*Photos courtesy of Thirdworldfashionista.com

Not Mandatory But Freaking Good: My Blog Girl Crushes Part I.

The true test of whether I'm obsessed with a blog is if I read all the old posts. I have (sometimes more than once) with all of the blogs I'll be writing about in this series.

If I could invite anyone I wanted to a dinner party, these are some of the ladies that would be on my list. I not only love their blogs but I have a major girl crush on all of them as well.

Speaking of girl crushes, shout out to Jenna Marbles, an honorable mention on "my girl crush list". For those who don't understand the concept of a girl crush, I'mma let Jenna explain it.:

Are you schooled? Great. Shall we begin?

My Blog Girl Crushes: Laney Crowell of Downtownromantic.com

I first "met" Laney through her blog "Dating a Banker Anonymous". I followed her when she started FaLoMe.com which later became (Downtownromantic.com) because getting a glimpse into Laney's life was way too addictive to stop.

Laney frequents the restaurants you'd eat at, wears the clothes you'd buy, cooks the food you'd make and is the person you'd be if life was fair.

It's not by the way.

AND she's incredibly nice so you can't hate on her. She's kind of like to me what Gwyneth Paltrow is to Lainey (I'll get to her later). I trust her taste. I have actually emailed her before picking a venue for my birthday, before heading to LA for vacation and before moving to Nigeria. The crazy thing is, she gets back to me! How crazy is it that someone who is as busy as she is, takes the time to reply to an email sent by someone she's never even met?

 I'm a fan for life.

* All photos from Downtownromantic.com

Conquering The Tribal Print Trend One Blog Post At A Time.

Yo yo yo! Yo...

So I like, wrote this post for Madame Noire about tribal prints in fashion and that whole Navajo moment happening right now.

You can check it out here. If you want to : )

Beauty Talk for AOL.

Hi guys!

So as some of you may know, I write for AOL's BV on Style blog. I LOVE writing for AOL!

I'm going to continue writing for BV on Style but I wanted to share a post I wrote for BV on Beauty!

I love Youtube tutorials; they have played a huge factor in the health of my hair, they've taught me everything I know about makeup and they've shown me how to look good on a budget.

So I was thrilled when my boss said I could write a post about some of the best makeup tutorials for women of color.

I worked really hard on this post and I'm pretty happy with the way it came out. You guys should check it out here. Whether you're black or not, the vloggers we featured give great tips.

Thank you : )

Do You Have a Hard Time Focusing?

I unfortunately have the attention span of a nine year old with ADHD. It's awful. For instance, I wrote this article while I should have been working. I constantly find myself checking my fave blogs, listening to music or chatting with my office neighbor, even texting while I should be focusing on the work I'm actually paid to do. If I manage to finally devote time to the task at hand, I find myself getting sleepy. I've never been the most focused person ( I was notorious for writing my papers and studying at the last minute ) but I think it's the worse it's ever been! I thought I was slick and doing a good job of hiding my problem when my coworker called me out on my short attention span.

Now I could go to a doctor and ask for some Ritalin or Adderall but well

One: I don't have insurance and health-care still isn't universal and
Two: I don't think I have an uncontrollable problem.

I think it's a mixture of boredom and lack of discipline. Do I really need to be listening to Arcade Fire and reading Gawker.com as soon as I come into work? No, no I don't think so.

What I need is control before my ass is fired. Procrastination affected my grades in college but this is my bread and butter on the line! What's a girl to do?

And like manna out of heaven, my solution appeared.

While I was on Gawker (ha) I came across this article written by Clay Johnson, a man having trouble focusing at work. It was like he too came from the planet Slacker and spoke my language. When he wrote about his improved productivity, I leaned in to read on, needing to know what the secret was.

It turned out there wasn't a secret. Its all about being on a schedule and managing your attention. We happen to live in a world of instant gratification. Everything we want to know is accessible via the internet. People are so accustomed to being in the loop that if they are disconnected for a few minutes they feel like they have missed something important (thanks for that Twitter, cuz we really need to know what Ashton Kutcher is doing all the time). I, like many people, am guilty of this. I have to be connected at all times or I feel like I am somehow behind.

So I have to work for 45 minutes straight. After that, I allow myself to pee, chat, eat,check my personal emails, blogs, twitter for the remaining fifteen minutes. I continue like this all day omitting a lunch break from my schedule (it only makes me sleepy for the rest of the day).

