The end for 2015.

Yes, we are at the end of another year again. Yes, the year flew by like just saying swooossshh. Yes, tomorrow is New Years Eve. And Yes, why is time so fast?

Today, on the evening before New Years Eve, I’m sharing with you a letter -- to the year of 2015.

Dear 2015,

As the year before you, you came very fast and for some totally unexpected. As we part our ways tomorrow, I would like to tell you a few things. First of all, you were pretty good. We had our ups and downs, highs and lows, happy and sad times, and fun and boring times. But overall, you have been quite good. We started with the same party and the same people I did the year before. We welcomed you with tons of fun, great people and a lot of laughter. I think you, 2015, and I have been off to a great start. I mean, I’m always having a great start with every year considering my birthday is on the second day of every year. But we started off really good, better than I did with other years. Anyway, I had a lovely birthday. Turning 25 was a big milestone and a number I was not that comfortable with at first, but you showed me it is no big deal. The school year turned out to be really good. You, 2015, mark the year in which I finished all my college classes. I never have to attend a class ever again. Only if I want to, but I don’t have to anymore. And I don’t want to brag but my grades have been pretty good, too. On the college level, we finish this year by me doing research for my master thesis. And so far, it’s going good. I had a lot of fun with my friends on a lot of occasions. Halloween was amazing and fun, so was Carnival and the music festival in my hometown. We had lovely meetings for birthdays, dinner dates, movie nights, parties, or to just have a cup of coffee or tea. Summer was incredibly hot. I spent a lot of it at the local swimming pool. But it sometimes was way too hot for my taste. That is one thing I didn’t like that much this year. As every year, my family has been a huge part of the fact that you, 2015, were great. I love them very much, and I’m thankful everyday for such a supporting, unconditional loving, and amazing family. I don’t know where I would be without them. I got two of the greatest news towards the end of this year. My best friend for over 13 years got engaged. And one of my absolutely closest friends (there are 3 of them) got married and has quite an eventful year ahead of her. And I’m thankful that they are letting me be part of it and that they even want me to be a part of it, of course. There were some difficult times, but nothing I or in some cases we couldn’t solve and get over it.

Overall, you, 2015, have been good. I’m actually sad to say good bye to you tomorrow. But I know that we are able to say good bye on very good terms. I will always think of you as one of the good years.

Love, Moi.

To my readers: I hope your 2015 was a good year, too. If not, I’m incredibly sorry, but no matter what it is there are better times to come. Never lose your faith, your smile and love. After darkness comes always light. Have a wonderful New Years Eve tomorrow and we’ll see each other in 2016. <3 

Let's welcome 2016 with a bang. 

(By the way, I have almost the same New Years resolution as last year. Being healtier and do more sport, which I did more of in 2015 already. But I think I have more in me. :D)

When you open the second last door on your advent calendar.

Yes, that happened today. It is the 23^rd December. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Wait what? Where did the time go? Why is it the night before Christmas Eve already? And why don’t I feel christmasy at all? I mean, this year, I’m so not in the Christmas spirit. That never happened to me before, and I honestly don’t know why I’m not…. Well, anyway, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. In a blog post about a year ago, I told you about how I spent Christmas every year. This year, I thought I’d write a little about why I love Christmas and the whole Christmas time.

The first thing that I love is my advent calendar. I know, I’m 25. Why do I still love to have an advent calendar? For 24 days a year, I get a wonderful chocolate treat every day. Who doesn’t love that? When I was younger, I always loved to wake up to little presents, chocolate treats or candy during Christmas time. But do you know what I love most about my advent calendar? That my mum always made them with so much love and that she still has fun buying my favorite one every year and seeing how much I love it.

The next thing that I love is the smell. The smell of cinnamon and vanilla. The smell of freshly baked Christmas cookies. The smell while you bake those cookies. The smell of a pine tree. And of course the smell of the Christmas tree. I can’t really describe the different aromas of all of them. I just love it. It always makes me feel cozy and comfortable and christmasy.

