MARCH 2021 $102 RETAIL VALUE
Mood Making
101
On Being the Strong Friend When You're Not Feeling the Best
Inspiring Quotes
BY 20 BADASS BLACK WOMEN
THROWBACK QUEENS OF R&B AND RAP
Playlist
IN KAMALA WE TRUST
s She’ Lit EDITION
Inside the
SHE’S LIT P
rotect Black women. Honor Black women. Love Black women. We've saved democracy time and time again, stood on the front lines against racism, and given a voice to the voiceless. Women’s History Month wouldn’t be possible without our contributions. March is all about Black girl solidarity. We all we got! As we fight for gender and racial equity, it is imperative that we pour into one another. Inside this She’s Lit edition, we’ve packaged items to affirm, restore, and empower. This month, we call on you to support women-owned brands, initiatives, and organizations. Make time to mentor the next generation of girls in charge. Cheers to another month of beauty, evolution, and innovation in women-dominated spaces.
Stay Strapped Belt Purse, $30 (1 OF 6 COLORS)
Hello functional and fashionable! Say goodbye to your clunky bag. This 45-inch belt purse with a removable chain strap gives you just enough space to tuck away your favorite compact items. Wear it belted around your waist or with the chain across your shoulder. Cute either way! Made from 100% PU leather. Available in six gorgeous colors: Black, Camel, Navy, Olive, Red and Coral.
Wear it two ways! Purse comes with a belt for around the waist or a chain for over the shoulder.
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MARCH 2021 We Promise You: 5-6 Items at an $85 value
This month’s value:
$102
Inner Talk: Post-It Notes to Self, $20 (1 OF 2 PACKS; 60 NOTES)
Words do matter. In fact, they are key in manifesting your future. These Notes to Self post-it notes will move you in the right direction. Write yourself love notes or friendly motivational reminders.
It’s Lit Book Light, $12 (1 OF 2 COLORS) Love late-night reading? Light it up! The It's Lit book light is a handy companion when you need just enough light to study or cozy up to your favorite book. Comes with a white USB cable for convenient charging. Colors: Black or White.
Must Be the Melanin Tee, $25
Being a Black girl is the ultimate FLEX. Why is that? Melanin is a precious asset that some want to bottle up to sell it in stores. We’re born trendsetters. This brown tee compliments every shade of US. We already know you'll wear it well! Made with 100% cotton.
Black Girl (un)MASK(ed), $15 (1 OF 2 PACK OF 10, MULTIPLE DESIGNS)
Masks are the most important accessory nowadays. They’re essential, so you might as well look cute while you stay healthy, right? The Black Girl (un)MASK(ed) facial coverings are one of the hottest items on our site right now. The demand is high and we keep selling out, but we set one aside for our Brown Sugar Babes! You'll get a pack of 10 with 5 designs: Geometric Goddess, Tribal Treasures, Motherland Magic, Melanin Goddess, or Culture, Confidence, Soul.
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Mood Making
By Saeeda Ruffin
L
ife happens, and when it does, you may find yourself kind of deep in your feelings. There are times when you just feel less than wonderful and need a bit of an attitude or outlook adjustment. Queens go through sometimes, too. You feeling this, Boo? The thing to remember is that while it is alright to hit a bump, you don’t want to stay down or let that bump derail your life and intentions. If you feel that happening, Sis, get yourself back right with the quickness! Let the Izzy and Liv masterclass on creating a positive mood help you to refocus and pull your spirits all the way up. Welcome to Mood Making 101...
