Life has been super busy lately. It can be hard sometimes being a full-time worker and blogging on the side. But to catch everyone up, I’ve been posting more frequently on my YouTube channel. I plan on posting at least one video a week, every Thursday, be on the look out for my new videos! Check it out and tell me what you think! Who is Madame Akay?!
Love you all and thank you for the continued support.
Hey, Gems!
It’s been a year since I corrected my vision using the PRK method. But before I dive into how my procedure went let me rewind to third grade. I remember being asked by my teacher to read the chalkboard from my seat which was about 3 rows from the front of the room. I was squinting so hard that my teacher called me to the front of the class to try again and I still couldn’t see. It was at this moment I knew something was wrong. I went through countless pairs of glasses and boxes of contacts till I finally made the decision to fix my vision permanently. Fast forward to 2016.
I did my research and looked at different companies in my local town that performed the procedure. There were even Groupons for the procedure which I thought was super sketchy. I finally landed on going with Diagnostic Eye Center – Houston. I went in for my LASIK evaluation and when I left the eye care professional recommended me for PRK instead of LASIK. Which I was fine with.
PRK vs LASIK
During the LASIK procedure, the surgeon makes an incision in the cornea to create a flap of tissue. This flap is then lifted to reshape the inner layers of the cornea. The flap is put back in place and the incision is closed. In PRK, the surgeon doesn’t make any incisions rather the outer layer of the cornea removed for the laser to reshape.
Day of Surgery
For some reason, I wasn’t scared, maybe because I was deep in prayer the week before and asked God to give me peace of mind. I was so ready to have this surgery that my evaluation appointment was a week prior. Ha! My mother went with me because that is just who she is. She is always involved and hands-on when it comes to anything health related. I was awake the entire time but I was given eye drops that numbed my cornea so I wouldn’t feel the pressure from the laser. I honestly didn’t feel any pain from the laser but there was a smell of burning cornea. Eek, gross I know! I had to keep my head very still but luckily there was a holster to keep it straight, I was instructed to stare at a red dot for the entire procedure. When the procedure was complete I left with what looked like swimmers googles and I hated it.
Post Surgery
Oh my gosh, I was in soooo much pain. I wanted to cry on the way back home because with every bump we drove over I felt like my eyes hurt. Soon enough I fell asleep for the remainder of the ride home, may have been due to the pre-surgery drugs. I was instructed to not open my eyes for 24 hours. Isn’t that crazy? As soon as I came home my mom went into mommy mode. I had to take a certain drop every hour, a different drop every 12 hours, and lastly, drops every time my eyes felt dry. When my dad came home from work he too went into daddy mode. I honestly couldn’t thank them enough for nursing me back to health. The first day was the hardest especially since I couldn’t open my eyes unless I was putting my drops in.
Today
Now that it’s been a year since I had my surgery, I do have to say this was the best decision I could have ever made. I now wake up and don’t have to search for my glasses to see or I don’t have to worry about my contact lenses ripping apart in my eye. I finally have a feeling of normalcy.
Hey Gems,
If you are new to my blog, I am doing a series where I share all things related to my 4C kinky hair. Every Wednesday I will drop a new post related to my 4C crown, leave a comment below I want this to be interactive! This is now the fourth post in the series and I hope you all have been enjoying this series so far!
I think it’s important to give your natural hair some rest in between styles as well as from your hands. Protective styles are styles that protect the ends of your hair. This helps its health and from breakage. One of the challenges I face is single strand knots, split ends, and breakage. Including a protective style here and there really helps me to keep my hands out of my head. Ladies, protection first!
Below are a couple protective styles that I have either tried or would like to try.
Box Braids
Crown Braid
Faux Locs
Wigs of Life – My go to Protective style
Faux Bun – I nearly put my natural hair into a bun and using Marley hair I create an even bigger bun
Okay this isn’t really a protective style, but one time for the culture! 🇳🇬
More braids, braids come in varying lengths and sizes.
I really enjoy experimenting with protective styles, one of the latest trends is crochet hair which I haven’t gotten into just yet, but it’s definitely on my radar. Hope you enjoyed this post and it gave you inspiration for your next protective style!
Disclaimer: The hair styles featured in this post is not guaranteed to provide hair length retention, glow, and strength.
Hello Gems,
I’m back from my fun-filled vacation and I’m better!
“Let go of the ordinary and enjoy a vibrant, fully-alive purpose that God designed for you.”
I was inspired to write this post while I was worshipping in church this past weekend. Pastor Jeremy Foster’s message was directly for me and being that it’s a new month I thought I would share with you all. I hope that while you’re reading this it sparks something new in you.
“John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” -KJV
Joy. I experience joy when I am worshipping my Lord. My heart is happy when I’m in church and the praise and worship songs have me in the spirit. I experience joy when I am surrounded by people that truly love me. Seeing my niece happy and laughing makes me very happy. Oh, the joy in my heart is just overwhelming. I love her too much!
“1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” -KJV
Let us break this verse down to really understand what is being said here.
It’s so easy to only think of the negatives that occur in our life and lose sight of all the good that has happened. Rejoice means to feel or show great joy or delight. In situations where you have no control over, rejoice. Think about it, there is no point in stressing over the uncontrollable. It’s like the saying goes, why cry over spilled milk if it has already spilled?
In all circumstances one should pray. No matter how bad you think things are, pray. When things are going good, one should pray. Let me be real with you all, I’m guilty of praying consistently when things are bad. I ‘forget’ to pray as consistently when things are going in my favor. It’s something I’m trying to work on and with my new found independence I’m going to test myself.