Where I live, every larger city has its own Christmas market. You can buy different sorts of food there, and Glühwein (and other things). It is basically, wine with special spices. I’m not a huge fan of Glühwein. You are able to get really drunk really fast. Trust me, we all experienced a Glühwein-hangover, and let me tell you it is not pretty. As much as I don’t like to drink it, I love the smell of it while walking over the markets.

Christmas and the whole month leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas day are filled with traditions. Every family has their own. So does my family. I love that we play board games on Christmas Eve. It is a tradition we’ve had for a couple of years. And we always have so much fun together. During the whole Christmas time, my mum and I always have a little cookie time every day, which I totally enjoy.

I also enjoy walking through town at night in order to watch all the Christmas decorations other people put up. Every town is lit up in different colors. It is always so magical and beautiful. It is even more magical when it is cold and when there is snow. But I have a feeling that I have to say goodbye to cozy walks through the cold and snowy weather and watch Christmas decorations due to global warming and the whole weather is changing. December is not so cold anymore. I also guess I have to say goodbye to the possibility of a white Christmas. I even feel weird sleeping in a cozy and warm Christmas bedclothes with a short pajama on because it is way too warm. Anyway, the warmer weather will not ruin Christmas time for me.

I have many more favorites about this magical time of the year. But those above are my top ones. What are yours?

I’m posting this on December 23, 2015, the day before Christmas Eve. I don’t want to spent time on my computer tomorrow to write a post because I’d rather spent the day with my wonderful family and all of our traditions. But I didn’t want to leave you without a Christmas post from me, so here it is. I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas time, or holiday time (I don’t want to insult and leave out those who don’t celebrate Christmas). Have a wonderful time with your families and loved ones. Enjoy. 

November and December Favorites

In this blog post I’m combining my November and December favorites into one post. It has been quite a hectic last few weeks for me and I didn’t have the time to really write the post about my November favorites. Therefore, I’m combining the last two months of the year.

As usual, I start with beauty favorites (you should know by now, that I have a serious beauty products obsession). The first item, I’m going to tell you something about is a nail polish. I think I have never talked about a nail polish before, correct me if I’m wrong. Anyway, it is from Kiko in the color 375 Boise de Rose. And it is a dusky pink kind of color. Very pastel. I love it because it is a cute little highlight on your nails, but not much. Your nails look very elegant with it. And it stays on very well. Kiko is a new brand that I have discovered. I don’t know how popular it is or how long it even exists, but I really like their products. I think, I already told you about a lipstick of the brand. They have great beauty products ranging from make-up to nail polishes and some other things. And they are very affordable. Here is the link to the nail polish, if you want to look at the color and possibly buy it yourself. They usually have stores, so you can’t buy the brand at any drugstores or cosmetic departments, but you can order online. I haven’t done that (yet). Here is the link: http://www.kikocosmetics.com/de-de/make-up/hande/nagellacke/Nail-Lacquer/p-KM00401001#zoom

The next item is the FIT ME concealer by Maybelline in the color 10 Light. I hesitated a long time to buy it. And honestly, since I have it and use it, I don’t know why I hesitated so long. This concealer is incredible. It has amazing coverage ad it is easy to apply. I absolutely love it and I’m definitely going to buy it again when it’s empty. I bought mine at the DM drugstore in Germany. But you can also order it online on Amazon or at Douglas, which link I’m going to give you here: https://www.douglas.de/douglas/Make-up-Teint-Concealer-Maybelline-Concealer-Fit-Me-Concealer_productbrand_3001001564.html?wt_cc4=marin_bid&wt_cc1=_inurl%3A%2Fmaybelline%2F&mkwid=sfiVdPznP_dc&pcrid=76918466580&pkw=_inurl%3A%2Fmaybelline%2F&pmt=b&trac=de.01ds.goo.dsa.douglas_de_dsa_marken.dsa_maybelline.000000&gclid=Cj0KEQiAtMSzBRDs7fvDosLZmpoBEiQADzG1vHBgCcBaTwHhRcAmpeNFtV47n_U4uChlgLt15y757MoaAg2t8P8HAQ 