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MARCH 2021
Listen
Turn that thing around with the right tunes. Music soothes the soul and can melt away stress and anything that puts you in a funk. It’s almost like magic, for real. Sis, you don’t need a whole bunch of people. You can get lit all by yourself! These four favorite songs will have you jammin’ and squashing any negativity that comes your way: • Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder • Run The World (Girls) by Beyonce • I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor • I’m Every Woman by Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston
Watch
Plant seeds of success in your own mind. Watch as the sistas in these four movies win, win, and win some more. Yes, they go through some tough spots along the way. But, they don’t stop, and neither will you. These films will put a warm feeling in your heart and a smile on your face. Sis, go on and use your Izzy and Liv diary to take a few notes (to reflect on later) as you feast on these cinematic gems: • • • •
Queen of Katwe Hidden Figures Sarafina! Sylvie’s Love
Read
Build yourself up by grabbing a hold of a great book. These four books could be instrumental in bringing things into perspective in your life with their positive and mind-shaping messages. Through the pages of these books, you will learn lessons of resilience and perseverance from our beautiful ancestor and legend Cicely Tyson and from the amazing Michelle Obama. Shonda Rhimes and Adeline Bird will give you the ammunition that you need to blast away self-doubt as they encourage you to celebrate the fabulous person that YOU ARE. Sis, grab your Izzy and Liv booklight, and start your reading regime with your very own copy of Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson, both of which are included in this month’s Brown Sugar box. You’re winning already! Here are the other three titles that you will totally want to devour: • Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes • Becoming: Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama • Be Unapologetically You by Adeline Bird These tools are proof positive of the power of words, thoughts, and music. Use them to positively impact your mood and your life. Class is adjourned!
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On Being the Strong Friend When You're Not Feeling the Best By Girl Tyler
T
he New Year comes with the promise of a fresh start however we’re all feeling the aftereffects of 2020. Existential dread and a yearning for normalcy can take a toll on even the toughest among us. Everyone is fighting a battle. Burnout is often associated with career-related stress, but personal relationships can be exhausting too.
Chicago, emphasizes the importance of implementing boundaries. She suggests focusing on your own emotional and physical processes.
You’ve heard it a million times, “Check on your friends.” What about the strong friend who consistently offers up support and counseling to others? She’s you and it’s time to take a step back.
“In the context of showing up for others, we often forget to show up for ourselves in the same way. We don’t honor our feelings, we don’t honor when our body is telling us that we’re tired, we don’t honor all of the various ways in which we give so much of our resources that when it’s time to focus on what’s necessary for us and our families or our other relationships, we’ve run out of the ability to pour into ourselves,” she said.
I spoke with Leila Ellis-Nelson, Psy.D. about the best methods to avoid burnout when friendships become overwhelming. Ellis-Nelson, who holds a PhD in clinical psychology and works as full-time faculty in the department of psychology at Roosevelt University in
Ellis-Nelson recommends placing limitations on how much access you give to others. There are ways to be helpful without stretching yourself thin. When your friends are in emotional distress while you’re working through a personal crisis, Ellis-Nelson says to send
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them therapy resources, information on medical support, and self-care activities. You can encourage your friends without carrying their load. “Spending a lot of time dancing around your needs has the potential to minimize them to others. So be clear, be direct, and advocate for yourself unapologetically,” she said. “I know that’s hard for a lot of folks, but it helps to practice this in the mirror, with folks that you trust, and with folks that also share the same concerns as yourself.” There will be times when you simply don’t have anything to give and that’s okay. Ellis-Nelson says it’s best to lead with honesty by using ‘I’ statements so that the frame of reference remains on you. “I need...” “It would be helpful if I had time to process...” “I need a minute...”
Be clear and specific about your needs. “I need a few days to decompress.” “I need to re-evaluate how much of me I’m able to give.” “I need to take a nap and follow up with you tomorrow because my spirit is tired.”
Here is a sample message she recommends sending to your friends. “I haven’t been feeling like myself lately, so I’m going to take some time to rediscover me. I’m going to disconnect for a bit, and I’ll hop back in the group chat in a few days once I’ve had some time to decompress. Love y’all.”
Follow your boundaries all the way through and hold to your word. “Lastly, hold up your end of the deal. If you said two days take the full two days. Don’t cut your time with you short. Lean into it, and indulge.”
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Inspiring Quotes
BY 20 BADASS BLACK WOMEN
B
lack women continue to carry a torch of excellence with grace and determination. Our ancestors stitched the fabric of America influencing generations to come. From politics to astronomy to education and medicine, we beat the odds and defy opposition. Just because we carry it well, doesn’t mean that the load isn’t heavy. As you journey along your individual path, there will be speed bumps and detours along the way. Stay the course and look to other women for encouragement. Anything is possible with determined women at your side. In honor of Women’s History Month, aim higher and stay motivated with words of wisdom from 20 dynamic women who exemplify greatness.
