Real Friends? How Many of Us?

There comes a point in time where you start to question the people that you are constantly surrounding yourself with. Sometimes people hit you up out of the blue just because they want something out of you. A favor that will never benefit you what-so-ever which makes you feel like complete.... you get the gist. So why continue to respond back to the person that is just temporary? I used to have a hard time saying no to people that would randomly show up in my life when they saw that I was doing good. I came to the realization that people show up when your at your highest point to only try to ride that high with you but; where was that person at when you were at your lowest point. Where were they at? Now people hit me up like "Hey Liyah. I follow you on Instagram and I see that your doing good. How are you doing this?"

The main question that I get is HOW? WHO DO YOU KNOW?
It bothers me when people hit me up to question how I'm elevating who I am as a person. I'm not the same person. Lets' get that straight and don't come around in my life when I'm at my high right now; you can hop out my dm's ASAP. As a matter fact don't even click that *Send* button if I haven't communicated with you at my lowest point and etc. So who's real or not? It's simple. Check your phone and see who's using the following words;
Can you help...
How do you....
How
Hey I was just checking in...

Just drop them. Go MIA. Stick with people that been with you since DAY ONE. Not the ones that just popped up to join in on the fun so they won't be left behind. It's not worth it. It's cool to communicate with people but their comes a point where you have to question; what are the person motives? Why are they trying to finesse into my life like I got the answers. Like seriously people hit me up like I HAVE THE ANSWERS AND I'M STILL LEARNING MYSELF. Everything takes trials and tribulations. Go out and make mistakes. Don't be scared (I had to learn this the hard way). Be uncomfortable with the moves that you are making because that means that it's probably going to be the best move that you've made which will help benefit you as a person. So moral of this post is to;  be careful who you surround yourself with and also ask yourself;

Are you even a real friend yourself?


xoxox A

My Snapchat TakeOver: GetHeartBeat

On Sunday I was asked to to take over GetHeartBeat snapchat for the day! GetHeartBeat is an upcoming company that helps influencers get in contact with companies that are willing to work with influencers like myself. I spent the day on their snapchat answering questions that viewers had for me and I also showed people what I spend most of my days doing when it comes to business related things. It was really interesting to be a part of a bigger platform when it came to taking over the GetHeartBeat snapchat and let me tell you; everyone that asked me advice questions and just questions in general I am forever grateful that I was able to help people with certain questions that needed to be answered. I was very happy that people even took the time to answer my question that I had for everyone regarding "if anyone has ever experienced getting their wisdom teeth out" or even "has anyone been on the crazy rollercoaster journey of braces". Thank you to everyone that enjoyed watching my story and my life! Thank you to GetHeartBeat for the amazing opportunity and I can't wait to takeover a companies snapchat soon! xoxoxox A

Let's Talk About Hair

So tell me why I've been wasting my money on hair that doesn't last me for months and months but..... I recently found a company that I will possibly spend my money on for a very long time; UNice Hair! I found this company when I was binge watching on youtube and everyone had excellent reviews on how luscious that hair is and how wonderful the hair holds up so of course I had to give it a go! I'm all about protecting my hair during the cold winter months so of course I was going to risk my coins once again to protect my crown (I call my hair or head "crown" so don't judge me lol). I ordered the Malaysian Straight hair with 16', 14', 12' 10' and a 16 inch closure to complete the look that I was going for and guys let me tell you; this hair is literally butter in my hands. The shipping was only 4 days which wasn't bad but the hair... GIRL it feels like my own hair whenever I get it straighten. I rarely straighten my hair due to the fact that my hair gets heat damage when I use too much heat so I rarely have the time to do all that and plus I don't want to ruin my curls and my fro fro. The hair was packaged in a nice box which was very nice to see because, in the past I would receive hair from companies that didn't have a very appealing box that the hair came in. I've had this hair installed for about a week now and it has been absolutely phenomenal! I don't even have to straighten the hair due to the fact that it doesn't require a lot time and work to it! I've washed the hair twice and it does wavy up beautifully! What I absolutely love about UNice hair company is that they care about their customers needs and wants HANDS DOWN! If you have a question, comment,  or even a concern they are quick to give you a response. So the question is; would I order again from this company? Yes, yes, and YES! I will rate the quality of the hair a 9.5 due to the fact that I only had the hair for about a week but; I can tell that the hair will last a long time. So I highly recommend this hair to anyone that wants to change their look from time to time! Check out their website at www.unice.com and order now!

