AleroButtercup

Motivation

Be motivated today! Live better tomorrow!

Blogging from NYC the fashion capital of the world

Ok as you all know I went on holiday to NYC this summer. Needless I say it was amazing. I had been to Newyork twice before but I just went shopping. This time I mixed it up with touristy behaviour as well and I don't regret it one bit.  Five things  I love about Newyork 1. Beergarita (Lucy's Cantina Penn station) Google beergarita now (don't fall my hand). Heavenly combination of Corona beer in a frozen margarita (Gerra-ra-here). It was delicious, it was a cheeky refreshing drink at 2pm in the afternoon after being abused by Newyork sun.  The funny thing is that my sister and my friend Annette the vampire slayer who were at lunch with me didn't even question drinking in the middle of the day (real alcoholics). Trick me once shame on you, trick me twice , shame on you times two lol. My sister took me there again and we repeated thesame shameless behaviour. Shay... shay....shay... Shame on you Omas.     2. The Halal guys (54th and 6th avenue) NYC is truly the street food capital of the world. The halal guys got a fair chunk of our Dalla Dalla bills. The food was delish and cheap. Chicken or lamb shish with falafel was $7 (shut up and take my money).  Several meals later with hot sauce, good morning my neighbours.        3. Central Park  It was a bit fascinating that a massive park was planned bang in the middle of a big city. Viewing it from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building I was like wow. I loved how you can actually travel across the city walking or cycling through the park. It was great fun renting a bike and just riding without direction or purpose. Very liberating.          4. Getting around  Going from A to B in NYC was easy, numbered street in order, higher numbers going uptown and lower figures downtown. The subway was so easy to access and navigate. I am used to the London Underground so found it easy. But please taxi it up if you don't want your hand totally "falled" in a city where you could be anything you wanted actress, singer, model, song writer, fashion blogger, anything, no one knows you, act like a celeb. Don't act like a tourist cos you will get over charged for everything.  5. Afro punk Brooklyn If you haven't seen my post on Afro punk please keep scrolling to the end of this post.  Finally how can you go to NYC and not do a fashion post. Here it goes, just for the sake of being in Newyork Newyork babay.                           Err-thang was from Nordstrom apart from the sunglasses which are Mercura NYC. See next post. Afro punk

I have nothing to wear… (To the gym)

Have you ever missed a workout or a gym class due to lack of "something new" to wear to the gym? Have you planned your gym outfit the day before? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we are not here judge you, we accept you as you are. You are a fitness fashionista.  Before I start, please don't think gym/fitness fashion is ONLY for people who are trying to impress people of the opposite sex. Wrong!  It is simply to make you feel good about yourself the way a new pair of jeans makes you feel. If you are single then by all means shop according to your goals (employ my styling services for guaranteed introduction in December and native law in April) I am serious like that, results guaranteed.  So how did I discover the world of fitness wear I hear you say? Sit back let me tell you. When I was a member of a leisure centre gym a few months ago, I wore anything to the gym, black leggings and a black top usually, all black err-thang to show my fat that I am not there to play games. It worked for me until I joined another gym which is more of a "club" than a gym. My first gym class I felt like I was on some Nike runway show, colourful leggings, ripped half tops, even gym jewellery, na wa. People even changed trainers to match their outfits (hmmmm).  I admitted my crimes and jejely handed myself in to the gym fashion police for a life in fashion prison with hard labour. Lucky for me the judge granted me bail so I decided to go shopping for gym wear with immediate effect and alacrity. I was met with series of hard truths, the first being, GYM CLOTHES ARE NOT CHEAP. Nike leggings start from about £35-£40, and tops start from £30. Na wa oh, spend £70 on an outfit just to go and sweat in it? I wasn't having that so I started looking for alternatives. I discovered most high street shops had some kind of fitness range. So for example Tesco or Newlook will do one or two gym leggings and other cheaper online shops like misguided also do a range. I found TK maxx especially good for fitness wear also at very reasonable prices.  Now these are my little tricks ( thank me later and support that thanks with a Cheque with plenty zeros lol). You know I cannot let you carry last (God forbid) so let me teach you everything I know from several hours of online trolling. Tip number one, Every top you get should be able to go with every bottom you get. Three tops and three bottoms, you have nine outfits already. If you gym three times a week, you won't repeat outfits for 3 weeks GBAM!  (I feel like writing a parable about my wisdom mehn, I am too much lol). Tip number two, get loads of plain tops from places like Primark if you are the type that likes colourful leggings, a plain top will go with all your print leggings, matching dilemma over.  Tip number three, if your abs cannot be used to chop onions, or fried rice ingredients, forget about half tops or bra tops, you are allowed to think it but then let the thoughts float away like a nice fluffy cloud. Lol.  Here is one outfit I threw together after my shopping spree ( I will show them pepper in that gym, a whole me, Iye Jax of Trofani lol), do they know who I am? I think not. Some stretching and Yoga before hitting the tracks.                                                Here are some of my favourite tops out there at the moment are these ones with the fancy straps. There are so many different designs.      For those of us that don't want to flaunt our mid sections of steel (it's not fair to the others) then these loose tops will look great and achieve full coverage.     Print leggings are what I live for. I love them with just plain tops. I have a few different colours and patterns. They are a real must haves. Note please avoid certain prints if you are not as skinny as these ladies on the photo, prints can make you look bigger.     For those of you that don't love colours and prints ( what kind of monster are you? 😩😂😂😂) then plain colour block leggings may be the way to go. Cut outs are super cute too.     Nike, Adidas, Puma and even Gola are doing some nice designs of trainers these days. But plain colours in pastel colours are cute too. Check out my favs below.     Let's not forget our Gym bags. I love metallics at the moment also stripes are super cute.    Final last words form Aunty Alero, the Buttercup Wan of Cricklewood. Step up you gym game, dress up, feel awesome, don't forget to work out oh. Lol, look at you pipo. Until next time folks, Buziaki. 

