Forbes.com names Eunice Cofie as one of the Youngest Power Women In Africa

Forbes.com recently named our Founder, Eunice Cofie, as one of the 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa. Check out the article by clicking here.

Congratulations Eunice, we are so proud of you!!!!

Three Reasons Why Ethnic Skin Care is Unique

Learn why ethnic skin is unique by clicking here:

http://www.futurederm.com/2012/10/23/three-reasons-why-ethnic-skin-care-is-unique/

Why Self-care is so Important

This weekend I was sharing with my best friend how I need to get back to taking care of myself like I used to. Somehow in the past few months, I fell into the hustle and bustle of working on stuff for my company that I forgot about me. I just get so excited about the launch of my company that I lose myself in what I love doing the most which is providing my customers with great products and educating them on how to take care of their skin. After recently noticing myself feeling fatigued, running on few hours of sleep and lacking proper nutrition, I told myself I could no longer sabotage myself in this way. Something had to change! When you don't care of yourself it shows up in your body through little headaches, in poor effort with your work assignments, or in how well you deal with others. Making your personal maintenance a priority will add vitality to your life. Self-care is way more than just getting a manicure or pedicure but it is holistic. It includes the well-being of your mind, body and spirit. How can you take care of others if you can not adequate care for yourself? Below are a few tips to get you started on your journey: 

1. Spend time in prayer and meditation.

Prayer and meditation are so important to my my over-all health. It is an opportunity for me to talk to God about my hopes, my dreams, and my problems. It is also an time for me to listen to Him for directions and instructions for my day. It brings peace to my mind and my day goes a lot better when I connect with God. Take 15 minutes day to pray to God. A list of prayer points can help keep you on track during intimate time with him. Meditate in God's Word and find scriptures that can enlighten you on how to handle your current life situations. 

2. Make a list of what makes you happy. 
A good friend left a post on Facebook this morning concerning how we have to create a list of things that make us happy and then make it our intention to incorporate these things in our lives. For me, I love hanging out with my best friends. So I have decided to make an effort to travel to visit them at least once year or maybe even plan a girl's weekend trip. One friend of mine takes mental health days from work. So, go at it with your list and add in a monthly facial, a weekly maid service, or preparing nutritious meals for the week.  

MCTMD Wednesday Book Review: The Principles and Power of Vision

Why do you exist? What is your purpose? Do you have a vision for your life? Are you fulfilling your potential? One of my favorite books is The Principles and Power of Vision by Dr. Myles Munroe. I purchased this book as a college student to help me in finding my purpose and to also develop a clear vision for my life. This book has been so instrumental to my success that I still pick it up today to keep me on course. The author, Dr. Myles Munroe, believes the greatest gift that God ever gave humanity is vision. He also states "the most important thing we can find out about ourselves is the purpose for our existence". Knowing why we exist is crucial to living a fulfilling and purposeful life. 

The book is divided into 15 chapters and 12 of those chapters detail the principles of discovering your life's vision. Of the 12 chapters my favorite principle is "Develop a Concrete Plan for Your Vision". It's amazing how we can have goals and dreams but lack a plan on how to accomplish them. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. In this particular chapter, I learned these key points:

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Ask the Cosmetic Chemist

Do you have a pressing beauty question about this topic? Help me make my blog more practical and relevant to you. You now leave me a voicemail with your question or comment.

Guidelines:

1. State your first and last name and where you are calling from.
2. Keep your question brief.
3. Please only ask one question per voicemail (but leave as many voicemails as you like). You can click the Send Voicemail button on the right of the blog to leave a message. 

Moving Closer to My Dreams Wednesdays

You never know how your dreams will be enlivened…

I was inspired a few weeks ago to post this by one of my leading lady friends  to serve as a reminder of what is and continues manifest when we trust God to fulfill our dreams! I founded and produced the Moving Closer to My Dreams Conference a few years ago for young women who are going through their quarter-life crisis and trying to find their way in this world to become a leading lady.

The Story Behind Moving Closer to My Dreams

 My conception of “The Moving Closer to My Dreams” Conference (MCTMD) began when I reflected over the words to a song called “Closer” by the music artist Goapele.  In the song, Goapele talks about feeling stuck in life and being anxious about the possibility of never getting past where she is in her life. To her, this stagnation felt like it was never going to change. But despite all of her insecurities and fears, she decided not to walk away. Her decision to confront the barrier of fear unlocked a deeper sense of direction. She let go of her insecurities and left them all behind her. With everything in her, she recognized her potential and used it to propel her to go higher and higher, moving closer to her dreams. 

