December 2020 Teen Brown Sugar Box Mini Magazine

DECEMBER 2020

Winter Break edition

6 Coming-of-Age Black Girl Films to Binge on Your Break

Your Story

Matters:

In My Bag

2021

CREATIVE JOURNAL PROMPTS

The Big Winter

Winter Break

P

ut down the textbook. Step away from the laptop. Say goodbye to your teachers until January. This is not a drill...school is out!!!

2020 was a wild one and you made it to the finish line. Now is your time to recharge and meditate on the people and things that matter most to you.

The Winter Break edition of your December Brown Sugar Box is filled with beauty and wellness essentials to positively reinforce your self-worth as a blossoming young Black woman.

How you feel on the inside will shine through your outward appearance. Winter wellness is a priority. Take care of your mind, body, and spirit during the holidays.

Write the vision for the New Year and focus on you this month. Your story is still being written. Keep turning the pages, the best is yet to come. See you in 2021!

Write it Out Teen Diary​(1 of 7) Write your dreams and make a wish this winter. Take some time to journal about your dreams and wishes for 2021 with the Write it Out Diary. Be sure to keep in a safe place after you have your dreams on paper. Available in 7 different options. Cover material: PU leather. Size: 6”x8.5”. Inside paper: 80g paper. Faux leather Bound. Snap button or velcro closure. College ruled lined pages. 150 sheets minimum (300 total pages front/back). “Date” line. Includes “this diary belongs to” 1st page, bookmark ribbon, and quotes printed throughout.

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Dream in Style Sleepshirt (1 of 4) ​Slip on the cutest pajamas for the days you’ll be hanging out at home. The Dream in Style Sleepshirt is everything you need to snap a selfie in cute PJs. 100% COTTON RINGSPUN.

Beautiful Coils Satin Lined Bonnets (1 of 4) Every girl needs her bonnet. The Izzy & Liv Beautiful Coils Bonnet is the perfect addition to your collection of fabulous bonnet wear. Protect your coils and curls in style.

ONE SIZE - Medium brim size: 17.8’. 100% Poly. Machine washable. Tumble Dry on Low.

Toe to Toe Stretch Footsies (1 of 3)

Affirm Yoself Script Bracelet (1 of 4) You are a magical, beautiful, loved, and unbothered Black girl! Wear your affirmations on your wrist with these Affirm Yoself Script Bracelets. Available in 4 wording options: ​Magical, Beautiful, Loved, and Unbothered. 8 ​ ” L BRACELET – Chain link bracelet with adjustable/extra length to accommodate all wrist sizes. Gold & Silver Plated.

Since you are on winter break, you may as well kick your feet up in these. No cold feet in these cute, cozy Toe to Toe Stretch Footsies. One size fits most. One of 3 prints: Bold & Chic, Beautiful Bold Sista’s, and Glam Goddesses. Sherpa Lining - 85% polyester, 15% spandex. Machine washable.

Tumble Dry Low.

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The Big Winter

By Saeeda Ruffin

Y

ou’ve been holding things down during this crazy school year. From online school to getting used to seeing eyes and not smiles, it’s been a lot to deal with in this era of Covid. Well, Girl, you made it through and, now, is the time for you to just chill. You have earned every bit of this winter break. So, Young Queen, take these moments of quiet, and relax.

look like a gingerbread house. Hang it, and wait for the birds to come singing and feasting nearby. It will be pretty cool watching them hanging out at your gingerbread feeder house. Take plenty of pics or videos. This could be meme gold!

It ain’t always easy to bring things all the way down after you’ve had to do so much to work in your daily life. TBH, people don’t realize how much they do until they get a minute to reflect. You have done A LOT. It’s time for you to go into this winter with a mind to do some serious unwinding. Think of this year’s break as the Big Winter Chill Out, and here’s how you can get the breather that you deserve: Make A “Gingerbread House” Bird Feeder This is a super easy and relaxing craft that you can do. You will need twine or yarn, a small milk carton or cardboard box, peanut butter, birdseed, and sunflower seeds. You may be surprised at how satisfying this will be. Put a hole in the top of the carton and tie the twine through so that it can hang from something. Smooth peanut butter on the carton. Decorate the carton with the birdseed to make it

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Get Inspired You get a couple weeks of not having to go on any school websites.