Do I really need to explain this one? I’ll keep it brief. Be Thankful.
Breathe In, Breathe Out. How do you feel? I bet you feel a little bit better. Sometimes when you’re under pressure, take a pause and breathe in fresh air. I’ve learned to do this to keep myself from going cray cray. It honestly has helped me, it also gives you time to reconsider your next action.
Hey Gems!
This week I’m super excited because I’m taking a much needed vacation. I’m planning on being out of pocket for some time but I will be back.
Thanks for understanding!
Hey Gems!
It’s now what, three days after Valentine’s Day? Maybe you went on this lavish date with your significant other or maybe you just hung out with your girlfriends… Now that I have your attention! Oh, you thought this post was going to be about Valentine’s Day? Nope! I actually have a brand spankin’ new video on my YouTube channel! Yes, I dusted off my channel and I’m going to be posting more on there. Ladies, this one is for you. This one is for those of us that are always on the go and don’t have time to highlight and contour. This one is for us ladies that just don’t have the time.
I usually don’t feel like doing the whole, contour my cheeks and highlight my t-zone routine. So when I’m looking for a very simple and minimal effort look this is my go to foundation routine. Guess what, it only took 8 minutes! That’s right 8 minutes!
Quick 8 Minute Foundation Routine!
Let me know what you think, and if you want to see more of these types of videos.
Hey Gems,
I recently just got a new car and it honestly was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make this far. It took me about a year and eight months to make a decision and muster up to sign on the line. I mean this isn’t some decision you can make randomly. A number of factors have to be put into this decision. Hopefully, some of the tips I share with you can assist you in making a decision.
1. Lease or Purchase
I have researched these options up to 10 times and it really boils down to what the driver wants. In my opinion, there really isn’t a better option because you are still going to have a depreciating asset to your name.
Lease
Don’t put down too much upfront! The car will have a set amount that it will be valued at the end of your lease. The car has a set value at the end of your lease term but it depends on how much you put down and the length of your lease term.
Most consumers don’t know that when you lease a car, at the end of your lease term you are given two options. One is to own the car by buying it out or trade it in to get a different car. What I thought was pretty cool is that if you lease your car and a rock hits your car, the value of your car doesn’t down right decline. Remember I said, your car has a set value at the end of the lease term.
Purchase
The more money you put down upfront the cheaper your payments.
2. Price
Price for my vehicle was a very huge and defining factor for me. I didn’t want a car that sucked me dry of all my income. Something a good colleague of mine told me was to NEVER purchase a car that is worth more than your annual income. I mean that makes perfect sense. You want to be able to afford the car you’re going to own and you don’t want to become that person living paycheck to paycheck.
The sales associate is going to try and get you to buy the listed price. NEVER BUY THE LISTED PRICE! Do your research on the car before you go to sign. Kelley Blue Book is a deal breaker. Dealerships won’t sell over the price found on the website. Have the specs on the car listed out. See what other dealerships are charging for the same car. Also, don’t be afraid to bargain. I went in knowing how much the car was listed as and how low I wanted to bring that price down. You want to also know how much you will spend a month if you lease your car. Don’t settle on a price. Bargain till you can’t go any further.
3. Features
If this is not your first time driving a car then you know what you look for in a car. It’s like buying a cake on your 20th birthday. You have had multiple opportunities to taste different types of cakes. So when it come to your own birthday cake you know exactly what you want yours to look and taste like.
For me, I made a list of features I absolutely had to have in my car. This was mainly based on what I didn’t have in my current car. Then I created a ‘Nice to Have’ list, meaning I wouldn’t be bothered if the car didn’t come with the ‘Nice to Have’ features.
Have to Have
Nice To Have
4. Test Drive
Since my list of potential cars was really long, I had to make sure I test drove each and every car. Now, when you go in to test drive a car, you absolutely have to inform the sales associate that you only intend to test drive the car and you have no intentions of buying. They may tell you something along the lines of they aren’t going to pressure you to sign anything. Which is great, but don’t be swayed by the numbers or even the drive of the car. Trust me, it was hard for me to not go and sign papers after test driving a vehicle.
5. Insurance
Things to consider is how high your car insurance will go after the purchase. This price will vary from one insurance carrier to the other, but I would say a price of ~$140 is average for where I live. Can you still afford the vehicle you want now factoring in insurance?
You think you have all the above figured out. Now it’s time to head to the dealership to purchase your new car.
6. Time & Patience
Some people spend 2 hours in a dealership others spend 4. You have to be patient, so you don’t feel rushed into getting something you aren’t fully satisfied with. In 30 days you want to feel the same way you felt when you drove your car off the lot. It’s going to take some time to really land on the perfect car or should I say your dream car. You’re probably wondering when is the best time to purchase a new vehicle.
You’re probably wondering when is the best month to purchase a new vehicle? DECEMBER. Point. Blank. Period. Why December? Car Dealerships are looking to clear out most of the inventory to bring in the next new model for vehicles. Also, buying towards the end of the month, which is what I did is a good time to purchase a vehicle. Sales Associates have a quota they have to meet at the end of each month so they are more wiling to negotiate a price if it’s the end of the month.
I hope this helped you figure out what the perfect car is for you!
Hey Gems!
I’m currently working on a ton of content to post at the moment, and I don’t want you all to think I’ve gone ghost….again! I do plan on having a blog relaunching! Super excited, because this date is going to be a very special date for MadameAkay because it is her rebirth. Please stay tuned for the announcement of the relaunch!