The next item also falls under the term beauty product but more under the term skincare. Over the last 2 months my skin broke out even more than it had over the past 6 months. It is horrible, I feel like I’m reliving puberty all over again. Anyway, I was searching for immediate help. I felt so uncomfortable in my skin like I haven’t in a very long time. A couple of weeks ago, I watched a YouTube video from a great YouTuber who had the same problems with her skin like I have. And she recommended a face washing crème (I’m not sure if that is the correct translated term, so if it is wrong I apologize). It is called Alverde Clear Waschcreme Heilerde (Washing Crème Medicinal Clay / Healing Earth) and it is for blemished skin. For those who don’t know, Alverde is a brand of nature cosmetics from the drugstore chain DM in Germany. It costs € 2,25, so it’s not expensive. And I thought, I’d give it a try. I already told you guys on Twitter (on December 2^nd), this product helped my skin so much. I only used it 2 times after I bought it and I already was able to see and feel the positive difference. My skin looked so much better already, I was speechless. It is totally worth it. Back then, when my skin was really bad, I used it every morning and night (after I took my make-up off, of course). After my skin got better, I started to only use it at night. In the morning I’m using my Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit – Tägliches Waschgel from the visible clear collection again. Here is the link to the Alverde Washing Crème that changed my life: https://www.dm.de/alverde-naturkosmetik-clear-waschcreme-heilerde-p4010355852595.html 

The last item of this very long blog post, are shoes. I don’t think I ever mentioned that I have a serious shoe shopping addiction. Which woman hasn’t. The newest, and already one of my favorites, addition are a pair of Nike Air Max Thea sneakers in the color mint. I have been looking for them for a long time, and I always was not quite sure, if you should buy them or not. A couple of weeks ago, I gave in and bought them. And I’m in love with them. The color is amazing, I love mint. And they are so comfortable. Like walking on clouds. Here is a picture of them (I know I googled it, but I’m lying in my very comfortable bed and I’m too lazy to get and take a photo of them):

That is it for this blog post, I hope you enjoyed it. 

You know when you are a 90s kid - Part 1

I was born at the very beginning of the 90s. Literally at the very beginning. Therefore, I have lived through all of the, for this time, remarkable music, fashion, technological gadgets, toys and so many other things, that I cannot remember right now. Every decade has its specific things that everyone knows. Even I know the fashion to dos of the 50s or 60s, the music from the 60s or 70s or the interesting haircuts from the 80s. And I have not lived during those decades. But I have lived in the 90s.

The idea to start this series came to me last night during a party. The DJs mostly played music from that decade. I was a kid during that decade, but that does not mean that I don’t know all the music from it. I decided to start this series with the fabulous music of de decade of the 90s.

As previously mentioned before, I was at a party last night. It had a motto. Everyone was dressing up in the manner of bad taste. Therefore, all you were able to see were people wearing incredibly bad color-coordinated clothes, distasteful clothes, funny clothes, and outfits I don’t even know how to describe. It is always a lot of fun to dress up really bad. I was wearing the most ugliest tight you have ever seen. It was olive-green with a jungle print of leaves, trees, tigers and other animals on it. Then I wore a pink jeans short and a black top. I kind of did not want to overdo the bad taste part and keep it a little more ordinary. But honestly, the next time I will so do the overdo part. I mean, I was completely underdressed. Anyway, the music they played at the party completely put all of us back to the 90s. Some of the songs they played are … well, how should I put this … embarrassing to know all the lyrics to. And the best part of that? Everyone knows all the lyrics to them. I mean the 90s also had some incredible music that I still love so much and listen to it all the time. So the whole crowd was singing along the music from the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Take That, Britney Spears, and so many more. I am totally outing myself as a boyband of the 90s lover. I mean, come one, who doesn’t love the Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC!?

