Looking to take a breather from Netflix and dive into a new book? Today the Hello Beauty team is sharing the reads we recommend adding to your quarantine activity list. We all need a little escape right now, whether it’s through a feel-good playlist or a new paperback—it’s the self-care rituals we incorporate in our daily routines that matter most for our mental health during this time. Sink into the books that caught our attention during the current pandemic, and let us know what you’re reading in the comments on Instagram.
Quick Background: Hogoè Elimiera has become our favorite person to follow and to read! Hogoè Elimiera is a BLACK FEMALE author and a model. Hogoè Elimiera is a college student and is from Lomé, Togo. Below are her amazing books where you can purchase from Amazon.
Check Hogoe Elimiera Instagram out and let us know in the comments what other book recommendations we should read next! Thank you for reading and welcome to the family xx.
From entertainment to advertising, we live in a culture where sex infiltrates many aspects of our lives. Although many of us might feel comfortablediscussing the details of our sex lives over a few drinks with friends, sometimes it can be harder to talk about what we want in the bedroom with the person who really needs to know what we’re thinking.
Being able tocommunicate about physical intimacy is an important part of any relationship, and the only way to ensure that your sex life is satisfying for you both. If you haven’t already, these are the conversations that you need to have with your partner to get the most out of the sexual side of your relationship:
Your sexual history
Speaking of sexual health, this is a tricky but important topic that should always be discussed before having unprotected sex with someone new. Disclosing yourSTI status, checking that your partner has been tested recently, and clarifying whether either of you are having unprotected sex with anyone else is important steps in protecting your sexual health and making an informed decision about whether you should be using condoms.
What your boundaries are
We all have different limits when it comes to sexual play, and making sure that you and your partner are both comfortable is key to having enjoyable and fulfilling sex. You don’t need to be having 50 Shades-style sex to have conversations about what your boundaries are and what you feel happy doing — this can be a beneficial conversation for any couple, and give you an opportunity to express your likes and dislikes in the bedroom. If you are getting a little more experimental, then set out your expectations beforehand and remember to agree on a safe word.
What your kinks are (and how to explore them)
The things that turn us all on are complicated and immensely varied. It’s impossible to be able to expect your partner to know that you’ve always had a fantasy about firemen or all about your secret foot fetish, so if you want to enact your kinks, then this is a conversation that has to be had. Bringing up our innermost sexual fantasiescan be nerve-wracking, so experts suggest introducing this via dirty talk, as part of a game, or by asking your partner about their kinks to ease you into sharing your own, according to Refinery29. Once you’ve shared your interests, then discuss how you can introduce these in a way that you will both enjoy, whether this is via roleplay, watching porn together that involves your kink, or engaging in safe and consensual BDSM.
What makes you orgasm
As much as television and movies would have us believe that the Big O is easy to achieve, most women find that theirexperience is slightly different. In fact, only 31-62 percent of women report “usually” orgasming during sex. Do something about this by talking to your partner about what positions are most likely tomake you orgasm. You could alsotry masturbating in front of your partner, showing them the techniques that you use to make it happen. As well as demonstrating how to best get you off, you will likely also find that this is a great style of foreplay and that your partner loves seeing you turn yourself on.
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How often you like to have sex
Most couples will find that there is at least some mismatch in their sex drives, and being unable to communicate this to each other can lead to massive misunderstandings. If your partner is a physical touch person whoexperiences love and affection through touch, then they may feel rejected if you’re just not in the mood. Similarly, a partner who connects more via emotional intimacy may feel devalued if they feel that you’re only interested in having sex when they just want to talk about their day. Talk to your partner about how often you like to have sex, how you generally signal that you’re not feeling sexual, and how you signal that you’re interested in initiating physical intimacy.
What contraception you are using (or would like to use)
Because women shoulder most of the burden of pregnancy, contraception in a heterosexual relationship is often seen to be theresponsibility of the female partner. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. If you are thinking about changing your choice of contraception, you can easily explore potential options as a couple. How do you both feel about long-term contraception methods, such as an IUD or a vasectomy? If you’re planning on having children in the next couple of years, would something more short-term be a better option? Do you have other sexual partners and would, therefore, feel more comfortable using condoms? Having these conversations with your significant other means that you can reach a decision about your sexual health that benefits you both.
I recently found myself browsing the promotions tab of my Gmail inbox and decided to click on one from a store that I don’t normally shop at that was having a sale. I was then shocked to discover that their “regular” sizing only went up to a 10, and “plus” sizing starts at a 12. I usually wear somewhere between a size 8 and a size 12. Regular and plus-size ranges often fit differently, so I was faced with a dilemma: if I were to order from this store, which size range would I order from?
