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Her Weekend, Her Way: Makini Regal Martin’s Self-Care Non-Negotiables
As a part of our Friday Nights, Saturday Mornings feature, we're talking to some of our favorite boss ladies about their weekends, their way. How do they relax, recharge and refuel? As we all know, life shouldn't be all about work. It's what we do beyond business and career that help keep us motivated and able to dominate for the week ahead.
Say hello to event designer and lifestyle influencer Makini Regal Martin of Makini Regal Designs. Known for her luxurious decor and impeccable personal style, Makini opens us about why recharging is critical in her world, how she manages her many roles as a wife, mother, and businesswoman - and why therapy is a non-negotiable part of her self-care.
Courtesy of Makini Regal Martin
"I have to make sure that I have enough fuel to pour back into my business after attending to family needs is something I am continuously working on."
Makini’s biggest business challenge:
"Managing my roles and responsibilities are [some] of my biggest business challenges. As a new mom and semi-new wife, making sure that I carve out time for my family is a priority. Also, running the business I started prior to being married and being a mother is just as important to me. I have to make sure that I have enough fuel to pour back into my business after attending to family needs is something I am continuously working on."
How she spends her Friday nights:
"Friday nights has become a day I dedicate to myself. What gives me that recharge and what I need is to spend time with the people who know me best which are my girlfriends. That's usually a night where we catch up, have dinner, and have a glass of wine. Sometimes we incorporate some of our fitness and health activities - like going to a yoga or meditation class."
How she powers up on Saturday Mornings:
"Once my daughter is down, that's typically the time that I can spend checking emails, working on design plans and making sure that the administrative part of my business is addressed. I make sure that even despite some of my work responsibilities on Saturdays, I still do something that is enjoyable for me - whether it's watching a movie with my husband, journaling or meditating."
Courtesy of Makini Regal Martin
Her ideal girls' night:
"Since the new year has hit, I make sure that I'm keeping up with resolutions and doing the things that bring me joy and energy that I need to address other areas of my life. For us, that means a lot of health-related activities. We like yoga, meditation, or even spa days. We make sure to fit in a massage or facial. Even though it sounds superficial - when you feel and look good, you perform better. You're able to be more present in other areas of your life."
Makini’s favorite NYC restaurants:
"Sugarcane (Park Slope, Brooklyn), Champs (Williamsburg), Peaches (Bedstuy), Beso."
Why recharging on the weekend is necessary:
"It's given me a sense of purpose. It's forced me to make sure that I'm really listening to myself and my body. It's also forced me to check in with myself mentally and make sure that I'm in a sound place in order to be able to perform in my many roles and responsibilities.
"Attending to my needs has made me more productive in running my business. It's made me more present when I'm focusing on being a mom or being a wife. Without a doubt, those things go hand in hand. You have to prioritize your needs and self-care despite how busy your schedule is to make sure that you are addressing you."
Courtesy of Makini Regal Martin
"Attending to my needs has made me more productive in running my business. It's made me more present when I'm focusing on being a mom or being a wife."
On the power of therapy:
"Part of my personal self-care journey also includes therapy. Therapy is not as taboo as it used to be, especially in our community. It's still something that I think a lot of Black women should utilize. Prior to giving birth to my daughter, I made sure that I entered into motherhood with that extra support of a therapist that I see weekly. It gives me that safe space to process my thoughts. It gives me the support that I need when life is a bit difficult. I did a lot of research to find a practitioner that would work well for me. I have a Black woman therapist. I've had therapists before and most of them were men or White. For me to have another Black woman as a therapist has been a bonus."
To check out Makini's work and learn more about her life as a lifestyle influencer, designer, wife, and mother - visit her IG @makiniregal @makiniregaldesigns
Featured image courtesy of Makini Regal Martin
Originally published on July 5, 2019
Rana Campbell is a Princeton University graduate, storyteller, content marketing strategist, and the founder and host of Dreams In Drive - a weekly podcast that teaches you how to take your dreams from PARK to DRIVE. She loves teaching others how to use their life stories to inspire action within oneself and others. Connect with her on Instagram @rainshineluv or @dreamsindrive.
How This New Bond Repair Line Transformed One Mother's Postpartum Shedding Into The Ultimate Curl Comeback
This article is in partnership with SheaMoisture
For Crystal Obasanya, her wash day woes came shortly after her son did. The beauty and lifestyle content creator had been natural for years, but during postpartum, she quickly learned about one reality many mothers can relate to experiencing: postpartum hair loss. “Sis had thinning hair. Sis had split ends,” she shared about her hair changes in a Reel via xoNecole.
Over a year into her postpartum journey, Crystal explained she also had dry, brittle hair, noting that keeping it hydrated before pregnancy had already been “a task.” The 4C natural recalled going from thick hair during pregnancy to a thin hairline due to postpartum shedding as “devastating.” When it came to strengthening and revitalizing her hair, the new SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection was just the thing she needed to elevate her damaged coils to revive and thrive status and get them poppin' again.
SheaMoisture is providing us with the cheat code for transforming dry and damaged strands into thriving and deeply nourished crowns. By unveiling their 4-step hair system, the SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection is equipping you with the tools to reverse signs of hair damage caused by protective styling, heat, and color and is uniquely formulated for Type 3 and 4 hair textures.
The haircare system revives damaged natural hair by repairing and rebuilding broken hair bonds through a game-changing combination of HydroPlex Technology and AminoBlend Complex, a unique blend of fortifying amino acids formulated specifically for curly and coily hair. Scientifically proven to reduce breakage by 84% and make your hair six times stronger (vs. non-conditioning shampoo), the collection infuses your hair with the nourishment it craves and the strength it deserves.
