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2026 – Year of Internal Growth and Flexibility
It is not lost upon me that so many brands I have written about no longer exist. I have witnessed launches, blooms, and quiet foldings across beauty, fashion, and the food scene. Though I started this blog nineteen years ago, I’ve continued to use it as an outlet for lifestyle trends, revenue, and reflection. I’ve grown—so much. My baby dog is 10, my baby boy is 7. How did it all happen so fast?
Watching decades pass alongside new technology and AI, tools that could surely edit this for me, I feel deeply grateful. In the early years, I made it a ritual to recap and summarize all that I saw, did, and ate. From that reflection, I set intentions for what the next year would bring—what I would manifest. It was always about looking backward and forward at the same time, and being immensely grateful for it all.
Everyone has a writing style, and it improves with practice. But I stopped practicing. Not journaling is like not brushing your teeth—it all catches up to you. You forget… yourself. The most important part. The entire point. I am making it a priority to pick up where I left off and hope that the readers who have enjoyed the sponsored posts, all the content from Lulu, will be glad, your girl is back.
Imagine my delight when I rediscovered old photos on Tumblr and Flickr, lo-res videos on Vimeo, and events long forgotten. I’m so glad I habitually wrote, filmed, photographed, and blogged my life. Life zooms by fast, and I had forgotten so much of it—much to my dismay.
Now it’s 2026, and this marks the nineteenth birthday of my first baby: my blog, heydoyou! My online journal. My style guide. My brand book, so to speak. Remember Polyvore? Pinterest? I tried every platform, and pieces of my existence are scattered across the internet. Within that net are moments I lived, laughed through, and even forgot.
Many of you knew me through the blog, connected with me on Facebook, watched my stories on Instagram, and became both online friends and friends IRL. Thank you for tuning in. I know it’s not always exciting, but I try to give you the highlights—with a filter.
So here we are. A current update from the original influencer who grew up right in front of your eyes.
Today is Groundhog Day—sunny and in the 70s. It’s our tenth year in Las Vegas, and I continue to be amazed by what blooms in the desert. Both my husband and I are now in hospitality. After seven years as a stay-at-home mom, two as a substitute teacher, four as a soap maker, I am— for the first time in my life—joining a corporation. I am 41 and starting a whole new chapter and I wonder what’s in store for me. I have been reading and all this reading has just prompt me to write. I forgot how important this is, how writing hugs people when they didn’t realize they needed it. February is the month where it all happens – Chinese New Year, Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, my engagement, my wedding anniversary. The shortest month, packed in with the most. This reminds me of what Maya Angelou once said. A bird does not sing because it knows the answer, it sings because it has a song.
The Year of the Fire Horse will be about keeping a steady pace, moving forward, and making an impact. New strides. Forward motion.
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Come Clean CellCell
Ultimate Desk Toy TSFW (Totally Safe for Work!)
There is no denying that adulting is exhausting and we all need a bit of nostalgia. From fashion to film and everything in between, we just want things to be simple again. “Adulting” has its perks certainly but for the days when you wish you were still a kid, we have something for you. Introducing the first scented personal relaxation putty called Cellcell. According to the creators of Cellcell, it is anything but silly.

Cellcell is a personal relaxation tool that goes where you go. It uses sensory relaxation through tactile and olfactory stimulation to ease your stress. Stress is the biggest inhibitor of creativity and an invitation to disease and fear. Cellcell will provide a calm and relaxing environment to nest your emotions. In a digital world, we are often deprived of tactile opportunities to channel our emotions. Emotions are stored in the cellular level of each being and can reside there long after an incident has occurred or a memory forgotten. Take some time each day to play with Cellcell and reset your emotional mind frame to face the world with positivity and light.

Cellcell comes in an array of colors that are modern, sophisticated and fashion forward. Some best sellers include Cake, Piscine, Manuka and Flamingo. Each design has a certain story. Cake is an off white, icing like putty with multicolored glitter inside. With the buttercream vanilla scent, this yummy Cellcell is for ideal for relaxation and celebration. Piscine is reminiscent of first days of summer by the swimming pool with best buds. Thankfully, it doesn’t smell like chlorine and more like coconut oil and sunscreen in a Caribbean paradise. Playing with this Cellcell is a quick escape to the tropics without the sand between your toes. Manuka is a golden flow of honeysuckle blossom goodness. Just like the New Zealand honey but without the sticky mess. This Cellcell has tiny little bears inside the honey jar.

Playing with Cellcell is a great thinking tool and the ultimate desk toy. It is a discrete way to recharge on those long days, brainstorming sessions and helping you figure out just exactly what the client needs. Tactile stimulation, along with aromatherapy is great mood boosters without caffeine jitters.
New to a job or not friends with your office mates yet? Let Cellcell be a conversation starter and when you collection grows, swap and trade with your colleagues too.
This is surely a clever take on a childhood favorite toy. With endless possibility in colors, scents and texture, Cellcell focuses on pop culture trends, fashion inspired patterns and social media driven fads. With the advent of social media exposing how lonely most people are, it’s hard to believe that a little putty in a jar can center you again.