That doesn’t mean you have to completely cut all vids out. Take this down time and get inspired.

Watch some inspirational videos and documentaries about people who have done awesome things. Then, mentally store (or record in a vlog or journal) the good stuff that you got from the video that you can use in your life. People have been through some stuff, but they made it out alright. This

could encourage you that you will come out just fine from your personal challenges too! You may learn more about your own personal strengths than you realized before.

Do Something Just For You Hair, nails, nothing... you pick. You might decide to try your hand at a new hair tutorial or even to paint your nails with a message to remind yourself to take a breather, it’s up to you. During the Big Winter Chill Out, try not to feel like you have to constantly do “the most”. You are permitted, and actually during this time, you are encouraged to do the absolute minimum. Of course, Young Queen, there is always room on the agenda for a spa day.

So, if you need one, take one!

Turn Down For What!

It might be hard to do, but you will probably feel your chillest when you turn off everything. No notifications, no calls, no social media, no nothing...a

day of peace. OK, so it could be a little bit tough at first, but after a while, you could appreciate the quiet.

Instead of being “connected” to your devices, connect to your family or the world around you. Reflect on what’s important to you. If you don’t know what that is, then, this would be a great time to figure it out!

Hibernate Your bed just might be calling you.

During the Big Winter Chill Out, it’s perfectly fine to answer. Yup, Sis, enjoy a day of just laying in the bed. Cuddle up with your cat, your dog, your stuffed animals, or your favorite pillow, and rest. Just so you know, you don’t have to actually sleep just because you’re in the bed. You might decide to kick it with your favorite playlist serenading you or even with a book that you’ve wanted to read, but didn’t have time.

These winter breaks don’t come that often as you get older, so, take advantage of them...and chill.

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Creative Journal Prompts

By Girl Tyler

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J

ournals are like best friends who hold your deepest secrets and help you to unpack messy situations. Not only does it strengthen your writing muscles, journaling is also a creative outlet to express your emotions while also shaping your thought process. In fact, keeping a journal nearby can also propel you closer to your dreams.

Years before she became a world-renowned science fiction writer, Octavia E. Butler kept a personal journal where she wrote the vision for her life. In one notebook she wrote, “This is my life. I write bestselling novels...So be it!

See to it! I will find the way to do this...My books will be read by millions of people.� She accomplished everything she set out to do and then some.

Before her untimely passing in 2006, Octavia published several books, earning countless top honors. Today, her work is taught in more than 200 colleges and universities across the U.S. How inspiring!

You are the author of your life story. The plans and wishes deep within your heart are waiting to be explored. Not sure where to begin. No problem.

Try these 10 writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing:

1.

What do you want people to remember about you?

2.

Write out the vision for where you see yourself in 10 years.

3.

What does love mean to you? How can you show more love to yourself and others?

4.

What does your ideal free day look like? Where would you go and who would you take along with you?

5.

Describe yourself through the eyes of a loved one.

6.

Take a look in the mirror and then write down all of the beautiful things that you love about your body.

7.

If you were a millionaire for a day, how would you spend your money?

8.

List all of the people, places, and things that bring you joy.

9.

Write about the one person in your life who you can always count on.

10. If you could make your own movie, what would it be about? Who would you cast?

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6 Coming-of-Age Black Girl

By Girl Tyler

B

eing a Black girl is fun and exhilarating. We’re created in a variety of shapes, sizes, and hues.

The world can’t help but admire the versatility of our beauty. It’s not easy though, navigating the uncertainties of race, dealing with the complexities of family, and the joys of experiencing a first love.

And at times, it feels like you’re dealing with it all on your own. Guess what? You’re never alone.

The older you get, you’ll grow to realize that we’re all uniquely different yet our experiences as Black girls will always overlap.

Don’t believe me? Dive into these fascinating films about Black girlhood from the past and present. You’ll see a piece of you, your friends, and the women around you.

These critically acclaimed films prove that coming-of-age Black girl stories do matter.