It got me thinking about the struggle I sometimes encounter in trying to find the right size at certain stores. At stores like Forever 21, for example, if a large doesn’t fit me, it’s almost impossible to find a size XL or pants in any sort of inclusive sizes in store. And then if I go to the plus section, I can’t find a size that fits there either. Their plus range starts at a 0X, but those are very hard to come by in store as well.
Unfortunately, stores like these aren’t the only ones where mid- and plus-sized women might struggle. Lululemon was exposed for keeping their small selection of the largest sizes they carry, 10s and 12s, in a separate and messy area in the back of the store and rarely restocking them, as Business Insider reported. High-end brands and celebrity or influencer clothing lines often only go up to a size large and an 8 or 10, but 68 percent of American women wear a size 14 or above, as per Racked.
As brands become more and more inclusive (as they should), they tend to ignore a group of millions of consumers that would be considered “mid-size” or “in-betweeners.” On websites and in advertising, we often see models on the smaller end of the spectrum for both standard and plus/curve size ranges. The lack of mid-size women wearing a 10, 12 or 14 is apparent. And if they are there, they’re considered plus-size.
Ashley Graham, widely regarded as one of the world’s most famous “plus-size” models, is a size 16. The fashion industry is built to divide women into only two size categories: sample and plus, and when a model is a size 8 or above, they’re automatically looped into the plus-size category. Celebrities like Amy Schumer and Mindy Kaling have spoken out about how they are often referred to as plus-size actresses, but Schumer has said she is a size 6 to 8, and Kaling asize 8.
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When this happens, brands not only forget to include options and representation for women who fall in the middle, but set standards that could be harmful to young girls’ body image. Every body type is beautiful, and I’m part of the group that believes brands can provide inclusive size ranges without separating women into categories. As Time reported, Melissa McCarthy said, “Women come in all sizes. Seventy percent of women in the United States are a size 14 or above, and that’s technically ‘plus-size,’ so you’re taking your biggest category of people and telling them, ‘You’re not really worthy.’”
Women come in all sizes. Seventy percent of women in the United States are a size 14 or above, and that’s technically ‘plus-size,’ so you’re taking your biggest category of people and telling them, ‘You’re not really worthy.’
One of the major reasons that mid-size women often have trouble finding clothes that fit is the limitations in patterns that clothing pieces are made from. Because of cost restrictions, designers often have a sample size pattern (a 2 or 4) as well as a plus-size pattern (a 14 or 16 — if that’s something they offer) that they make tweaks to for the rest of the size range. When a size 2 pattern is being tweaked for up to a size 12 or 14, distortions occur and the clothes don’t actually fit the real women who wear these sizes. This pattern issue is also the reason that a size 14 in a regular size range tends to fit differently and usually smaller than a size 14 in a plus-size range.
As everyone has probably experienced, sizing in women’s fashion is extremely inconsistent across the board. We already live in a world where we have to deal with the dread of standing in a dressing room staring in the mirror at yourself sweating, trying on clothing item after clothing item that doesn’t fit. Is it too much to ask that retailers just provide us with inclusive, standard sizing and representation without putting us in meaningless categories?
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Thankfully (and many years too late), these conversations are now being had and things are beginning to change. There has been a recent rise in mid-size fashion bloggers, looking to fill the gap in influencers who have body types that everyone, regardless of what size they wear, can relate to and get inspiration from. YouTubers and Instagram influencers such as P A S S I O N J O N E S Z, STEPHANIE PEREIRA, Carrie Dayton, Lucy Wood and 𝑫𝑨𝑵𝑰 𝑫𝑴𝑪 who both have said in their videos that they typically wear a size 12 or 14, use their platforms to discuss their struggles in finding clothing to fit their self-proclaimed mid-size bodies and sometimes straddling the line between regular and plus sizes. If you’re interested in checking out their Youtube videos, start with Lucy Wood | MIDSIZE GIRLS WHO’LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
Is it too much to ask that retailers just provide us with inclusive, standard sizing and representation without putting us in meaningless categories?
Some brands are beginning to recognize their lack of inclusivity and are making changes to their branding, advertising, and websites. Aerie, for example, has made headlines for banning the alteration of their advertising photos and vowing to be more inclusive in both sizing and representation, as Time reported. Its parent company, American Eagle, has a feature on their website where you can see the same jeans on models who wear sizes 00, 6, 12, and 22.