By Girl Tyler
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“Don't be afraid to feel as angry or loving as you can because when you feel nothing, it's just death.” -Lena Horne
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“I have fallen in love with the imagination. And if you fall in love with the imagination, you understand that it is a free spirit. It will go anywhere, and it can do anything." -Alice Walker
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“I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try.” -Nikki Giovanni
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“It was when I realized I needed to stop trying to be somebody else and be myself, I actually started to own, accept and love what I had.” -Tracee Ellis Ross
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“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.” -Maya Angelou
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“The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind
that comes from within — strength, courage, dignity.” -Ruby Dee
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“Anyone who claims to be a leader must speak like a leader.
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“If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
-Shirley Chisholm
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“I don’t have any time to stay up all night worrying about what someone who doesn’t love me has to say about me.”
That means speaking with integrity
-Viola Davis
and truth.”
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-Kamala Harris
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“All which I feel I must write has become obsessive. So many
truths seem to be rushing at me as the result of things felt and seen and lived through. Oh, what I think I must tell this world.” -Lorraine Hansberry
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“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.”
-Dr. Mae Jemison
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“I’m no longer accepting the things I cannot change…I’m
changing the things I cannot accept.”
“Did you know that the human voice is the only pure instrument? That it has notes no other instrument has? It’s like being between the keys of a piano.” -Nina Simone
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“I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is all powerful and will prevail.” -Sojourner Truth
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“I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values and follow my own moral compass, then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own.” -Michelle Obama
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I’m just asking you to let me be me.”
“Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.”
-Serena Williams
-Zora Neale Hurston
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-Angela Davis
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“I love my body, and I would never change anything about
it. I’m not asking you to like my body.
“There will be times when you will face insurmountable
obstacles, but that’s when you dig deep down within your soul for the courage and fortitude to keep going—and never forget that despite life’s detours, you are destined for greatness.” -Angela Bassett
“There's something so special about a woman who dominates in a man's world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.” -Rihanna
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“I’ve done my best.” -Cicely Tyson
In Kamala We Trust By Girl Tyler
T
his Women’s History Month hits different with Vice President Kamala Harris as the lady of the hour. Harris represents a series of firsts; the first woman, first Black woman, first South Asian daughter of immigrants, and the first historically Black University graduate to serve as Vice President of the United States. The former prosecutor and Senator from California has committed her life's work to equity and racial justice. In her decades of service, VP Harris has more than earned this prestigious honor as America’s second-in-command. Although VP Harris stands as one, her place in history represents the blood, sweat, and sacrifice shed by generations of Black women who, in her own words, are “too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy.” In less than 90 days on the job, she has prioritized women and mothers. The current state of women workers in the U.S. is at record lows, equivalent to labor statistics from the 1980's. According to her February op-ed in The
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PHOTO: GAGE SKIDMORE/WIKIMEDIA
Washington Post, 2.5 million women lost their jobs or exited the workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic. VP Harris wrote, “Without affordable and accessible child care, working mothers are forced to make an unfair choice. We have to make sure all working mothers have the support they need — during the pandemic and after. Because here’s the truth: Our economy cannot fully recover unless women can fully participate.” We’re coming down from that January 20th inauguration high and the new
MARCH 2021
administration is tasked with cleaning up the grim injustices of the former. Black women are still dying at record numbers in childbirth, our communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and we are up against systemic racism. While she's endured endless sexism and racism from internet trolls, cable news outlets, and a divisive election, VP Kamala Harris continues to display courage under fire. Focused and poised, driven and ambitious, we STAN VP Harris in all her glory, but it would
be unfair for one woman to carry the heavy burden of our faith in demanding progress for Black women in America. In all her glory, we must ask, what took so long for a woman of color to hold this high post, nearly five decades after Shirley Chisholm made a bold campaign for president? The state of Georgia and Black women seated President Joe Biden and VP Harris. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. VP Harris is but a step of progress, but America has many miles to travel. And a Black woman shall lead them.
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beauties Izzy & Liv customers truly are THE BEST! We LOVE seeing your social media posts sharing your boxes each month. Here are a few highlights from January 2021.
Congratulations to last month’s WINNER! Alethea was randomly selected from sharing Brown Sugar love on social media to WIN her free box. Thank you to everyone who shared! Stay in it to win it and don’t forget to share this box using hashtags #brownsugarbox #izzyandliv for your chance to win next month’s giveaway. BONUS: Join our Facebook Group: The Brown Sugar Lounge, for a SECOND CHANCE to win a free box.