xoxo,
A

Learning to Love Your Body

Ever since I was a young girl I have always been self conscious with my body. People may call me crazy on why I've been self conscious. I hear positive things from people about my body and I have heard things such as:
 "Aliyah you have a body"
"YOUR LEGS CAN I HAVE THEM"
"People would kill to have your body"
"Aliyah stop it. Your fine"
"Your the definition of slim thick"
"I don't see what you see isn't perfect"
I'm not perfect. Never was perfect. I hear negative things as well like:
"Your thighs are huge"
"You need to start working on them thighs girl"
"I see that gut sticking out. What's going on?"
These quotes come from people that I love dearly and some from old friends and some from complete strangers. Sometimes it can be overbearing. I never really paid attention to my body until I started developing and becoming into a young women and over those years I've heard many compliments and also critiques. I'm not even going to lie it gets to me from time to time because once you hear the criticism all the time you start to realize that something is wrong with you and that is no bueno. At one point in time during the summer of 2011 or 2012 I literally starved myself a whole week straight and guess what.... my stomach literally was in so much pain that I had to lay down a few days and let my body rest due to how the nerves in my body were reacting to such a stupid choice that I made. I realized that I love food and I can't be doing these things to myself and I had to stop worrying about what other people thought on how I look and how my thighs look. My thighs get the most attention from people because, I've always had thick thighs since I was a young baby and they've grown tremendously which triggers people to say things about them which lead me to think my thighs are not ideal. What people don't understand is that when you say something to somebody regarding their body or something that stands out; that stays with the person for the rest of their life. I've learned to love my body over the years due to who I surround myself with and also being inspired by people that went through the same thing. It's okay that you have hips for days and thick thighs; you are who you are for a reason. If you don't like who you are right now then change it but don't change anything about yourself just because you want to be just like those skinny models in the magazine. I've been trying sooooo hard to not fall under the trap of being consumed by the media on how you should look to make people like you even more. Be who you are and stay true to yourself no matter how many times you've been criticized on your body shape and everything else because, that goes to show who really is the insecure one. So hunty you better eat that pizza like a champ and work that body out when you feel like it. As long as your happy and healthy; that's all that matters. Never be ashamed.


xoxo- A

P.S. I have started working out more due to my anxiety that I have so I've been toning up quite a bit and honestly I feel so much better and healthier. The key is to just stay healthy and be positive guys. Love you all xoxo

Beach Bum

Aliyah Jones

You know what I'm really craving for right now? Yep, that's right; you guessed it! THE BEACH. My family and I haven't been on our crazy vacations due to our busy lives which is good and bad. Do you guys know the feeling when you go to a place; a peaceful place to be exact and you set aside all your problems that your facing at that exact moment. You feel empty inside and you start be refueled with energy that hasn't been in you since you were a kid. You start to dream again and think about things that you haven't had the chance to think about at all. You begin to imagine the impossible and you start realize that the impossible is actually possible. Tongue twister right? Every single day of your vacation; you see the sunrise and sunset and you realize that this...this right here is real life. Real life that you should be living. You wish that life could be this easy. Traveling without any worries. No more self doubt. No more settling for less. You begin to think you can do anything and be anything that you want. Feelings start to circulate again. You forget that you actually have feelings that you are constantly hiding behind the smile you carry everyday. Everything that you wanted to do, think about and dream about come rushing through. It hits you. It makes you realize that life is too short to be living in a bottle and floating your way into a waterfall that wasn't the ideal waterfall to begin with. That's how I feel when I go on vacation. I think about every little detail. 

xoxoxox A

 Stay tuned on my next adventure!