It's not perfect but it's working for me and I'm a lot more productive than I used to be. And I'm down to ten minute breaks.

Check out the post, it's a good read.

Do you have a hard time focusing at work?

You Make Me Want To Be A Better Blogger

While I’ve been an absentee parent these past few months, I DO love my baby so! I’ve missed writing, sharing my thoughts with well Neefemi cuz she’s like my only reader.

Ha, little blog joke.

Okay moving on…

Anyway, I’m recommitting to Nogobelieve, I’m going to be around more. Dammit, I will be the type of writer a blog can be proud of!

So please humor me as I catch my reader(s) up on what's been going on.

Thanks!

This Week in Frivolity...

• Hospital chic? Designer Ben de Lisi has created hospital gowns in the UK that snap down the side. The gown is made from high-quality cotton and includes a pouch for a mobile phone and is accessorized with a snugly fleece blanket.
• Do you ever wonder why guys cheat on their significant others with the fugliest women to ever walk the earth? No? Just me then… Anyway Jesse James’ho lost a modeling gig because of photographs showing her in Nazi regalia. Yes, he truly picked a winner. Anyway, she's whining because no one likes her. Now, not nearly as many people would know about McGee’s Nazi photo shoot or her White Power tattoos if she hadn’t made a quick buck at the expense of someone else. Now the cat’s out of the bag. Sucks to be you. Team Sandy.
• Can we have a moment of silence in honor of MTV’s The Hills? Okay, moment’s starting… Moment’s over! After watching the fascinating girls shop, party, cry, vacay, swap bodily fluids with Brody and pretend to have jobs, the show’s sixth season will be the final one. I for one am crushed. The Hills is my favorite scripted series. What will I do? How will I live? Thank God for The City and Jersey Shore.
• Fictional character Carrie Bradshaw is a fashion gangsta. (thanks to the very real Patricia Field) but some would say the woman has the sense of a brick when it comes to men. As a huge Aidfan (fan of Aidan) I’m ecstatic to report that GraziaDaily was right; John Corbett WILL be in the movie! The sequel comes to theatres May 27th. What do you think the storyline will be? I bet all of my lunch money that Big screws up. With a cocktail waitress by night, model/actress by day…
• So Patti Stranger, best friend to gold diggers, is packing her bags. Why, you ask? Is she going to be the den mother on the Rock of Love Bus? Unfortunately, that kind of awesomeness hasn’t reached TV yet. No the woman behind The Millionaire Matchmaker brand is coming to NYC! She’s hired Vivienne Potestivo Entertainment to handle casting for the fourth season. An insider said a bunch of “society types, hedge-fund guys and club owners” have applied.
• So a LOT of people are talking about Balmain. The house is selling a t-shirt. It’s ripped which is a big trend for spring. It’s cotton, which reminds me of that Zooey Deschanel commercial. It’s $1625. I don’t get it; does it come with free rent or something? My car isn’t worth that much. Would you buy it?
• Ugh, it seems Jake Pavelka isn’t satisfied with occupying televisions with his cheesy lines and cheesier dance moves. The former bachelor on “The Bachelor” and the current “Dancing with the Stars” contestant has hired p.r. firm Rogers & Cowan to represent him. Because what Mr. Pavelka really wants to do is act. And anyone who watched him on “The Bachelorette” knows he can… just not well.
• Wal-mart’s Op’s spring ad campaign is getting ready to launch and once again, it looks like an ad for a new CW show. They employed Young Hollywood’s prettiest stars including Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr, Glee’s Cory Monteith and Dianna Agron, 90210’s Trevor Donovan, Twilight’s Alex Meraz and singer Cassie. These kids aren’t exactly winning Oscars and Grammies but at least they look good.
• How cute is Selena Gomez? The Disney sweetheart is jumping on the celebrity-I’m a designer except I’m really not-bandwagon with her Dream Out Loud collection for Kmart. The store, whose products are usually pimped by Jaclyn Smith, is finally jumping on the celebrity endorsed juniors department bandwagon. Cuz all the cool kids are doing it.
• James Franco has done what Blair Waldorf couldn’t: he got into Yale. That’s right, the Milk actor has been accepted into the Ivy League school’s Ph.D. program. Franco has already received his MFA from Columbia and a degree in filmmaking from NYU. How many people can say they went to Yale and guest-starred on General Hospital?

Why is a Good Question.

My sister posted a fantastic article on her blog about women in Nigeria getting shit done.