Nevertheless, there are also, other great artist from that decade. One band that definitely has to be mentioned is Nirvana. I think I do not have to say more. They are still legendary, and their music is still played everywhere. The Red Hot Chili Peppers became an important band, so did The Offspring, R.E.M., Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind, Green Day, No Doubt (Gwen Stefani was actually in a band before), Foo Fighters, Blink-182, and so one. Also Linkin Park became well-known. Other artists that rose to fame in the 90s are Christina Aguilera ( we all know the feud she shared with Britney Spears), Destiny’s Child, Jennifer Lopez, 2Pac, Jay Z, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, etc.

I absolutely love the music of the 90s, cheesy or not. I love it. And I love to hear them at parties and dance and sing along to them. I’m so sorry if I forgot to mention any artists or bands. I didn’t mean too. There are just so many great ones. Below, I will show you a few YouTube videos from songs that I loved, and still love. Have fun watching, and don’t judge me :D 

My Make-Up Essentials for Everyday

In my monthly favorites you are able to find a lot of make-up products. I’m usually not a person that uses a lot of make-up on a daily basis but I love to own it, search for it, buy it and so on. I have a lot of make-up products, especially a lot of lipsticks and eye shadows. But that doesn’t mean that I use a lot every day. My daily make-up routine is actually pretty simple and it depends a lot on where I’m going. When I’m going out to a party or a night club or a special event, I dress up and I put on a lot more make-up. But on a daily basis, I like to keep it really simple and natural.

What I think is very important before you put on any make-up at all, is to moisturize your skin as a solid basis. Dry skin is not what you want and make-up products do dry out your skin a little to a lot. So be sure to put on a face crème to moisturize your skin before. In the morning, I usually brush my teeth, wash my face and put some lotion onto my face. After I get dressed, I start with my make-up. My first essential that I use every day is a BB cream. The one I use is a toned moisturizing cream. After that, I use a concealer to cover up my blemishes and possible zits. I also use it under my eyes to brighten them up a little. I, then, use a light powder. I have very oily skin and I really hate it. Therefore, I use a matting powder in order to not look shiny. Then, I put a little more color back into my face by using a blush. I don’t overdo it with the blush, because it is still an everyday make-up and I only want to put a little bit on in order to not look pale. After that, I use a black eyeliner on my waterline, just because I’ve been doing that since I’m about 15 years old and I kind of feel that my make-up is not complete without it. I know, I’m weird sometimes. Anyway, I also use black mascara on my upper and lower lashes. Furthermore, I use a lip balm. And that is the finished look. When I’m in the mood and have the time in the morning I like to add a little eye shadow but just something very light, natural and simple. Or I use a natural looking lipstick, like a dusky pink or a nudeish color. Nothing fancy, just adding a little highlight on my face. Nevertheless, that doesn’t happen very often. During the summertime, when my skin is a little tanned, I sometimes just use mascara, lip balm, and a little powder due to my oily skin.

Sometimes, I’m in the mood to put on a little more make-up by creating a smokey eye in different color combinations or to use a more colorful lipstick like a red one. But that does not happen too often for an everyday look. I like to keep it very natural. That is the best way for me. Others might do it differently and that is totally fine. But for me personally, a natural everyday look is the preferred way.

Summarizing, all I use every day is a BB cream, concealer, powder, blush, mascara, eyeliner, and a lip balm. It is not much, but for me it is all I need.

I hope you liked to get to know more about my make-up essentials for everyday. What are yours? 

October Favorites

How in the world is it already November again and time for my October favorites? Where did the time go and what did I do all year? I’m still getting comfortable being 25 and in 2 short months I’m going to be 26. Wait what?! Yes, that is my reaction to it being November.

Anyway as usual, I have a few favorites of the month of October. The things I’m going to talk about today are things I discovered last month. So let’s get started.

