CupcakeDelect

I've come to realize, the hard way, that I've had and still have a lot of healing to do! Self Love is not an overnight thing *insert Percy Sledge song*. It takes time to reach a comfortable level of contentment with self. It's a journey; one of upward toil but one of positive growth. In our journey of Self Love, it is integral that we seek to know ourselves, accept who we are and live freely in our truth.  In seeking to know and embrace our truest selves, a process of self reflection and introspection helps. The trauma; experiences that we go through have fashioned us into the persons that we are today. Our personalities, our self esteem; the way we interact with others, our imposed standards, our expectations are all influenced by the way we see ourselves; by the way we think and feel about ourselves. It's 'human nature' to first be negative before positive and unappreciative before we see good, so in order to change our thinki...

I'm currently in the process of making plans for the new year and I was inspired to share my thoughts and to start a conversation on special causes & awareness, resolutions, goal setting, and creating a financial plan. This week is Crohns & Colitis Awareness Week. Spreading Awareness of these Diseases are important to me because a friend of mine who fought Crohns valiantly, died in 2016. Supporting the awareness helps me preserve and honour his memory. Joel Reginald Richard, you will always be an example of true tenacity and what it is to live a purpose-driven life regardless of life's burdens. I'm also inspired by Actor, Tyler James Williams'  (Chris from 'Everybody Hates Chris') story. He's a Crohns Survivor. #ManOfPower Joel Reginald Richard By Curtis H Photography | @heiscurtish Tyler James Williams by Sammy Roenfeldt | @sammyroenfeldt You can visit my Instagram Account @CupcakeDelect and check out my...

We have so much to be thankful for! Yes, "WE". You do, and I do! If you are alive and reading this, God has blessed you in a mighty way. Your being alive is a testimony to His power to protect, provide and keep His promises. It also means that He has given you additional time to live out His purpose in your life. All this is up to you because He has blessed you with the wonderful gift of choice. It's up to you to choose love over hate, to choose positivism over negativity and to choose faith over fear. It's really not an easy road. While we are choosing, we have the enemy to contend with. It's important that we remember that we can't overcome his obstacles alone. God is with us every step of the way,  with stretched out hands. Every decision for Him is an acceptance of His hand. The enemy's job is to drive a wedge between us and God and he's had years of studying us, under his belt. To keep the connection between us and God tight, we have to be devot...

I've been on an Inspiration high this year! It's been a habit of mine to continuously be seeking to learn, grow and live a fulfilling life with all the information that comes my way. I've actually been watching interviews and videos from entrepreneurs, people who have been successful in their careers and even people who have lots of experience with life and love. It's so easy to see the negative posts, comments, news reports, twitter feeds and shows. I believe that we must make it an active part of our day to screen out the unwanted and highlight the positive. By this, I don't mean to avoid the news and refrain from social media, I mean that you should decide what you allow to take up your time and to rule your mind. One way I do this is by ensuring that I follow pages, people and hashtags that only share positivism. Another way is by avoiding aimlessly scrolling for long periods of time. With eyes of discernment, I managed to surf the waves o...

During one of my monthly Personal Consecration Weeks, God guided me to resources that were aimed at refocusing my relationship with Him; refocusing my life in general. As prayer and scripture reading, even Google searching progressed, I quickly realised the importance of taking the time to evaluate my entire life! Come to think of it, this is the ideology I had when I first started My Personal Consecration Week! It is necessary to review your spirituality, your health, your weaknesses and strengths, your priorities, your financial decisions, your progress. #RenewMyMind came alive when I read Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right sprit within me." This scripture shined light on the need for my heart to be cleansed. I thought of ways in which, my heart, that is, my mind, would have strayed from God's plan and purpose for me. I also thought of belief systems and habits that needed realignment with His word. I learned that most times when ...

Sooo... I've been overworked. Have you ever been the driving force of a relationship? Have you been the one making the calls, setting the dates, sending the texts, posting the pics, starting the conversation, finding the time? Have you? Well Bih! My Creole! - You're pretty much ready to propose to yourself! Well... maybe not but dame! If that's you, then I bet you're probably as tired as I am. I'm sure you're super-duper-committed, with ride/die qualities and you're probably the one who'd fall head-over-heals in love and be willing to jump in St.Lucia's Soufriere - no questions asked - for the one you love. Any Love Doctor would say that that's a combination of sweet and messed up - border-line psychotic! So don't do that. ✋🏾 But yeah... I know you. I feel you. We're probably Soul-Ties. We should meet up shouldn't we? Anyway... This year I've made a personal pledge (well it's not so personal now) to be the chase...