But it can! Studies have shown that even 5 minutes of reflection and meditative state of mind can recharge a drained person. A midday motivation can not only elevate your mood but also resolve negative feelings with your boss and coworkers too. When you are feeling especially irritable with a case of the Mondays, try Cellcell and you may surprise yourself. And if squishy it around doesn’t help at all, you can chuck it across the room at the person making you mad.
Made with natural materials with no preservatives, Cellcell is happy to take your bad juju from you. Keep it safely airtight in its jar and you can use each one for up to 30 days. Once it gets dirty from your hand and thoughts, toss it out and reorder another one. Some people have favorites while others like to switch it up. My preference? The all year plan for 24 Cellcell scents (2 per month) for the best deal to see if this reimagined putty can truly improve creativity and productivity this year.
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AFROPUNK Fest NYC 2015
AFROPUNK descended upon Brooklyn New York last weekend and it was truly an out of this world experience. The two day festival took place at Commodore Barry Park Saturday and Sunday. This was my first time attending an AFROPUNK festival and I was excited about from the time I purchased my ticket until now as I am writing this post. Festivals like this one are so important. This festival was oozing with Black love, culture, pride, creativity, peace, and of course incredible music. There were numerous events taking place surrounding the festival. On Friday night, I attended the inaugural Fancy Dress Ball. The event was described as a party with a purpose. Funds from the ball will be used for the AFROPUNK Global initiative “which dedicates itself to the promotion of diversity in media and the arts in addition to volunteer service.” The costumes and fancy dresses worn by the attendees were extremely impressive and inspiring. The night was topped off by an energizing performance by Grace Jones. She was phenomenal. Grace brought an air of drama, danger, and comedy on stage. She moved and danced around the stage better than any of her predecessors of today.
On the first official day of AFROPUNK, I was blown away by the number of fashion forward eclectic people. The vibe was loving and peaceful and fast-paced. There were numerous food trucks with many varieties of things to choose from. Everything from down home BBQ to vegan delights. The clothing and jewelry vendors sold unique one of a kind goods that were African and Native American inspire. There was also a section designated as Activism Row. This area was filled with many groups and organizations that are helping to improve the social climate as it stands in America. The social activism of AFROPUNK is the true spirit of the festival and it was the glue that bonded everyone there. They even have a program that encourages people to volunteer as a way to earn tickets to the festival. SZA, Kelis, Lauren Hill, and Grace Jones totally rocked the house. The combination of main stream acts on the main stage, with more traditional punk bands on the smaller stage was perfection.
The second day of the festival was equally as magical as the first but it had more of a low key vibe. Things just seemed to be more relaxed. Kalela belted out smooth and soothing jams while Young Paris hit us with impassioned beats and African inspired costumes. However, the highlight of the night, and the entire festival, in my opinion was Mr. Lenny Kravitz. He is a true rock star in every sense of the word. Brooklyn was on its feet for the entire performance.
Leaving the festival was even fun and exciting. There were many people exiting at the same time and we would all randomly start singing songs together. It was epic. AFROPUNK is needed for so many reasons. There was nothing but Black peace and love. We are a multifaceted people and events like AFROPUNK give America and the world an opportunity to see how dynamic we are. AFROPUNK is eye opening and all inclusive. I am so happy I attended. I returned to Atlanta feeling energized and refreshed. I cannot wait for AFROPUNK Fest ATL!!!
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Everyday Bracelets We Love!
I think of myself pretty much a minimalist and like the simple things in life. I live in a small condo (550 square feet), drive a mini cooper, wear jeans daily, and very little jewelry. So when I received the package of 3 GoodWood braclets from Karmaloop I absolutley loved them. You can wear these with everything! Classic wooden bead bracelets for…..get this…..$20.00 for a pack of 3! Plus GoodWork jewelry is made in the USA. Below are a few options they have.
The GW Bracelet 3-Pack in Blue, Natural, & Dark Wood $20.00
The GW Bracelet 3-Pack in Natural, Red, & Brown $20.00
I have been wearing the bracelets to yoga, parties, pretty much everyday. Check out the rest of gotta have GoodWood collection of jewelry at http://karmaloop.com/ .
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Our 3000th Post
Big THANK YOU to all our readers and writers for coming to HeyDoYou for the past 4 years! We are proud to say this is our 3000th post 🙂
We have lots more coming for 2012… stay tune!
Who better to celebrate with than Dre? <3
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Twitter Vs. Facebook
Sup Cole World :0),
As many of you know heydoyou.com is cool ok that actually had nothing to do with what i have to blog about :0). Im curious, which one do you use more? Facebook or Twitter?? Feel free to add myself and the rest of the Heydoyou.com team on Twitter :0). My twitter name is >> @craigallen7615.



