The first item is a lipstick. I know, most of my favorites are make-up related. I’m sorry guys, I’m obsessed. I’m not usually wearing that much make-up every day, but I do love to buy it, search for it, own it for special occasions where I really need to dress up and just try new things. Anyway, the lipstick I want to tell you about is from the L’Oreal Color Riche Pure Reds Collection in the Color Blake’s Pure Red. I was searching for the prefect red lip color for a very long time. And trust me, I have several reds in my make up drawer, which I love but they aren’t THE red I was searching for. I came across this L’Oreal one by watching a YouTube video of a girl who used it. And I immediately liked it a lot. It is a beautiful red with a bluish and pinkish undertone, which I absolutely love for several reasons. I’m not a huge fan of red lipsticks with an orangey undertone. It just doesn’t look good on me and I personally don’t like it on myself. And red lipsticks with a pinkish and bluish undertone don’t make your teeth look yellow, which I really hate. It always doesn’t look very good with yellowish teeth. And lipsticks with an orangey undertone unfortunately do that. So, I thought why not go to the store and check it out. When you open it, you would probably say that I’m totally delusional by saying it has a bluish and pinkish undertone because it looks like it has more of an orangey undertone. At first, I hesitated a lot due to that. But then I used the one for testing on the back of my hand and I was completely surprised that the orangey was gone and it was a totally different color than I thought it would be. And it also looked amazing on the back of my hand. Therefore, I decided I need to buy it and try it out (and the store had an offer of 30% off of lipsticks that day). Well, after trying it out on my lips at home (with a red lip liner) I was blown away by it. It is definitely THE red I was searching for. It is very pigmented and bright. It is more a brighter red but not too bright. And it stays on all night. It survives drinking and eating and it doesn’t lose any of its color. I highly recommend it. And I guess I need more colors of the L’Oreal Color Riche Collections. Here is the link to the L’Oreal website: http://www.loreal-paris.de/make-up/lippen/lippenstift/color-riche/collection-exclusive/n15-blakes-red.aspx I bought mine at a Rossmann store in Germany, but many stores are selling L’Oreal make-up products. Even if I’m absolutely in love with this red and it is exactly the red I was looking for, I still need a more darker one. So if you have any recommendations, tell me about them. 

Another one of my favorites is also a make-up product. It is a lip liner from the brand Essence with the name 12. Wish me a Rose. It is a soft pink color. It is more one on the pastel pinkish side but also brighter. I love to use it with a lipstick in a similar color. Or I use it as a lip color in general. This looks really pretty too. It gives your lips a natural color tone but also brightens them up a little. I love it. Additionally, it stays on quite well. And the best thing of all it is so cheap. It only costs, wait for it people, 0,95 € (at the DM store in Germany, where I also bought it). 95 cents. Yes, you read right. Here is the link to the website of Essence and the lip liner: http://www.essence.eu/de/produkte/lippen/lipliner/e/product/lipliner-12/

The last favorite of the month I want to tell you about has nothing to do with make-up. It is actually one of my favorite authors. As I probably told you before, I really love books. I mean I don’t study literature for nothing. I read many great works from great authors but my favorite author is Nicolas Sparks. Yes, I know. It is a total cliché. But I just love his books. And I love to escape into the worlds of Noah and Allie, Jamie and Landon, Travis and Gabby or Sophia and Luke, to just name a few. They are written in such a beautiful, fun and exciting way that keeps me reading and reading and reading until I finished the book. I bought them all. Some of them even twice, in German and in English. Call me crazy but I love them. And I mention them in my October favorites because I recently rediscovered them. You are able to buy them at every book store.

This have been my favorites of them month October. I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next time. 

It's fall!!

It’s fall season!!

In the part of the world where I live, it is fall season now aka my absolute favorite season of the whole year. Everyone has its favorite ones and mine is fall. I also like the other ones. I love the smell of blooming flowers and trees (despite my allergies), the waking up of the nature after a long winter, and the first warmth of the sun in the spring. I love going to the pool, wearing cute dresses, shorts, sandals, and tops, warm summer nights, and the smell of summer rain in the summer. And I love Christmas time, New Years, snow and how snow and the cold are able to change the whole natural scenery in the winter. But it is fall that I love the most. I love everything about it except dirty, grey, rainy weather. But who likes that.