This song resonated with me because I was where many young women in their twenties and early thirties find themselves. I went through the dreaded “Quarter-Life Crisis”. I contemplated my identity and who I wanted to become. This season is completely normal because we are challenged to reach beyond ourselves to other like-minded people: other dreamers who have found the strength to move to the next level of influence. When we self-evaluate, during “Quarter-Life Crisis”, we know we have the capacity to make a positive impact in this world. It is just hard to figure out where to start the journey, And even though we possess all of these attributes, we still must grapple with our fears of who we are, who we will become, and what lies ahead in our future.

Why Your Toothpaste May Be Causing Your Acne?

Like me, I am sure you have used toothpaste as a quick fix for treating acne. But did you know toothpaste can actually cause acne? 

Well, perioral dermatitis or sometimes called periorificial dermatitis is a condition in which acne papules are formed around the mouth and/or chin caused by an allergic reaction to the flavorings found in toothpaste such as mint (i.e. peppermint, spearmint) and cinnamon (i.e. cinnamic aldehyde), tartar control toothpaste or sodium lauryl sulfate, a toothpaste cleansing agent. The condition can also be caused by topical corticosteroids, topical fluorinated steroids, or inhaled steroids.

Girl Scouts: It’s Your Business—Run It!

Recently, the Girl Scouts of America traveled down from New York to film me in my lab in Tallahassee, Florida for their national initiative: "It's Your Business-Run It!". In the video, I talk about my path in taking my passion for science and entrepreneurship to establish Nuekie. I am a firm believer in the importance of following your dreams. When you are pursuing your God-given passions you are able to empower others to live in their greatness. It was such an exciting shoot and I want to give a special thanks to the Girl Scouts of America and the filmmaker and my new friend, Carolina Méndez Sampayo.

Here is the final video. I hope this video inspires you and please feel free to pass it along to those who need a little encouragement and inspiration.

Clear Skin Challenge Week #1

This is our first week of the Clear Skin Challenge. If you haven't already you should read up on what this challenge is about and the tools you will need to get started here. Each week, I will post an assignment you will have to complete for the challenge.

Week One Assignment

1. Get out your journal and write three things you like about your skin and then list three goals you would like to achieve during this challenge. Make sure you will making goals which are achievable. Here are a few examples of goals for the challenge:

What is my skin type?

Great skin begins with knowing your skin type. Knowing your skin type will help you to determine what skin care regimen is right for you. It wasn't until I took the time to get to know my skin that I was able care for it properly. The major skin types are normal, combination, dry and oily. You can use the blotting test, to discover your skin type.   
        

Here are the tools you will need:

1. Cleanser for normal skin or Facial cleansing soap

2. Lukewarm water

3. Clean Towel

4. Tissue or Blotting Paper

First, wash your face with a cleanser or facial cleansing soap. Second, rinse your face with lukewarm water and dry with a clean towel. Then wait for one hour. Next, take your blotting paper or tissue and blot your face.

Look at your tissue to see if you have one the following skin types:   

Are you ready to have clear and healthy skin? Join the Clear Skin Challenge

Are you ready to have clear and healthy skin?  Well, I have designed the Clear Skin Challenge to empower you to understand the skin you are in and create a skin care regimen that will help to achieve beautiful skin. Each week, I will post a lesson with tips and tricks for you to do at home.

Here is what you will need to get started:

1. Journal - You will use this to document your journey to beautiful skin. Each week you will write about your progress and your feelings about your skin. This will give you an opportunity to explore what works and doesn't work for your skin. 

2. Digital Camera/Camera Phone - You will use this to take pictures of your skin throughout the challenge to visually document your progress. 

Welcome to the Nuekie blog!

Eunice Cofie
President and Chief Cosmetic Chemist

Growing up, I was made to feel like I was not beautiful because of my dark skin color and tightly coiled hair. I was often picked on by my peers. I remember crying endlessly as I was being called names like "black", "African booty scratcher", or "nappy head".  The bullying did not just stop at words but it became physical. Girls would take turns pulling on my hair. I even remember one guy spitting on my hair. The constant teasing and bullying damaged my self-esteem.

My saving grace was my father’s encouragement for me to pursue an understanding of science which shifted my focus. In the first grade, my father entered me into my first school science fair. My father would spend countless hours teaching me how to develop my science fair project. The hard work that I put into my science fair project paid off when I won first place in the school science fair. From that moment, I began to gain confidence in myself. What I understood from that experience was that I may not have been viewed as the prettiest girl in the room but I knew that I could be the smartest girl in the room. Science had become my oasis and my strength. It became my love.

On being honored by the World Economic Forum as a 2012 Young Global Leader

This week I was humbled to be honored by the World Economic Forum as a 2012 Young Global Leader. The honor, bestowed each year by the Forum, recognizes up to 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. Past YGLs include Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, Facebook; Larry Page, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Google; and David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.