LuMee Case Obsession: Review

I'm literally obsessed with my case that I bought from the one and only LuMee! I first discovered this case when I was binge watch the Kardashians (and yes I watch the Kardashians so...fight me!!) and I was like whoaaaa I have to have this. I even told mom that I will have this case for my new phone ASAP! Fast forward in the beginning of summer16 my cousins mom had the case and I played around with it and I was HOOKED. I take selfies all the time because I'm vain like that and quite honestly with me buying the LuMee case; it would give the quality of my selfies to a whole another level. So guess what... I bought the case before I got my new phone and mind you I received my new phone 3 months later. Literally. 

So when I ordered the case it only took about a week. Okay I'm lying it took about a month to come to momma and the wait was worth it! I ordered a black LuMee case for my IPhone 6s Plus and I kept playing around with it and turning the light on to see the light beam in 3 different settings; low, medium, high, and strobe light effect. Once I received my new phone; my life became high class. 

I use the case for flashlight purposes, SELFIES and all of the above!!!! The one thing I really like about this case is the durability when it comes to me accidentally dropping my phone but that's pretty rare nowadays since my new phone fits my hand like a glove. 

So as you can see I take this case everywhere I go but, I had to take a break from it due to not wanting to over use it and to also try not to damage it from certain things. THIS CASE IS MY BABY AND WHENEVER SOMEONE USES IT I WATCH IT LIKE A HAWK. Once I get some money rolling in the dough I will definitely buy a whole bunch of cases for myself and to everyone that I love so dearly that likes the case as well. I highly recommend this to anyone that loves taking selfies and loves to be a little vain. Check out their website right now and buy ASAP https://lumee.com

XOXO A

Special Delivery: Rosy Voxbox

Recently I have been very fortunate enough to receive complimentary products to test and review from Influenster! I received the Rosy Voxbox that includes the following:

1. Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant
2. Vera Wang Embrace: Green Tea & Pear Blossom (Sample)
3. Vera Wang Embrace: Periwinkle & Iris (Sample)
4. Fancy Feet by foot petals
5. Purely Advanced Hand Sanitizer
6. Not Your Mothers: Beach Babe; Soft Waves Sea Salt Spray (Tropical Banana) 

I tried out the two Vera Wang samples and the scents are absolutely phenomenal! I can't wait to try out and test out each and every one of these products as soon as possible! Thank you Influenster for giving me the opportunity to test out these products for free and to everyone that is reading this thank you for supporting me! All opinions are 100% my own!

xoxoxox A

It's All About Beauty

I've been very fortunate to receive some amazing beauty products from companies such as Estee Lauder, OPI, Givenchy and many more! I've been meaning to review a lot of the products that I have received on my blog ;( but I'm back and I'm ready to show you guys what I've been feeling and what I haven't been feeling at the moment when it comes to certain beauty products. Don't worry I haven't forgot to do a video on me applying make-up for the first time! Stay tuned for that! Now let's begin with this beauty haul!

Estes Lauder (right to left) 

MODERN MUSE LE ROUGE  &  MODERN MUSE LE ROUGE GLOSS

Thoughts: When I first opened my package; the fragrances were beautifully wrapped in boxes that were specifically made for each design of the fragrances. The scent of Modern Muse Le Rouge has more of a friendly "approach me" kind of scent that mimics the smell of roses in my opinion. Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss has a more of a seductive kind of scent which I love but would I wear this every day.. yes and no due to the fact that the scent is so strong and fruity people might look at you and be like "who you trying to impress" lol. Overall I love these fragrances but my favorite one has to go with Modern Muse Le Rouge.

OPI Collection (Starting from front left and back)

1. Patiences Pays Off : This color is a pale pink color when I first applied it on my nails and after a while the color starts to tarnish in a way where it starts to darken over time. I experienced that with majority of OPI colors but that only happens at the end of 2 weeks from wearing them.
2. Indefinitely Baby : This color is more of a vibrant pink color. I let my little sister apply this on her nails and it was very very PINK. Again you can only wear this color for 2 weeks or it will tarnish into a darker color.
3. Polly Want A Lacquer : This color is one of my favorites!!! It's a light purple color that has a fine finish to it when you apply it to your nails. I currently have this nail color on right now and it is beautiful.

