Hey Guys!
If you are wondering why this blog looks different, it is because I have changed my blog's name from "Black & White & Wise" to "The Monochromatic Blog". My socials have also changed as follows:
Instagram: @themonochromaticblogger
Facebook: @themonochromaticblog

I finally decided to get my own domain as the ugly "blogspot.com" in my URL was making my website look unprofessional and I think it was also limiting my website's potential. I decided to also change my blog's name to The Monochromatic Blog because my old name didn't feel true to myself anymore. I think I outgrew that name and decided to name it something I came up with literally a day before I got my domain. I love this new name so much more and I hope you do as well!


I will be focusing on my blog as much as possible and will be working on a few things such as building an email list, etc.

If you didn't know already, you can now GUEST POST on my blog! Click here to be redirected to the requirements and submissions page.

I have also opened an Etsy store if you didn't know already!: Click here to go to my Etsy store!

I am excited to have some great new content out for you guys and hoping some of you would also like to collaborate with me and write articles for my blog!

What's coming out this month and next month:

• Makeup and Skincare Essentials (Guest Post)
• Back-to-school/Back-to-college series

Txx

So I've been in India for almost a couple of months and I've started to pack to go back to the USA.
One problem I always deal with is packing jewelry! Rings and earrings (small studs, usually) are easy to just throw into a little zip-lock bag or a little container but necklaces are a whole other thing.

My necklaces always get entangled. Even if I separate them in bags/containers they intertwine a million times by the time I unpack them and it's a pain to separate the teeny tiny chains.

This technique requires only a very easy and quick DIY at the most. If you have the piece of plastic or cardboard that usually comes with jewelry like you will see below, you don't even need to worry about "DIYing" anything.
Read on to know how to easily store your necklaces in your suitcase when you are traveling!



You just need:

• A small cardboard or hard plastic sheet
• Scissors
• Your necklaces (or bracelets if that is what you want to organize)

I dislike writing with a ball pen and strongly prefer gel especially for bullet journaling. I think my bullet journal spread for this month was definitely less neat but it was very simple since I didn't have too many materials to work with. It was also shorter since I know in July I will be vacationing and I only have one summer class I am taking online.

I only added basic elements to my journal - monthly calendar overview, monthly goals and tasks, important dates and deadlines for the month, and simple weekly spreads with my 4th and the 5th week being merged under the heading "Week 4" and having only different task categories headlined.

I recommend this "flash journaling" spread for anyone who doesn't have time to create a full-on spread and will be having a "meh" month with not much to plan!

Have you made your Bullet Journal spread for July yet? Comment below and let me 

know what style your monthly spread is - minimal or decorative?

I dealt with severe acne for about 4 to 5 years and it wasn't easy at all. As of today, I am so happy to say that I no longer deal with severe acne. I may have occasional breakouts here and there but that's it. My face has mostly cleared up and even the acne spots are slowly fading away. If you want to know more about my acne story, click the link to my article below:

• My Acne Story (5 years of severe acne!)

If you read my article above, you know that I had very persistent acne and I tried a lot of different things but all of the methods failed. No face wash, no cleanser, no acne beauty products were improving the condition of my face at all. However, there was one face wash that did the trick just a little bit. It helped me control acne but it wouldn't always prevent new acne forming. Though, my skin would look cleaner (compared to using other products) and the face wash had a cooling effect that helped minimize my pores. I believe, to some extent, it did help reduce my acne by almost an unnoticeable amount, which was good, but not enough.

The product I'm talking about is the Neem Face Wash by Organic Harvest.
Now if you haven't heard of the company, it makes sense. It isn't very popular yet. The company is based in India but I'm pretty sure they also ship to other countries. But you are definitely in luck if you are in India or someone from India can get this product for you (less shipping fees or no shipping if you buy it from a store)
This product made the most difference to my skin than any other non-medicated/non-prescribed product I have tried.

I also attempted to make changes in my diet, like reducing my intake of dairy products, consuming less of oily foods, etc. I cannot be certain if these changes helped my acne or till what extent they did but I definitely noticed a slight reduction in my facial acne during this "dietary change" period.

However, let me tell you what really cleared up all of my acne in just a matter of few months.
Medications. Yes, that is right. I did a whole course of medications to eliminate my acne. I am honestly surprised of how less this is recommended on other blogs. Prescribed medicines can sound a bit scary and I don't blame you, because sometimes they do have side effects. Some side-effects I experienced were frequent hunger pangs (totally random, right?) and a minor skin allergy. However, the side effects subsided in a few days and weren't bad at all, to be honest. If you have been dealing with acne for as long as I have, you know that a few days of hunger pangs and a little itchiness on your face is completely worth for getting rid of your acne. Other than those minor side effects, I didn't really have another trouble.

When you visit a dermatologist, he/she can tell you exactly the reason why you have acne. Acne isn't only caused due to "not keeping your skin clean". There could be several factors that cause and aggravate it. In my case, most of my acne was hormonal. My dermatologist also diagnosed that the acne on my left cheek was due to UV radiation. Note that I applied sunscreen (SPF 40 and PA++ or above) almost every time I stepped out of my house. Turns out you can get acne due to UV radiation even if you take such precautions. You can't diagnose your own acne unless you are a dermatologist, and I'm assuming you are not since you wouldn't be reading this if you were. It really helps to know exactly why you have acne and to be prescribed medications to get rid of it quickly. The time for the treatment obviously depends on what kind of acne you have, how long you have had it, and how severe it is. The process requires patience and some efforts from your side too but I, personally, thought it was the best decision I had made.