All five products of the SheaMoisture Bond Collection are infused with natural strengthening ingredients like Amla Oil and fair-trade shea butter. The collection consists of the 4-step breakage-fighting Bond Repair system, as well as the Bonding Oil.
“When trying it out, I quickly noticed that my hair felt revived and renewed, and my curls were so hydrated,” Crystal said while using the Amla-infused Bond Repair Leave-In Conditioner. “I also felt my hair strands were stronger.” So much so that the influencer felt brave enough to get her hair braided shortly thereafter. “I can definitely say that I will be keeping it in my hair wash routine,” she added in the caption of her Reel about her positive experience using the products.
SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection is making bond-building a key player in your wash day routines and the purveyor of life for thirsty manes. Because who doesn't want stronger, shinier, happier hair?
Step One: Bond Repair Collection Shampoo
Rejuvenate your hair with SheaMoisture Bond Repair Shampoo, your go-to solution for luscious locks. Packed with hella hydration power, this shampoo adds moisture by 60% while removing buildup without stripping your strands. This shampoo gently cleanses impurities while significantly enhancing shine, smoothness, and softness.
The Bond Repair Collection Shampoo is the first step in the 4-step Bond Repair system, all of which are powered by the uniquely formulated AminoBlend, and HydroPlex, SheaMoisture’s technology that rebuilds hair strength at its core.
Step Two: Bond Repair Collection Conditioner
Tailored to repair styling damage, this creamy conditioner locks in 12x more moisture than standard non-conditioning shampoos, boosting damaged hair strength by 1.5x with significantly less breakage. The creamy SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection Conditioner deeply hydrates, enhances manageability, and leaves your hair looking healthier and shinier.
Step Three: Bond Repair Collection Masque
This Ultra Moisturizing reparative masque is a moisture-rich game-changer for those dealing with the aftermath of hair damage caused by styling. The SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection Masque delivers 13 times more moisture compared to non-conditioning shampoos, ensuring your hair feels nourished and soft. Designed to repair and rejuvenate, this masque significantly strengthens damaged hair — making it twice as strong while reducing breakage.
Step Four: Bond Repair Collection Leave-In Conditioner
Elevate your curl game with SheaMoisture’s Bond Repair Collection Leave-In Conditioner. Lightweight and hydrating, the Bond Repair Leave-In Conditioner provides 12x more moisture than non-conditioning shampoos and tames frizz with 24-hour humidity control. Designed to define curls and coils, the leave-in conditioner enhances softness and shine allowing you to detangle effortlessly.
Bonding Oil
The SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection Bonding Oil is a multitasking all-in-one formula that acts as a heat protectant and provides the hair with moisture, strength, shine, damage protection, and intense nourishment. This lightweight oil not only offers 24-hour frizz and humidity control but also fortifies your tresses, making them up to 5 times stronger with significantly less breakage.
Featured image courtesy
Tailor-Made Tracee: How To Improve Your Everyday Style Like An Icon In The Making
A style icon before it was thrown around mercilessly, a society IT girl well before Gossip Girl made it famous, and arguably one of the funniest women on the small and large screen. A woman with the unparalleled fashion appeal of Capote’s famed Swans and the fierceness of a socialite beyond fashion like Bianca Jagger (a family friend, of course). Yet, her lexicon of looks remains modern and fresh, a nod to the way fashion was consumed during her emerging years.
The icon started young as a model for houses like Mugler, in a time when fashion was deeply personal and intentional. Fashion of the 80s and 90s was built on core components of structure, lines, and silhouette. Tracee Ellis Ross experienced all of this firsthand in her formative years, and it showed in her style. It’s one of the many ways she maintains a level of relatability, especially in a saturated sea of superficial styles. The way Tracee charges everything in her life, especially fashion, with a breath of her spirit is remarkable, courageous, and inspiring. (So much so that Roku decided to build an entire television show around Tracee being Tracee, which is set to air in 2025).
Even though she shares a stylist with fellow uber-celebrity like Hailey Beiber, that doesn’t overshadow her taste and aesthetic. The purveyor of fashion exposition, Tracee has stylized her wardrobe much like her life: intentional, fun, and rooted in her. Despite the need for Gen Z to create brand aesthetics behind every look, Tracee’s street style cannot be boxed in or labeled. It borrows from each genre and era, meticulously put together with the threads of a tried and true style purveyor.
TheStewartofNY/GC Images
Be Intentional
If nothing else, Tracee has a clear intention behind every look, even the most casual-seeming. Behind each incredible vintage accessory and rare sneaker, there is a level of Tracee in it. A story, a feeling, an aspect of the design that speaks to Tracee’s personality. That very intention makes her style so relatable, especially in today’s society, where one of the most valuable forms of currency is relatability. A celebrity rarely possesses that, much less the child of an A-list celebrity.
Gotham/GC Images
Make It Enjoyable
No matter what you do, always make it enjoyable. The founding concept of personal style is just that: style that inspires you. There’s an internal happiness that glows from within Tracee, and it is easily translated into her wardrobe. Each trend she incorporates or emerging designer that she wears is a nod to her enjoyment of fashion. Her style feels as though it’s not taken too seriously, with sacrificing the cohesiveness. There’s a story being told, whether that’s playful or businesswoman or beach babe. Her style feels good to watch, a very rare thing nowadays.
You Are The Best Accessory
At the end of the day, an outfit is entirely dependent on the wearer. No price point, TikTok trend, or Vogue stamp of approval can overshadow personal taste. This is something Traceee understands deeply, and the primary reason for her fashion transcendence over the years. Even her most casual of street looks put glossy editorials to shame. She has a keen self-awareness of her style and what she feels good in, that no matter what, she will also be her best accessory.
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Featured image by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images