Which one is my favorite? I will have to go with the color Polly Want A Lacquer! It just fits my skin tone so beautifully and the color pops so much with any outfit that I wear.

I have received this powerful FlowerByKenzo🌹in the mail and let me tell you; the structure of this fragrance is elegant and also simple as well. The scent is like your walking in a meadow of flowers🌺 thank you @kenzoparfums for letting me get my hands on this beautiful piece of art. (P.S. this fragrance is available at @macys )

Would I wear this everyday? Yes yes yes. 

This concludes my beauty haul for now but trust me; I will be writing more for you guys closer than you know it! 

xoxoxo A

GET TO KNOW ME: 101 CRAZY FACTS

1. I was a shy little girl that didn't like nobody. I cried a lot too.
2. I used to pick my eyelashes whenever I was nervous or my anxiety build up with stress.. bizarre right lol
3. I can be aggressive when I get irritated.
4. I cut people off all the time when I get irritated.
5. I never had a boyfriend. 
6. Alright I lied but he didn't count in my opinion. AT ALL.
7. I have this mole under my boob that is strange looking to me but people think it's just a beauty mark.
8. I make the craziest facial expression to certain things and what people say which gets me into a lot of trouble lol. 
9. I ramble a lot 
10. I give good advice but I have a hard time taking my own advice
11. I hate discussing guys to people. I hate it.
12. I used to hate my long legs.
13. I have tendency to go through hairstyles like I change clothes
14. I loveeeeeee doing pranks on people
15. I hate expressing my inner demons to people.
16. I keep a lot of things to myself
17. I go MIA all the time
18. I keep a list of everything that I want to accomplish on my phone
19. I can't float or swim
20. I've always wanted to go in a tanning salon to make people look at me funny when I walk in  lol... I just want to see peoples reaction on why I'm there
21. I don't like needy people
22. I hate people with twitter fingers 
23. I don't like going on instagram sometimes because... everyone is starting to look the same and do the same things. 
24. My favorite movie is Taken
25. I watch a lot of inspirational movies and shows. ALL THE TIME
26. I'm a sagittarius 
27. My favorite shows are The Walking Dead, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder
28. I want to meet Oprah and I want her to interview me.
29. I'm 5'll or 5'10... idk anymore
30. I don't know how to do make-up but I would like to learn
31. I paint when I'm bored
32. I love photography and art
33. I used to be very flexible 
34. I cry at every sentimental thing that I see under cover. No one sees my tears of corniness. 
35. I envied my old high school so much
36. I'm terrified to put contacts in (i'm learning to overcome that fear)
37. I used to make youtube videos when I was in 5th grade and I would show my mom the music videos that I would put together. I might start again guys... stay tuned. 
38. I used to be in this singing group in 5th grade and during recess we would meet up. I actually brought in this CD that symbolized our future mix-tape. Not kidding.
39. I cried a lot in 2nd grade.
40. I used to sit with these two boys in 2nd grade named John and Jimmy at this little table and they were the only kids that didn't judge me by my weirdness lol. They were my only friends at the time.
41. I was a loner. Still am.
42. I sat at a table by myself in senior year because I moved and....I didn't care anymore
43. I want to be iconic