I was prescribed 2-3 different tablets/capsules every time I visited my dermatologist (which was about once a month) for around 5 months or so. As of now, I am only on external (cream) medication.

I noticed that I had absolutely no new acne forming on my face for a good few months after my oral medications stopped. My acne is still very in control but I have very small bumps (very, very small) appear on my face once in a while. The cream I am currently prescribed is to help with that. Overall, I have had very clear skin even after my oral medications stopped and my skin's quality is definitely way better than it used to be (absolutely no doubt!).

One thing I'd like to share is that, before I decided on getting an appointment with the dermatologist, I decided I wanted to make at least some of my acne disappear before I went. I was determined and found a few face packs to make at home and other remedies and they actually did some good. One thing that I did twice every single day was spritzing my face with diluted rose water using a spray bottle.
I will probably put up a post on this method, and other face packs that helped me, soon.

If you think that going to a dermatologist is not an option for you (though I highly, highly recommend it), you should also visit the link below. The article is a complete skin care routine that helped me manage my acne and still helps me maintain my skin:

• Complete skin care routine for acne-prone skin

Long time, no see?

Firstly, thanks to my friend for motivating me to write a blog post (though I don't know how often I will be posting yet - I'm a bit overwhelmed still as you will read ahead)

I am taking a little time off my blog because I am unable to get inspiration to write things here. I will probably have some study-related posts or organization posts or something out there soon. Lately, I've been really messy and all over the place. I've had a lot of anxiety this past week and felt like I had no control.
I like weekends because I can reset my mood. One of the reasons I was so anxious and unmotivated recently was because I didn't have time, and when I did, I wasn't being productive.
Being productive is very important to me and it makes me feel extremely satisfied and happy. I love being busy.
I was completing all my assignments last-minute and it made me feel horrible. I was completely stressed out.
So this is me resetting my mood.



C L E A N

The first thing I like to do is clean up my mess. Don't get me wrong, I love a good organized mess because I know where everything is and it's all on the floor for me to easily find. However, a mess on my floor is a depiction of my mind - a mess. My floor is filled with books, loose pages (since I don't really use notebooks), and files. Step one for my reset is to segregate my crap. Pages to recycle go in a pile, textbooks go back in my book shelf, pages either go in the "make notes" pile (I make messy notes during my lectures and then create organized and clean notes later on) or in the files for the class they belong to. Files then also go into my bookshelf.
I then pick big pieces of scrap paper and put them into my trashcan. Then comes the vacuum.
Nothing makes me happier than a super clean, vacuumed floor after living in a mess for a week. I usually get messy every week but that's okay.
I then clean my desk and organize my bookshelf if needed.

P.S. I love playing some joyful music to make my mood even better.

P L A N

For some reason, my planner pages for the weekend is very messy. I like to just scribble things I have to do. Sort of therapeutic, actually.

S T U D Y

The next investment I make to lessen the stress in the coming week is to study.
First, I complete assignments that are due on Monday. Then, if I am able to do those in time, I go ahead and do assignments that could be due after Monday. For example, I usually do assignments for a class I only have on Thursdays since the material is up by the weekend. By doing this, I have extra time during the week to study and not get overwhelmed by tests and assignments.

S E L F - C A R E

Stress usually impacts my hair. I've had hair fall for quite some time now and when I'm stressed or not taking care of myself, it accelerates. Hence, on the weekends I usually apply an Oil hair pack thingy concoction to my hair (I may make a mini post on what I use). It immediately makes my hair feel healthier and fall less. It always makes me feel better when my hair looks good (in terms of quality and not how it actually looks lol).

H E A L T H

I like to go to the gym at least once a week and a Saturday or Sunday is the perfect day when I have no plans. Even a little exercise is great for your body if you don't have the time to do too much.



A  G O O D  E N D I N G

I like to end the day with wrapping up my homework/studying by 8-ish and then watching an episode or two of some TV Show. Recently, I have also been reading a chapter or two of "Many Lives, Many Masters" by Dr. Brian Weiss before going to bed. 

©BlackandWhiteandWise Literally taken in my bedroom. Spur of the moment decision when I realized the lighting in my room became kind of dramatic (monsoon season yas)

©BlackandWhiteandWise Took this picture at my dad's office's opening ceremony. Everyone was dressed up in Indian Attire. The chief guest cut the ribbon and was given a bouquet of flowers as a gift.

©BlackandWhiteandWise Taken of my brother as he waited to be hit by the tides of Miami Beach last year.

©BlackandWhiteandWise Self Portrait by that same window because dramatic af

©BlackandWhiteandWise This candid picture was taken of my friend on New Years Eve 2016. We (friends) were dressed up to do a photoshoot and I clicked this actual candid (it wasn't faked, I swear). Quality is not as good as the other pictures due to some unknown reasons and maybe because the artificial lighting was not good enough to trick the camera into thinking it was daytime.

Like a lot of people, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest and the Internet in general. I read on a couple of occasions that people were using Petroleum Jelly on their eyelids to make their eyelashes grow and I was intrigued.