Men who should consider taking their wives surname: A comprehensive guide

So in the past few weeks we learnt that Zoe Saldana's husband Marco Perego decided to adopt his wife's surname, throwing out tradition of thousands of years. It has sparked a debates on TV and radio shows everywhere. According to Marco Saldana, he explains that women take their husbands surname everyday and it doesn't make the news. When Zoe tried to talk him out of it he added  'I don’t give a shhheeeetttt!!' Why not? What are you so afraid of?'. Really what are we so afraid of breaking tradition? What the press don't talk about so much is that Zoe also took Marco's surname, she is now Zoe Perego and he is Marco Saldana. Does that now sound better to you guys? I started thinking about it, talking to guys about it. Most of them dismissed the idea of taking their wife's surname without knowing exactly why. Some explained that it is emasculating, others explained that they will be mocked by their friends while the Naija men I know gave me the dirtiest of looks before adding a resounding    I am still yet to hear a good reason from the lads why this is such a taboo.  Some very famous people now hyphenate their surnames which kind of brings this whole tradition to the 21st century.     Jay-z famously changed his name to Sean Knowles-Carter after he and Bey tied the knot. Well who wouldn't, if I got married to Beyoncé everyone in my nuclear and extended family will add Beyoncé to all their legal documents by faya and by force, you best beh-lee that.     The Jolie-Pitts are also leading the way, combining their surnames after marriage. Why are more people not taking this step at least. But wait oh,  Blue-Ivy knowles-Carter gets married to Pax Jolie-Pitt she will now become Blue-Ivy Knowles-Carter-Jolie-Pitt? (Are we seeing complications in this already?).  Anyways, I heard a few men on radio giving the reasons why they have gone down that route of taking their wife's surname. The most common one was that they didn't like their surname in the first place. When your surname is Ramsbottom or Hiscox or Pratt then change of name is almost expected of you, why not to your wife's soft name like Cottage or Humphreys. Other men unselfishly decided to take their  wife's surname on because she is from a house of daughters and someone needs to continue with the name. Warning to all reading, THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN IN AFRICA, NOT NOW, NOT EVER. (Forever ever? Forever ever!) So I continued thinking (impressive isn't it? ) of very exceptional cases in which it will be in a man best interest to take your wife's surname.  1. Your wife's name is Dangote or Gates or Murdoch. Don't think twice, change that surname.  2. If you are above 25 years of age and you have a Mohawk , you expect someone to take your surname? Please leave that your surname on the table and walk the other way.  3. If you have cornrows, you want to marry? Please just wear a pinafore, knee high socks and cortina, you are a primary school girl, surrender your surname immediately 4. You play x-box from morning to night while your wife goes to work, surname transplant for your ass.  5. You sag your jeans and wear your hat backwards. Need I say more?  I personally believe hyphenating surnames is a good and progressive way to an equal union. Let's start there and maybe evolve in the future. I am interested in hearing what men have to say about this. Please comment below and please don't throw shoes at me, I have odeshi.    

