Beauty Box | #ReadyFace With Clean & Clear Foaming Face Wash

There is a famous social experiment where people are asked, what advice would you give your younger self.  Things you wish you could tell your younger self if you had a chance to. 

There are so many things I would like to tell young Amena, teen Amena. Things I wish I could have done differently. Followed some advice instead of being a know-it-all. 

While I cannot turn back time, I can learn from the past and make the changes for a better future.

Part of growing up is, experiencing the growing pains. Especially, if you are a teen girl facing every teen’s worst nightmare- oily skin and pimples.

Teenage years were not my best years. Especially if you have spent a good part of your teen years finding solutions to control your face from secreting oil and stopping pesky pimples from showing up every few days. Over the years I have learnt to manage my skin better.

Unlike loads of other women, I was not fortunate enough to leave my oily skin behind in my teens. It followed me into my 20s. 

From mudpack, to fancy face scrubs to crazy diets, I tried it all. Some worked, others failed miserably. But none offered a long-term solution.

Living with oily skin my entire life, I finally found a way to manage it. Along with a healthy lifestyle, the key is to invest in a right face wash. In my case, oil-free is the way to go.

When Clean & Clear approached me to be a part of their #ReadyFace campaign I was more than happy to be on board. Not only is it associated with a product that is ideal for my kind of oily skin but it also encourages teen girls to have the confidence to look in the mirror and be happy with what they see.

The best part about Clean & Clear's Foaming Face Wash is, it’s oil-free. Not only does it help control pimples, oily shine and blackheads but it also reduces them by a large extent. Plus, unlike other oil-free face washes, this one does not dry the skin while removing oil and dust.

The most visible difference that I have found is, ever since I started using the foaming face wash I am able to use liquid base makeup. Before, the idea of that was dreadful. Due to oily skin no liquid base makeup would last on my face for beyond 2 hours. And if I had to step out into the sun, my makeup would literally melt away. 

That is not the case anymore.

Unlike my teen years, now I only get pimples during my periods. While I still get them, after using the foaming face wash the number is reduced to a large extent.

One of the biggest mistakes I used to make in my teens was, wash my face vigorously many times a day to help reduce the oiliness. That does more long-term damage than good. 
I use the foaming face wash twice or maximum three times a day without the need to constantly blot my face for oil residue. 

In an over sharing, selfie obsessed world a good product along with a great campaign is the need of the hour. I have always admired this quality of Clean & Clear. They don’t just create a good product, but they also create a healthy and positive ideology with it. 

The Ready Face campaign is just that. It encourages young women to be comfortable in their skin. Upon glancing in a mirror, they don’t need to be intimidated by their own reflection.The foaming face wash helps them achieve that and gives them the confidence to be who they are.

Unlike my teen years, now when I look in the mirror, it is no more to check for uninvited pimples or oily shine on my face. Neither is looking in the mirror a necessity or a cause for panic. In fact, I enjoy looking at myself in the mirror and my ready face gives me the confidence to face the world head on.

In today’s technology driven era, there are multiple beautification modes and filters to help you cover up your blemishes and make you look great in the virtual world. However, we live in the real world and for that we need the right product and attitude to put our ready face forward.

Photography by Suraj Warrier 

Till then, tra-la,

    Amena!!
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From Body Shaming To Body Positive!

“To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.” - Simone de Beauvoir

A new year is a sign of new things. As the famous saying goes, out with the old, in with the new! Though 2016 is a promise of all things new, by no means am I unlearning my past lessons. 

2015 is the year my journey from body shaming to body positive was complete. As a plus size fashion blogger I have learnt a lot of things and I am taking those teachings along with me to promising 2016.

Done with Shame!

2015 is when I, finally, once and for all, broke up with shame. For far too long I had given it way too much importance in my life. From my body to my relationship status to my personality and lifestyle choices, everything was open to shame.

Well-wishers and random strangers, both, could at any given time pick a topic of their choice and find ways to shame me with it while I pretended it was not me they were doing it to. 

I pretty much let everyone around me shame me. Worse, I shamed myself too!

After years of letting shame win, I decided it was time to go our own way and call it quits for good. 

The problem is, we let people dictate what is right and wrong for us and in the process hate on who we are and what we already have. The whole world has body shamed me for being fat. Guess what, I shamed myself more. Everyone I know has at some point shamed me for my unconventional career choices. I did it too. Same goes for love life, marriage, eating habits, and so on. It all ends now! Instead of blaming the world I decided to stop their control over me. 

I am done with shame! You can’t shame me anymore. You can try, but I promise you, you won’t succeed!

Peace With Myself

Carl Jung said, “The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.”

After years of shame and denial I have finally learnt to accept myself for who I really am and be proud of it. We all cannot be the same so there is no point trying to. 