So... It's been a while. I've had some time to think and It seems like I've known all along that there are somethings that I've already decided for myself. We sometimes play ourselves into believing that we can accept anything that the wind blows our way and that we don't mind compromising with our true selves. It's actually quite refreshing to reach a point of emotional self-awareness. I'm way over the school girl crush mentality; the doodling Xs and Os and counting kids routine. I'm over worrying about people who are not treating me right. I'm over places that I don't feel comfortable in. I'm over all things that are not feeding my spirit. Positivity and enlightenment are watchwords that help purge my soul. Refreshing Reminders:   Learn - Take time to truly know yourself. Learn to love yourself; your pet-peeves and your passions. Know that your time is important; make everything you do worthwhile.  You don't always need t...

The Island Girl Adventures Series seeks to capture the raw, unadulterated beauty of Trinidad and Tobago; the side that's not usually promoted or regularly spoken of; the hidden but desirable gems of the islands. Through it's people, amazing talent can be found once you're willing to search, and once you understand the importance of every day, humble citizens . On the smaller of the islands, you may know of the various art forms of dance (folk) and music (soca, calypso) but do you know that Tobago is blooming with creative visual artists? Artists that are passionate and successful at their handiwork? Conversations With The Execs: Chris Thomas & Latoyaa Roberts We recently caught up with the executive of the Tobago Visual Arts Association (TVAA) at their first event for the year, 'Art on The Beach' at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park. We had the wonderful pleasure of speaking to the current president, Chris Thomas, who is also a Visual Art...

CupcakeDelect welcomes every opportunity for the expression of freedom, movement and creativity! In today's post, Kyeal is our muse; our #MCM. He loves his Natural hair and he's always open to trying new products and styles. He wanted to try the twists and was even more interested in the Senegalese twisting technique. He was also intrigued by the fact that the life of the style can be extended by untwisting the twists and wearing a twist out. Check out the Video below for an insider view of our fun time! Feel Free to dance along with Kyea!   Info We Know You'll Find Handy: Products/Items Used All the products are Kyeal's Spray Bottle of Warm Water (For Hydration)  Tea Tree Oil (The brand he used is actually an oil blend that includes Tea Tree Oil as an ingredient). It was used to oil his scalp before styling. Aunt Jackie's Quench! This is a "Moisture Intensive Leave-In Conditioner" African Pride Shea Butter Miracle. This was the...

If you've been with CupcakeDelect since 2012, you'll know that the act of changing ones hair colour unlocks the portal to a world of creativity and inspiration over here! We're at it again, and with the same amount of love, care and kaleidoscope power that we're known for. Meet Jael. Jael is one of our Be Inspired Club Members with a love for her natural hair and a desire to insight change in the minds of those who are on the fence when it comes to dying their natural hair. Jael wanted an auburn, fire - red change. With her willingness and lofty head of virgin hair we set out to accomplish the awesomeness! The following is the electric video of how we achieved her fire beauty and the fun Jael had doing so. Info We Know You'll Find Handy: Auburn Day 1 Dark & Lovely: Fade Resist - Vivacious Red (Back of Head) No. 394 Garnier - True Red (Front of Head) Petroleum Jelly (Applied to the perimeter of her head to prevent skin from changing colou...

International Women's Day started in 1975; the International Women's Year, when the United Nations saw it fit to celebrate women; their rights and world peace. In 1977, March 8th was set to be the special, celebratory and awareness day. Fast-forward to 2017, we all, men and women alike, can see the strides women have made and the lengths and passions far-reaching that are yet to be accomplished. Here on the twin Island of Trinidad and Tobago we've experience the power, elegance, tenacity and vigor of our women. Leadership, politics, motherhood, entertainment, all of the above and much more; our women have been the spice of our culture adding sweetness at every corner, despite set ups and setbacks. A woman's strength is synonymous to that of a strong and sturdy wall that the world is placed on. If this walls is constantly being chipped away from it's foundation, little by little the wall that once bore the weight of the world would crumble. If this wall is preser...