So “diet season” is in full swing , what’s your move?

"Are you on a diet?" is one of the most popular phrases in the English language. You look on social media and someone somewhere is trying to sell you a diet and workout plan. I open my Instagram and all the before and after photos make me want to jump on a treadmill immediately. This post is about diets I have tried, what has worked and what was a complete waste of money and effort.  There are so many diets out there it's unbelievable. I feel like I can make one up today "The see me I see you diet", as long as I have before and after photos and at least one follower (usually my sister) then I am in business.   My cousin swears by the cabbage soup diet where you eat just cabbage soup with carrots three times a day, if by cabbage you mean rice and by carrots you mean chicken then I am in ( but I think cabbage means cabbage, so I'll pass). Beyoncé made the syrup and lemon diet famous after admitting she does that before the red carpet. Just Syrup and lemon for 2 weeks 😳.  Ok Bey please don't come and rub me with your village problems  thank you very much.    The  Baby food diet (no comment ), juicing diet (I am hungry jor), paleo diet (if the title doesn't reflect what the diet entails then pls jog on), sailors diet (is this like fresh fish peppersoup diet?), raw food diet.. These are just a few famous ones that feel like they are out to end peoples lives.  The diets I have tried personally and can comment on are below.  Atkins diet  We all remember this one right? My mum bought the book around 2001/2002. I began to study it just out of curiosity because I didn't have a weight problem. Fast forward years later all my studying came to good use. I started doing a low carb Atkinish diet (I wasn't going to let jellof rice pass me by, Atkins kor Atkins ni). Let's just say that phase didn't last long, no bread, no rice, no pasta, no carbs at all? Who did this man think he was? Mshewww. I was even angry at myself for trying. On to the next jor. (You see how it brings back angry memories)  Forever living Cleanse 9    Next one forever living cleanse 9 diet or detox or whatever they are calling it now. First of all it is not realistic to loose the amount they claim in 9 days. But being one that was addicted to diets I said "yes please, take my money and don't say a word". Day 1 I was so gingered, I breezed past it. Day 2 My senses were so sharp,  I noticed I could smell unopened crisps from shops half a mile away, ah ah warris it, I was HUNGRY. Day 3 I gave up. The end. Weight loss zero kg and 3 vile Jerrycans  of Aloe Vera sitting by my bedside giving me dirty looks every night at bedtime (na you know....gheez) 5:2 diet    By this time you will think ok diets have kicked  her to the ground and stomped on her head too many times for her to fall for another one naw. NEVER! I am not a quitter. So I decided to buy the 5:2 fast diet book, I thought what's the worse that can happen. The 5:2 diet appealed to me because you can eat normally on five days and do a 600 calorie day on two days. I thought 5 days of Big Jellof rice and two days of small jellof rice, bring it on. This was a more realistic diet because you can do this long term and not miss or crave things. I managed to do it for a couple of weeks and I must admit I lost a little bit of weight. It was great while it lasted but the results were not fast enough for me. I wanted hard and fast results, I wanted my own before and after, I wanted abs that would set off metal detectors and fire alarms all round the country (is that not what we all want from diets?) so I moved on, nothing to see here pipo.  1200-a-day So I went back to the good ole 1200 calories a day boring diet that when  You start to tell someone about it they fall into a deep deep sleep that even a true loves kiss cannot even begin to resuscitate. To be honest this is what worked for me. There is a very simple formula to weigh loss Calories consumed should be less than Calories burned S H I K E N A. eat less and exercise more. Say it with me "eat less, exercise more". I eat 1200 calories on my day off from the gym and on gym days I can eat between 1500 and 1800 calories and go hard at the gym. I don't deprive myself of stuff. I will still have ice cream and popcorn once a week at the cinema and kinda have all my bad things on one day of the week. It works but it is not a fast method of losing weight, it's gradual and if consistent you will see results.  In my opinion diets don't work, you have to change something forever, either portions or completely cut out the biggest hitters. It has to be a permanent long term change. Learn how to eat and change bad habits, once you do that you are most of the way there really. Change something today and stop making diet sellers rich.  Ps. To purchase my "See me, I see you diet" send me a bank transfer of just £199. For the more extreme "silent crase" diet make that £399. Ok bye *off to go and price land in Lekki*  Wisdom of the day    

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