Anyhow, I especially love it this year after this incredibly long period of hot weather. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that we had a warm and wonderful summer, but for my taste it was a little too warm. So when the temperatures dropped below 20° C I was one happy camper. As of right now, the temperatures are even lower which I love even more. I unpacked a warmer jacket, my beloved dark blue trench coat and ankle boots, which I love. The whole wardrobe changes from shorter dresses, shorts, sandals, tops, and t-shirts into cozy sweaters, jeans, cute fall dresses with either leggings or tights , flannels, boots, cute hats, and cozier wardrobe in general. I hope that really soon I can unpack my wool cloves knitted by my grandmother.

Additionally, have you noticed how the nature changes its colors? It is amazing. Trees change their leaves from green to yellow, brown and red. I absolutely love to walk through a forest with all those wonderful colorful trees. It is especially beautiful when the sun is shining. After a walk, I usually make myself a warm tea. Nothing is better than a warm beverage. In my case it is tea or a hot chocolate. No, it is tea. Definitely tea.

Well, what else, do I love about this wonderful season? I already mention wardrobe, colors, lover temperatures, and warm beverages. Ohh, the first thing I do when the temperatures drop is to eat soup, noodle soup. I could write a whole book about why I love fall so much. But this is only a blog post and not a book. And I don’t want to bore you with pages after pages on my love of fall, so I kept it short.

My favorite season of the year is fall. What is yours? 

September Favorites

There are a few things I have been loving for the month of September. And I want to share some with you today. (As usual, I am a little late on that.) Keep reading. J

My newest obsession are those cute note books from Éccolo. I’ve loved note books ever since I’m able to write in them. And I’ve always been a sucker for cute ones. So, there was no surprise when I discovered the Éccolo ones that I will have a new obsession. As of now, I already bought 4 of them. Okay, I bought 5, but one was a birthday gift for a very close friend. Their cover looks like leather, but I think it is faux leather. It is incredible soft and resistant. They always have those little phrases or words on the front cover, which makes me love them even more. The first one I bought has thephrase “On the GO” with engraved sketches of travel sides like the Eiffel Tower, the opera in Sydney, Big Ben, or the Chinese Wall on the cover. It is like a travel diary with extra pages to put a photograph or a postcard on it. So cute. The other three also have lovely phrases on the covers. One says “Work Hard Dream Big”, the other one says “When you love what you have, you have everything you need” and the fourth one has a quote from Walt Disney on it saying “It’s kind of FUN to do the impossible”. I use them for writing my daily thoughts, grocery lists, ideas, or whatever I want in them. I dedicated one, the Walt Disney one, to my master thesis. I just love them. In Germany, I only found them at TK Maxx. They do not always have them, but most of the time.

The next thing I have been loving is a makeup product. Actually, it’s two. I do not have that much money to spent on expensive makeup as a fulltime college student. Therefore, I always look for cheaper but also good makeup. I have been dreaming about the Urban Decay Naked eye shadow pallets, but with 45€ each they are way too expensive for me. So, I have been looking for something similar. During my search, I came across the pallets from W7. They looked similar to the Naked ones. The packaging is not of the high quality as the ones from Urban Decay but it is still very good. I ordered them off of Amazon, two pallets for 12€. I thought why not try it. When they came, I was surprised on how good the quality is for that price. Also the eye shadow is beautiful. It is very pigmented and easy to apply on. The colors are wonderful. I really like both pallets and I use them very often. The pallets I bought are called In The Buff and Lightly Toasted. 

Those were my absolute favorite of the month September, and they still are in October. Have a wonderful day, people. 