44. I don't want to be basic and live a basic life. Biggest fear.
45. I fear the idea of having kids. 
46. I love Chinese food.
47. I love being on a plane
48. I want to go to Tokyo to watch the Olympics
49. I had an allergic reaction to my cartilage piercing 
50. I like to watch cute puppy videos when I'm sad.
51. I'm shy.
52. I laugh at everything. 
53. I love traveling. That's all I want to do.
54. I have a tendency to invite people to places but.... people don't do the same for me which is crazy. I need to stop that asap. It goes to show I care about people that don't have me in mind.
55. I like being in charge or I'll go crazy.
56. I'm picky. 
57. I used to hate my forehead.
58. I had to cut my hair when I was in 7th grade because my hair was so dead. I had a mushroom cut!
59. I love Rihanna.
60. I used to claim that Micheal Jackson was my father.
61. I hate Valentines Day.
62. I was born on Thanksgiving LOL.
63. I don't like talking to guys because... I get irritated. 
64. I'm a deep thinker that goes into a deep trance. 
65. I have visions about my success and the house that I will be living in. 
66. When I put my mind into something; I give my all to it.
67. I cry everytime I get a message from people that have watch me grown over the years through my website/blog and how I inspire them to love themselves. I cry when people actually take my advice when they need it the most. 
68. I love seeing people in love... but I don't know how to be in love. 
69. I hate when people change when they are in a relationship
70. I LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH ITS RIDICULOUS
71. I want to start my youtube again.... 
72. I hate chicken now. 
73. I've been designing and sketching what I want in my clothing line and future stores. 
74. I want to be NYC living so bad. Such a wannabe New Yorker lmao.
75. I admire motivated people. Like my mom.
76. I love my mom.
77. I look like my dad but sound like my mom and carry the mentality from my mom. 
78. I've been to Mexico. 
79. I want to be on TED talks lol.
80. I've considered becoming therapist and talk to people about their problems.
81. I love giving back to people that need it the most.
82. I have 3 nieces and one nephew from my step-sisters :)
83. I have 2 step sisters and 2 step brothers and they are all older than me and they come from my dad side and I love them so much.
84. My mom and older sister taught me to be business savvy.
85. I love fashion ....that's not a crazy fact.
86. I'm not looking for a relationship. Not for me right now. I can't do it lol
87. I'm my baby sisters stalker when it comes to taking pictures of her during her life moments that needs to be captured LOL
88. My brother is my personal photographer
89. I wonder if jesus can see my sins lol
90. I'm no sinner I swear 
91. I lied. 
92. My best friend Kiana and I used to do pranks on people.... we should totally do a story time about that soon.
93. I took a year off before going to college for the class of 2021... crazy right
94. I've always wanted to meet Obama and his familia.
95. I've always wanted to meet Beyonce and Jay-Z
96. My celebrity crush is Micheal B. Jordan
97. My grandmother and I have a love hate relationship and she's my vacation buddy and roomie lol
98. I love being inspired.
99. I love when people talk about their dreams.
100. I choked on a piece of steak with a whole bunch of fat on it in 6th grade and I thought I was going to die.
101. I never stuck with one set of group of friends. I was a floater. 