As women in the United States, trying to find clothes that fit us can be extremely hard. On any given day, I can be a size 8 in one store and a size 14 in another. I didn’t even know that there was an entire community of women out there who are also facing this “mid-size” or “in-betweener” struggle, until I found the influencers who are talking about it openly — and I hope that anyone facing the same dilemma can relate as well. We are all beautiful, and we all deserve clothes (and lots of them) that fit!
After months of procrastinating to get a new prescription, I finally decided to splurge on a pair of glasses… can’t wait! But with them came a surprise: acne.
It seemed like there was a new pimple on the bridge of my nose basically every other day. Because I hadn’t purchased my new glasses yet and because those pimples always appeared in that specific spot, my beautiful now old glasses were unfortunately the primary suspect.
Sure, being able to see is cool and all, but wouldn’t it be great if it didn’t also cause breakouts? Yes! It would!!! In fact, I talked to an expert about how to deal with this exact situation. Here’s what I learned.
How to know if it’s actually acne
The biggest clue that your glasses are causing acne is where the acne is showing up: The bridge of your nose, your cheeks where the rims sit, and the ears where they might rub are all common places.
The other major sign is if you can say, ‘I didn’t have it,’ and then all of a sudden you develop it, which is exactly what happened to me. Maybe this is your first pair of frames, maybe you took a break from your glasses or alternate with wearing contacts. Whatever the reasoning is, the point is you have and you’re getting pimples in places you’ve never seen before. And, now you’re wearing glasses, that’s another clue that your glasses are to blame.
But other conditions can mimic acne, even in those areas. One to look out for is called acanthoma fissurataum, which is a patch of thickened skin that experts think develops after repeated trauma to an area—and it specifically occurs in people who wear glasses. So if your frames are constantly rubbing on the top of your ears or the bridge of your nose, they might cause this.
How do glasses cause acne?
It’s really from too much pressure. This form of acne—acne mechanica—develops when something is pushing down on the skin, which prevents the normal shedding of skin cells. Instead, those skin cells clog up your pores and lead to acne. Having oily skin and wearing thicker makeup just add to the issue.
Acne mechanica is also common among those who play sports or wear restrictive athletic clothing because those clothes can trap sweat and heat, making it even more likely that the pressure from clothing or equipment will cause acne in areas that those garments touch.
Here’s how to deal.
Luckily, once you’re sure it’s acne, there are specific ways to treat the bumps in those sensitive areas on your face as well as to prevent them from coming back.
Get your glasses adjusted. If you find that you’re having to push your glasses up your nose frequently or they’re so thick or heavy that they’re causing acne in the cheek area where the lenses touch your face, you should go to your eye doctor or wherever you got your glasses to have them adjusted. Sometimes the answer is getting new bridges put on the nose so you spread the pressure.
Wipe your glasses down frequently. Make sure you’re cleaning your glasses. We suggest getting a basic alcohol wipe and swabbing it over every part that touches your face every night.
Use an over-the-counter acne wash. Using an over-the-counter acne wash with salicylic acid in it at night is an easy way to manage mild acne all over the face, especially if you notice it on your cheeks and not just on the bridge of your nose.
Use an over-the-counter spot treatment. If your acne bumps are primarily confined to one area of your face, such as the bridge of your nose, a spot treatment containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide is the way to go. Other options include acne patches you can wear overnight and prescription topical antibiotics.
Take breaks from wearing your glasses if possible. Your glasses obviously serve a very important purpose. But if it’s possible for you to take breaks from them during the day, taking advantage of that cuts down on the likelihood that they’ll cause acne.
Use a makeup remover before cleansing. Make sure that you’re really getting your makeup off. The buildup of makeup under your glasses can definitely contribute to acne, so it’s important to make sure it’s all off—with the help of a makeup remover or micellar water—even before you wash your face. And when it comes to washing, opt for a cleanser that isn’t oil-based.
Use concealers with salicylic acid. While your acne is healing, we suggest going with concealers that contain salicylic acid to keep treating them while covering up any bumps.
When to check with a derm
If you’re not sure if you have acne or something else is going on, it’s always a good idea to talk to a professional. And if what you think is acne isn’t going away with those measures, or if you have a lot of acne on other parts of your face, too, it’s important to check with your derm about the best way to manage it. They may be able to prescribe you an antibiotic medication that can take better care of all the acne.
And if your bumps aren’t going away or don’t seem to be healing, they may be a sign of another condition—including, possibly, skin cancer—that you’ll want to get checked out sooner rather than later.
But for most of us with glasses, acne is a common yet manageable annoyance.
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BEAUTYLEEBAR does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
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