When your mum buys you anti-aging eye cream

Yes, guys. This happened to me today. I told her this weekend, that I need some eye cream because my skin under my eyes is really dry and that I might need a cream for it. Well, so far so good. When I came home today, thinking that I forgot to look for some again in the drug store, my mum told me that she bought something for me. I was totally excited what she bought me. And then she presented me the anti-aging eye cream, telling me with a smile that she found a cream for my dry skin under my eyes. First, I thought “ohhh how nice of her”. And then I looked at it a little closer and I saw anti-aging. You can imagine my facial expression dropping from being excited to a more shocked one. Then my dear mum tells me, that it is time to take precaution against aging. And I looked at her with a facial expression like “whaaaaattt? I’m only 25.” I mean, I love her for think about me and for always wanting the best for me and everything. And I know that I need to take precautions for aging. I mean not that drastic but a little. The skin starts to age when one is 25. That is a fact. With every age you should take care of your skin and always keep it hydrated and not too dry. But still, my ego dropped down into the basement for a second. Anyway, I love her for thinking of me. And I will use anti-aging eye cream now. I am going to use the “Miracle Skin Cream Auge” from Garnier Skin Naturals every morning from tomorrow on. I will tell you if I see or feel a difference. Nevertheless, the packaging looks pretty. :D 

Hey, my name is doubt.

Throughout my life, I went through many ups and downs, challenges and obstacles, happy times and unhappy times. There are so many things I’ve learned from my experiences, but also from experiences and examples from others. During the last weeks, I read many stories from adults, teenagers, and children who self-doubt themselves a lot. Today, I want to share what I’ve learned on how to deal with those. And how to deal with people who doubt you.

First, I want to tell you that you are not the only person with self-doubts. Everyone has them. And everyone will have them. Even the most successful person in the world has them. We all have to deal with them. I believe the key to the solution on how to deal with self-doubts is to accept them first. Acceptance is the first step to recovery in my so many aspects of your life. For example, I needed to accept, that I am not the fastest learner, considering school, I want to be. It takes me a little longer to learn for an exam and to understand the material. I always doubted myself, that I wasn’t smart enough. My brother studies the same thing for like an hour and he knows it by heart. I need a few more hours. I always asked myself why. Why is he able to learn so fast? And why I am not? It took me a long time to accept that I’m just not as fast of a learner as some other people are. I just need a little more time. And that is okay. I am still a college graduate with a bachelor degree and enrolled in a master degree program. Once you are able to accept your self-doubts, you can work on them. You are able to learn how to live with them. And you are able to make them invisible. Sure, from time to time, they want to come out screaming “hey, you remember me? I’m your little self-doubtlett!!” Let them come out for a few minutes or hours and then put them right into their little self-doublett box far away inside your head again. Tell yourself, that it is okay to have them. And it is okay, that they come out once in a while. But be able to close that box again. It is okay to be frustrated with yourself. Trust me, I can be frustrated with myself, too, when I don’t get something right in the first place. Tell yourself “Okay, I am not able to do this this way. But I can do it another way.” Or tell yourself that it is okay of things take a little more time than you originally planned. It is okay to have to do some things a whole different way you originally planned. Keyphrase here is: IT’S OKAY.

I know that you are not only doubting yourself but there are also other people who doubt you. My advice, just let them talk. One of my teachers once told me in a roundabout way, that I should not be studying something that has to do with English, which was my plan. Now, I have a Bachelor Degree in English and in about a year, I have a Master Degree in it with good grates. Therefore, I proved him wrong. Sure, I listen what he had to say. I considered his opinion. But in the end, I did what I thought was best for me and what I wanted to do. Don’t listen to other people’s doubts when you know for yourself that you can do it. Don’t let other people’s doubts take you down. You decide what you want to do and what you think you can do. Even if it does not work in the end, at least you have been true to yourself. And you do not have to prove anything to anyone but yourself.

When self-doubts or doubts of other people are too overwhelming for handling on your own, go talk to someone you trust. It can be a parent, a friend, a boy- or girlfriend, a family member, or even a therapist. Don’t be ashamed of it. 

Twitterverse!!

I joined Twitter.
Well, I have joined Twitter a long time ago with a personal account, but now I have a Twitter account just for this blog in order to keep you updated on new posts or to tell you how my day was in 140 characters. Or to interact with you. Or whatever you do with a Twitter account.