I'd love for you guys to read her post and the article.

You'll be hearing a lot from Shola Ajayi in the future and I'm super proud : )

More to come...

xoxo,

Juwon

Forgive Me : (

I'm so so sorry for the neglect. What can I say? Between fashion week and a dear friend's visit, it's been an insane couple of weeks.

Things are fantastic and I will be sharing some of the exciting things I did in the next few days.

Stay tuned yo.

Gay Men are not It Bags

After many conversations with some of my friends, I know this article is spot on. Check out this article from gawker.com.

Shits and Giggles Mondays

I stole this from mys sister's blog A Drop of Water.

It's pretty old to a lot of you but it truly never gets old. I love this video; I can watch it over and over.

Happy Monday :)

Not Mandatory but Freaking Good: Diary of an Unpaid Intern

As many of you know, I was born and raised in Florida but I’m Nigerian. My parents were born and raised in Nigeria and I went to secondary school there.

So I’m an American Nigerian, a hybrid, a cultural mutt.

Anyway, I thank God every day for the path I’ve been on. I often feel like things changed for me when I attended Home Science Secondary School.

Going to school in Nigeria was one of the best experiences of my life because I met some of the most amazing, intelligent, driven people. These people – my peers – challenged me to do better in every aspect of my life and represent not only myself and my family but Nigeria with everything I do.

ANYWAY, I want to start writing about some of the blogs and websites I frequent. I know I don’t always get super personal in my posts but I feel you can tell a lot about a person by what they read.

One of the blogs I read happens to belong to my fellow classmate and friend Neefemi (Betty pictured above). Her blog Diary of an Unpaid Intern is awesome. Now let me tell you why:

If you’re anything like me, you’re not exactly in the know when it comes to music (still listening to the same stuff from middle school). I have to be led to the water because I’m not going to find it on my own. Thankfully I’m more well rounded musically thanks to Pandora, Perez Hilton and Diary of an Unpaid Intern.

Music Mondays have reintroduced me to the classics and exposed me to music I wouldn’t have access to because I’m too lazy to find it on my own.

With Diary of an Unpaid Intern, people are bound to discover music outside of their usual tastes. I listen to Dolly Parton now. Yes, Diary of an Unpaid Intern introduced me to someone I used to associate with triple Ds and peroxide.

And I wouldn’t listen to Nigerian music at all if not for her blog and that would be a shame because most artists from Naija are freaking talented.

By the way, Neefemi wrote a great article on Nigerian artist Banky Wellington for Angonemi.com. Check it out.

Besides her ear for good music, Neefemi’s posts are bravely honest. I love her candid talk on everything from boys to being independent to friendship. She’s not pretentious; she calls it like she sees it and her observations are spot on and hilarious. I feel like she lets her readers in and tells us what’s on her mind. She shares her life with us; the good days, the bad days, the random thoughts, the poetry she wrote in the middle of the night, excerpts from the book she’s working on.

So Diary of an Unpaid Intern is one of the blogs I frequent often and I’m suggesting you guys check it out for a peek into the life of a young, independent, Nigerian woman who’s making shit happen.

That is all.

JMO...

Does anyone else find it incredibly pointless when a person declares "FIRST" in the comment section of a post?

I ask myself this every time I visit a blog and peruse the comments section so I have written a letter to those who feel the need to participate in the "first declaration."

Dear First Declarers,

What does one get for being "first"? Is it the gratification of knowing your joblessness paid off? Is it knowing you were able to show the world that you've been waiting more obsessively than anyone else for a new post to pop up so you could validate your life somehow?

Or am I missing the bigger picture?

Please advise.

Best,

Me

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Hi readers!

I know it's been forever and I'm neglecting my blogging duties. It's been an insane couple of months and I'm just trying to sort some things out. Bear with me please!

As you can see, I've changed the site a bit. My Mighty Pen is no longer (weeps)!

Why you ask? Well for one, I googled it to see how many pages it took for my blog to pop up. Color me surprise when I saw that everyone and their mothers had a blog with that name! Boo : (

Reason #2 happens to be because it was time for a change. You like?

By the way, I played around with lots of names. All That Glitters, One Enlightened Chick, Clothes, Books and Gloss; My Mighty Pen was briefly My Mighty Laptop! I finally settled on Nogobelieve. For now...

What can I say, I'm picky and I want this blog to rock everyone's socks off! So, expect more changes and expect more posts!

Yes, more than zero : )

I will be back soon!