The biggest game changer for me was making peace with being fat. 

I stopped treating fat as an abusive word and started seeing it for what it is - an adjective that describes me and not defines me. A descriptive word rather than a derogative term.

I shamed myself for being fat. For not being able to lose weight like others and for not hating myself enough for being fat. It was a paradox. I hated being fat but I somehow still loved myself. 

I finally made peace with being fat. I stopped letting it control me. More importantly, I stopped letting people use it as a way to shame me. 

For me, fat describes my physical characteristic just like single describes my relation status and fair describes my complexion. It is neither more nor less. Fat is just an adjective and we need to stop seeing it as a bad word and using it in a pejorative manner.

I am not ashamed of being called fat, anymore! This has been one of my life’s biggest achievements and also made me a fierce body positive advocate. 

Step Out Of Comfort Zone

2015 is when I changed my outlook about some of the most important things in my life. 

For the longest time I wanted to be thin. Then it was all about losing weight. Now my goal is being fit and healthy. That is what I want to achieve.

If getting fit means that I will still have to shop in the plus size section, then I am okay with it. If it means never having a flat stomach, always having some amount of cellulite and random stretch marks here and there, I am fine with that too. 

Being comfortable in my fat body was a new and liberating thing for me. If I am okay with it, then no one else should care. 

When I started fashion blogging I almost drove myself insane with insecurities. I eventually learnt that being fat and fashionable are not mutually exclusive. You can be size 2 and not have a sense of style and you can be a size 22 and have impeccable taste.

This has been a major learning experience as a blogger. Blogging introduced me to amazing plus size fashion bloggers and body positive advocates who are unabashed and unapologetic about who they are. They inspired me to push aside my insecurities and be proud of who I am.
From experimenting with my personal style to trying new authors, different cuisines and giving online dating a try, I am not afraid to step out of my comfort zone and try new things.

Wing It Like Adele

It started off as a very achievable 2016 resolution. Something I could achieve and be proud of.

The goal was to be able to do winged eyeliner just like Adele. Simple.

What started out as an easy to attain resolution gradually evolved into something far more that just an eyeliner application technique. It became an attitude inspired by Adele and the way she has defied all odds, broken stereotypes and accomplished what very few can. By doing so she shut-up haters and showed women around the world that your body size has nothing to do with your talent or success. With her achievements Adele broke an unbreakable glass ceiling.

In an industry that thrives on skinny, Adele blew everyone away with her larger than life talent. She showed that if you have it in you then no amount of social stereotypes and beauty standards can stop you. With her modest styling, her curvy body and powerhouse voice she moved away all the clutter of glitter and gyrating dance steps and showed the world that talent is not size specific.
I am all set to wing it like Adele: eyeliner and attitude.

#MorePlusForUs

In a world that loves to hate and mock all things fat, being a plus size woman is not easy - Especially in the fashion world. 

For the longest time society has treated plus size people as social pariahs. 

However, now with the rise of body positive and plus size movements across the globe, it gives me and every curvy, chubby and plus size woman and man hope. 

#MorePlusForUs is my way of to asking for more plus size representation, availability of more plus size fashion and respect for what plus size bloggers do. It is challenging, but we love it and do it nonetheless.

Amidst all the clothing size availability limitations, body-shaming comments, crude jokes and random strangers asking us to eat less and workout more, we still do what we love. 

For far too long society has fat shamed people and made them feel less than equal. I have faced it too. 
One of my biggest goals for 2016 is to be more vocal about body and fat shaming and encourage people to join the body positive movement and celebrate people of all shapes and sizes.

I struggled with body issues my entire life. This has led to more harm than good. Therefore, it was time for me say goodbye to my body issues and insecurities and be happy the way I am.

The beauty standards are changing and as plus size fashion blogger in Mumbai I am going to do my best to contribute to the global body positive movement.

Somewhere between the business side of blogging and competition I lost my real purpose of blogging - It was to give myself a voice. To connect with like-minded people. I am blessed to have made my blog into a successful business along the way. 

However, I now want to go back to the roots. Be more vocal and less politically correct. To freely talk about things that I was once afraid, even ashamed to mention. More importantly, be true to who I really am.

Global Desi Printed Dress | AND Tunic | Fusion Beats Printed Palazzo | Marks & Spencer Clutch | Anouk Silver Necklace | Van Heusen Beige Wedges | Lakmé Absolute Sculpt Collection Pink Me Up | Loreal Paris Superliner Waterproof Gel Eyeliner |Smashbox Full Exposure Waterproof Mascara

Photography by Suraj Warrier

Till then, tra-la,

    Amena!!
Connect With Fashionopolis on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin' & Subscribe

Instagram: @fashionopolis.in
email me- a.fashionopolis@gmail.com