Friends, after toying around with the idea of launching my own merch line for a few years, I finally took the leap!

The "Unapologetic" Unisex Crewneck

Yes! The "UnapologeticallyPam" merch line here friends and I am ecstatic! You can purchase your items here or by clicking the "Shop" tab here on the blog!

Thank you all so much for your continued love & support of the important work of vulnerability, overcoming shame, and living in truth, unapologetically. I am eternally grateful! ♥

Unapologetically,

Pam

One of the things that I do not miss about full-time blogging is the pressure. Everyone says, "Consistency is key" and that you have to always be pushing your content to your audience. This meant that not only was I doing photo shoots multiple times per week, I was also editing daily, and chugging out content on Hootsuite so that my posts would be shared multiple times per day on all of my social media platforms. This took a lot of work. Any full-time blogger will tell you that this ain't easy. When I was unemployed and not in school, I had plenty of time for that work. I could dedicate my days to waking up and making sure everything was "instagram-able" (this is a real word, I assure you.) Here are some of my favorite "instagram-able" examples:

1. The lighting for my breakfast - I'd take so many pictures, edit it perfectly, and take so much time crafting the perfect caption and hashtags that the food would get cold. I wouldn't even be hungry anymore.
2. The perfect pose for an outfit - I about near popped my hip out of place one time trying to ensure that my curves were on point.
3. Spending time with friends - my makeup, outfit, and smile needed to be perfect for any instagram-worthy shot. I'd spend so much time taking and editing pictures that I'd forget why we were there - to actually spend time together.
4. Date night - God forbid that we go on one of our regular dates with me in comfy clothes, no makeup, and messy hair. Nope, only the perfect days made it to instagram - and those days weren't even the most fun because I'd have on so much makeup that we couldn't even kiss without my lipstick smearing!

Everything needed to be perfect. It needed to be so perfect that I started to miss out on reality - which is anything but perfect. It's like Queen Bey says - "Perfection is a disease of a nation." And she's right, pretty does hurt.

When I started working again in 2016, it took me all of about 3 months to realize that full-time blogging wouldn't work for me. I didn't have time for the perfect picture of my breakfast - I was hungry and dammit, I was gonna eat right then and there.

Furthermore, in 2017, I really started to lean into reality rather than the life I was trying to live up to on instagram. I've talked about this a lot on my blog. I hope that you have seen the evolution.

Sometimes I miss blogging, and sometimes I don't. I do miss sharing bits and pieces of my life. And maybe I will begin to share more again.

In truth, my real life is messy. It's filled with cat litter, students crying in my office, root canals, and more. It's also filled with late-night snuggles with my hubby, the Great British Bake-Off, and walking in the cold to spend time with friends. What is real often cannot be captured in a photograph - authentic conversations, belly laughs from watching that Jake Tapper/Ted Crockett interview, tearful heart-to-hearts over coffee as we whispered "Me, too", and more. That cannot be captured for instagram.

I think I would blog more if it meant less perfection. I would blog more if I can be authentic and real. I'd blog more if I can ramble. I'd blog more if I can share a three line poem about sadness. I'd blog more if every post didn't need a perfect picture in order to be "eye-catching" for the masses. And perhaps, that is where the secret lies. If I can be bold enough to show my real, authentic, not-instagram-perfect life, maybe I would have even more of it to share with you.

Cheers to 2018. Let's see where it all goes ♥

Hi beauties! Welcome back to my blog!

I feel like every post lately has included the phrase "my first ever" which is so very exciting! Unapologetically Pam is rapidly growing and if you scroll through my recent posts, you'll see what I mean.

Today's blog post and video are so very special to me, as it is my first ever beauty collaboration. I have teamed up with several other wonderful bloggers to inspire women of color for spring makeup looks. Melanie, who designed the idea behind this spring beauty collaboration, wanted to encourage women of color to embrace our features and more color during the warmer seasons. We all know that many of us are still fearful of experimenting with different makeup looks. I'm no exception! I stepped out of my comfort zone to try pinks and purples for spring. And it paid off well! Many thanks again to Melanie of Mattes and Metallics for coordinating this collaboration.


I've included 4 lip looks for you to consider in my spring beauty video. Check it out below to get inspired for what lip look you'll be rocking this spring!

L'Oreal True Match Powder in 'C8: Cocoa'

Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush in '843E: Berry Shimmer'

Clinique High Impact Mascara in 'Black'

Lip Look #1:

Milani - Black Cherry

NK - 997 Violet

Lip Look #2

L.A. Colors Liner - Brown

Just Kolour Matte Lip Cream - 05 Chocolate

Lip Look #3

Milani - Teddy Bare

BH Cosmetics Day & Night Eye Shadow Palette - Hot Pink

Just Kolour Matte Lip Cream - 05 Chocolate

Lip Look #4

Sane products as #3

PLUS

Milani - Black Cherry

And that's it! I hope that you're inspired to try some new lippies this spring. Leave me a comment below and let me know your favorite spring lip looks!

Also, here's the entire roundup of beautiful bloggers. Be sure to check out the amazing spring beauty posts by these incredible ladies for more spring inspiration!

Melanie, Mattes and Metallics
http://mattesandmetallics.com/

D, D. Genell
http://www.dgenell.com/

Brittny, Brittny Kindred
http://brittnykindred.com/

Christina, Style to the T
http://styletothet.com/

XayLi, The XayLi Show
http://www.thexaylishow.com/

DeAndrea, A Sister's Crown
http://asisterscrown.com/

Happy Sunday, blog lovers!

I am so excited about today's post because it's a first here on Unapologetically Pam. A few weeks ago, I posted to my social media accounts (instagram, twitter) as well as some amazing online communities that I have the privilege to be a part of - DivorceForce, Bloggers of Colour, and Black Bloggers United - to see if anyone had some questions they'd like to ask me.

To be honest, I didn't think I'd get any questions, because, ya know you never know. But I did! I got questions on blogging, my education, my favorite films, and divorce/dating. Here they are:

Blogging
1) How long have you been blogging and why did you start?
2) Blogger or Wordpress?
3) Do you automate your blog posts and social media? And how do you feel about automation overall?
4) When blogging do your stock pics or personal pics grab more readers?

Personal
5) What is your Master's Degree in?
6) What is your favorite film?

Divorce/Dating
7) Are you divorced?
8) What is the biggest lesson you've learned from your divorce?
9) How long after my divorce should I wait to start dating again?
10) What is your ideal date?

I'm sooo honored to answer these questions! So, without further ado, here is my first ever Q&A. Hope you enjoy!

*Photo from Au Revior, Plain Jane!

Hi everyone!

I'm super excited to share that Unapologetically Pam has been nominated for The Blogger Awards!! I was chosen by the lovely Sherrelle of Au Revoir, Plain Jane! I've been given a list of questions to answer, then I get to nominate some of the amazing bloggers I follow for the awards as well.

The Blogger Awards has been an excellent way for bloggers to network with one another and share each other's content with different audiences.

Here are the rules:
- Tag the blogger that nominated you
- Answer the questions you were given
- Nominate 10 bloggers
- Create new questions for your nominees to answer
- Inform the bloggers you chose that you nominated them