I have more but... I might just do a video for you guys on my youtube channel once I get that popping. Love you guys xoxo

SheIn: Favorite Things Edition

Everyone knows that I absolutely love shopping and putting together pieces of clothing; it gives me life and energy whenever I put together different outfits for myself and other people. One of my favorite clothing stores; SheIn is known to have a variety of clothing for young adults and trust me they have tons and tons of clothing that you can choose from. I wanted to do a "Favorite Things" type of post for SheIn because; they have a different variety of clothing and items that I absolutely love and adore so much. I will be picking out three outfits that I would put together and wear from SheIn! Check out www.shein.com for endless clothing that will fit perfectly in your collection of clothing! You won't regret it!

Grey Draped Collar Raglan Sleeve Long Cardigan

Blue Ripped Cuffed Jeans

White Crew Neck T-Shirt

Khaki Oversized Shawl Collar Wrap Coat

Cuffed Loose Black T-shirt

White Ripped Ankle Jeans

Faux Suede Platform Sneakers BLACK

Suede Pointed Thigh Boots BLACK

Pink Boat Neck Drop Shoulder Ripped Sweater

Black Skinny Ripped Denim Pant

Make sure you guys go check them out!

http://www.shein.com

OOTD featuring My Kswiss

People have been curious on my sense of style so I mind as well just start posting some outfits that I've been wearing throughout the past week. My style can range from laid back and sometimes dressy from time to time only depending on what mood I'm in and what the weather is like. Majority of the time I'm always wearing black or white but, I'm trying to veer away from dark colors.... Check out my OOTD down below from a couple of days ago and I will list the items down below!!! XOXO-A

Jacket: Guess

Top: H&M

Pants:Forever 21

Shoes: Kswiss

A Young Black Girl That Made It Through The Fire

Being a young black girl can be a challenge especially in a predominantly ALL white school. I didn't have many black classmates that I can confide to about the social issues that went on throughout the day. I couldn't really tell any of my teachers on the things that were said and done because they wouldn't understand and I had to realize that they will never understand the challenges that a young black kid goes through. I've been called blacky, orangutan, a n*gger and all of the above! The crazy thing is that not ONCE did I cry or run to my parents explaining the horrible things that were said at school every day. It's not in my blood to cry a river to my parents about being harassed and racially discriminated against because; I've always had thick skin and I was able to handle certain situations myself. I always observed on people's actions and body language and I observed all the kids that I was surrounded by through out the years that said negative, horrific things about African Americans like myself. It was interesting to witness them saying all these things about black people but what they fail to realize is that; they were never better. They came from broken families, surrounded themselves with white counterparts that would agree with them, and also more importantly they were all close minded. A lot of the white kids that absolutely loved being around me enjoyed saying "oh I have black friends" or "oh I have a black cousin that lives in California; that doesn't make me racist right?". I swear hearing all the excuses was just hilarious because they would think that I was bothered but; I wasn't. I had white friends in school don't get me wrong but I would always catch them slipping on things that should not be said or discussed. In third grade my English teacher rearranged our seating and this white boy didn't want to sit in between two black girls which was me and my only friend that I could confide to. It was crazy that he blurted out "I DONT WANT TO SIT IN-BETWEEN THESE TWO BLACK GIRLS" my English teacher gripped him up and dragged him to the office. She was white. She was probably the only white teacher that took action within the situation in all my years of being in that kind of school system. In ninth grade my physical science teacher said something crazy that caught my one white friends attention. We were passing around this hole puncher around the class to organize our papers and the hole puncher got to me. So of course I was taking my time and all of a sudden my teacher asked where the hole puncher was and I was like I have it. Guess what he said next? He said "oh I see you and your people always stealing and hogging things. Hurry up" me and my friend were like what??? Your people? Stealing? He tried to clean it up and say oh I was kidding! He's lucky I never told my mom about that because he would've been fired in a heart beat. I've been criticized since I was out the womb and I have been fully aware that we still have a long way to go. I finally got away from being in predominantly white schools in my senior year of high school; crazy right. You guys have no idea how happy I was! I was finally at peace. I didn't care if I didn't have many friends during my senior year; I just wanted to be around people that had the same skin tone and be around people that wouldn't question me on why I change my hair so much or why hair is so coarse. I could finally breathe again. I lost many white associates because I would constantly snap and put them in there place and say "are you kidding me?". At one point I was fed up with hearing negative things and I started calling people out. So to all the young black girls or minorities at school right now; you are not alone. The school system and parents need to well educate their children to not be so ignorant because people remember things and faces. Don't cry; speak up. I know it's going to get worse in adulthood but, we are all strong and we can endure many things. It's in our blood to have thick skin and trust me our skin is way thicker than our pale counterparts. We were all given this beautiful dark tone for a reason and the unknown knows that we have the ability to handle everything that comes our way. Having a dark complexion should never be set back it should always be rewarded as a comeback to all our ancestors that wasn't able to live off their desired dreams that we are trying to achieve today. To all my black beauties; kings, queens, princes and princesses, let's make our ancestors proud.



Xoxo


PSA: this isn't even half of what I went through. I might do a video about it because young girls need to understand that you are not alone! To all the people that expressed nasty remarks to me; thank you for showing your true colors. I see through you all now. I know I'll be sleeping well at night knowing I don't have a bit of hate towards people that did nothing to me.