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1 Our Song (2000)

“The story follows Lanisha, Maria, and Joycelyn, best friends and members of their school’s marching band, through the hot streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. During the closing weeks of summer, the small moments and dramas that mean nothing and everything to a young girl navigating her way into adulthood, start to accumulate. And the girls and their friendships change forever.” -Rotten Tomatoes

2 Miss Juneteenth (2020) “A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the ‘Miss Juneteenth’ pageant.” -IMDB

Films to Binge on Your Break

3 Fast Color (2018)

“After years in hiding, a woman is forced to go on the run when her superhuman abilities are discovered.

Years after having abandoned her family, the only place she has left to hide is home.” -IMDB

4 Jinn (2018)

“Summer is a 17-year old carefree black girl, whose world is turned upside down when her mother, a popular meteorologist named Jade Jennings, abruptly converts to Islam and becomes a different person, prompting Summer to reevaluate her identity.” -IMDB

5 Crooklyn (1994)

“As her teacher mother, Carolyn, and her jazz musician father, Woody, worry over monthly bills, grade-schooler student Troy Carmichael banters and bonds with her four brothers.

Against her will, Troy is sent to her aunt’s southern home for a summer visit, but when she returns to her bustling Brooklyn neighborhood, she learns that a family member is gravely ill. Already mature, Troy is forced to face some very grown-up facts about life and loss.” -IMDB

6 A Love Song for Latasha (2019)

“The injustice surrounding the shooting death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at a South Central Los Angeles store became a flashpoint for the city’s 1992 civil uprising.” -IMDB

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This is where Izzy & Liv teens deserve all the shine!

We absolutely adore seeing you beautiful, brilliant Queens showing off your new boxes.

Here are a few snapshots from October 2020:

Our Brown Sugar Teens are THE BEST! We LOVE all the pictures you shared of them and their boxes!

Congratulations to last box’s WINNER! Kyla was randomly selected from everyone who shared their last box on social media to WIN her next box FREE. Thank you to everyone who shared! We appreciate you! Don’t forget to share this winter box using the hashtags #IzzyandLiv #BrownSugarBoxTeens and tag @izzyandliv for your chance to win next month’s giveaway.

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In My Bag 2021

playlist

By Girl Tyler

O

ut with the old and in with the new! Welcome to 2021. You made it to the other side. Get ready to embark on 365 days of new possibilities and adventures. You worked super hard in 2020 adjusting to the new normal while staying on top of your studies. Although it felt like the world was spinning out of control, you held your own and maintained a positive attitude.

January is all about goal setting and planning. What are your New Year’s resolutions? Learn a new skill? Volunteer with communities in need? Improve your grades? This is a wonderful time to make a vision board or jot down a list of goals you plan to accomplish this year.

Time to level up! The In My Bag 2021 playlist declares independence and encourages LIT vibes like a boss. Tap into your power throughout every season. This year, be unstoppable in your fearless pursuit of dopeness.

• Go Crazy by Megan Thee Stallion • Circles by Megan Thee Stallion ft.

2 Chainz & Big Sean • Truth Hurts by Lizzo • Universe by Ty Dolla $ign ft. Kehlani • Back to the Streets

by Saweetie ft. Jhené Aiko • Pick Up Your Feelings

by Jasmine Sullivan • Body by Megan Thee Stallion • Patience by RIRI ft. Saweetie • Motive by Ariana Grande ft. Doja Cat • Baby Girl by Chloe x Halle • Levitating by Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby • Positions by Ariana Grande • Party for Me by Jhene Aiko ft. Ty Dolla $ign • Dead to Me by Kali Uchis • Know Your Worth by Khalid ft.

Disclosure, DaVido, Tems • Go Crazy by Chris Brown ft. Young Thug • No Guidance by Chris Brown ft. Drake • Toosie Slide by Drake • God’s Plan by Drake • Power is Power by SZA ft. The Weeknd, Travis Scott

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Magical Black Gir ls!

You could be a star in our next Brown Sugar Box Teens magazine!

Share your pictures and videos on social media with the hashtag #IzzyandLiv #BrownSugarBoxTeens and tag us @IzzyandLiv