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THROWBACK QUEENS OF R&B AND RAP
Playlist
By Girl Tyler
W
omen’s History Month is incomplete without a FIRE playlist to celebrate musical brilliance. The Throwback Queens of R&B and Rap playlist is a collection of jams that you find yourself humming while you clean, love to perform in the shower, and turn all the way up in the car. These women walked in the booth and laid down legendary vocals with poetic lyricism. Nobody does it quite like them. Channel their Queen vibes. Turn your spot into a karaoke joint and put on a concert! Or go live on social and give your followers a show. Let loose this month, you deserve it, sis! • Ladies First by Queen Latifah and Monie Love • Roxanne’s Revenge by Roxanne Shante • U.N.I.T.Y. by Queen Latifah • Tyrone by Erykah Badu • He Wasn’t Man Enough by Toni Braxton • Are You That Somebody by Aaliyah • None of Your Business by Salt-N-Pepa • Push It by Salt ’N’ Pepa • I’m Every Woman by Chaka Khan • Funkdafied by Da Brat • You Don’t Know My Name by Alicia Keys • Gotta Man by Eve
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Party Ain’t A Party by Queen Pen You Want This by Janet Jackson Conceited by Remy Ma Pull Over by Trina Creep by TLC Afro Puffs by The Lady of Rage Gettin’ Some by Shawnna The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) by Missy Elliott Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj ft. Beyoncé Whatcha Wanna Do by Mia X Heartbreak Hotel by Whitney Houston ft. Faith Evans & Kelly Price Get Me Home by Foxy Brown ft. Blackstreet Down 4 U by Charli Baltimore, Vita, Ashanti, and Ja Rule It’s Over Now by Deborah Cox Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill Not Tonight by Lil Kim ft. Da Brat, Left Eye, Missy Elliott, and Angie Martinez Supersonic by J.J. Fad
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Frequently asked questions
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Can I change my size preference for future boxes? Yes, you can do so inside your Brown Sugar Box account on izzyandliv. com, or you can email us at support@izzyandliv.com to update your preferences for you.
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When will I be billed for next month’s box? You will be rebilled on the 1st of the month for the next box. You will not be billed for the next box until after the box from the current month has been shipped/ delivered.
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What is your cancellation policy? Your subscription can be cancelled at any time in your Brown Sugar Box Account Settings at izzyandliv.com. If you’ve already been billed for the next box (1st of the month), your cancellation will take affect the next billing cycle. To cancel your subscription, login to your account and click on the Subscription tab, then click “edit” next to your subscription. You can also email us to request that we cancel for you.
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Can I exchange or return items in my box? We cannot accept returns at this time for Brown Sugar Box items, but we welcome your feedback to improve. Email us at support@ izzyandliv.com to share your thoughts. We value your feedback and our mission is to make every Brown Sugar Box more than worth your while! Your feedback will help us to make sure we make this box amazing and valuable as it can be. As far as the item(s), you can always gift them to a friend, coworker, or family member- these items make GREAT gifts! Can I skip a month without cancelling? Yes, you can skip a future month delivery and not be billed for it, without having to cancel your entire subscription. Once logged into your Brown Sugar Box account at izzyandliv. com, you will need to open the “Delivery Schedule” tab. There you will see all upcoming deliveries for your subscription. To skip a delivery you just need to click “Skip” to the right of each relevant delivery. This will only skip that one delivery. To skip multiple deliveries you will need to click “Skip” next to each relevant one. Alternatively, you can email to have us skip deliveries for you.
How can I share photos or unboxing videos with you? Yes! We live for customer feedback & reviews! Just post your pics or video on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube etc. and hashtag #brownsugarbox, #izzyandliv and @izzyandliv. You can also leave a photo review on the Brown Sugar Subscription page! If you make a blog post email us with the link. If your social media is private we will not be able to see your post, so feel free to email us to let us know where to check it out! Something went wrong with my order/ delivery what should I do? Should you have an issue with your box items (damage, received wrong size, etc) you must notify us at support@izzyandliv. com, with photo(s), within 7 days of receipt of your package. After 7 days, we will not be able to process requests related to this month’s box. If your box was returned due to consumer error, please reach out to customer service for reshipment at an additional cost.
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I have feedback or questions, who do I contact? We can be reached at support@izzyandliv.com
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