My name is @HollysLifetime. Feel free to follow me, retweet my tweets, or just like them!! Looking forward to interact with you. Here is the link to my profil - HollysLifetime -
Have a nice day :)

Update and August Favorites

It is official. I am like the worst blogger ever. And I am truly sorry about that. I do not want to find any excuses but my schedule is insane. I am in my last semester of college before writing my master thesis and I am so busy and stressed out it is not even funny anymore. I literally spent every waking hour in front of my laptop that I do not have the energy to write more than I have to for school. Therefore, I did not had the time and energy to blog more. I wish I would have though. Anyhow, I hope my schedule will be less hectic and full from now on and that I will find and have the time to blog more. 

Let’s get into the main part of this whole thing.

Today, I will tell you a few things about my August favorites.

The first thing I am going to show you is for skin care. For the last couple of months, probably the last 4-5 months, I started to get small zits again. I am 25 years old and I started to get zits again. The first thing I thought was like “Whaaaaattttt the…..?”. I felt like I was hitting puberty all over again with 25. I had to find something to wash my face with that helps against skin blemishes and zits at a none-puberty age. I was looking around and doing some research until I found the perfect product for me. In German it is called “Pink Grapefruit – Täglisches Waschgel” from the visible clear line from Neutrogena.

I believe that the American counterpart would be the “Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser”. Correct me if I am wrong. Anyway, I use it every morning after getting up and every night after I remove my whole make-up. It smells amazing. And it leaves my facial skin so soft and clean. Throughout the past months, it helped to clear up my skin so much. I love it. In Germany, you are able to buy this product at pretty much every drugstore that sells Neutrogena products. I bought mine at DM.

The next product I loved during the month of August is the EOS Lip Balm in the flavor Lemon Drop. I told you about the EOS lip balms in my last blog post and I am still obsessed with them, especially this one. It smells so yummy. When you apply it, it is not heavy or sticky. It feels really light but soft at the same time. Additionally, this one is great for summer because it has a sun protection factor of 15. Well, it is actually perfect for every time. You should protect your lips and skin with a SPF every time you go outside. And it looks really cute. In Germany, you are able to buy them at Douglas.

The third and fourth products I loved during the past month are both lipsticks. The first one is from Essence in the color 07 Natural Beauty. It is a nude pinkish color which is perfect for summer and for pretty much every look you do not want to put the sole focus on the lips. It emphasizes the lips in a natural kind of way. Furthermore, the lipstick feels light and creamy on your lips. It does not feel sticky at all. 

The other lipstick I want to tell you about is from Kiko. It does not have aname only a number which is 2. It is from the Matt Collection. It is also a nudeish pinkish color but with a little orange touch. Normally, I do not like a lipstick that has a orange touch, but this one is really pretty. I only bought it, because the sales girl had it on and it looked amazing. And I thought, why not try it myself. And I can tell you I love it. Like the Essence one, it feels creamy and light. It gives your lips a prefect bright summer look. And, boy, does it stays on. I never had a lipstick that literally stayed on for hours despite me drinking and eating. I love both of those colors so much. You are able to buy the Essence on at every store that sells Essence products like DM or Kaufhof. And you are only able to buy the Kiko one at a Kiko store.

Top Color = Kiko
Bottom Color = Essence 

Those were my monthly favorites of August. I hope you liked to read it. They were all perfect for the extremely hot weather we had here for the past 4-5 weeks. And trust me, I am glad it is finally getting colder again. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer. I love when it is warm and sunny. BUT it does not have to be as hot as it was. Anyway, have a great day. Talk to you later. 

All Time Favorites

I have not blogged in like forever. The reason for that is in my last post. Anyway, I decided to tell you about some of my all time favorite items I use, read, wear, and so an. 

First of all, I want to tell you about a hairbrush I discovered last December. It is called the Tangle-Teezer. And it was invented by a very wise British man back in 2007. I have very thick hair and lots  of it. Additionally, it gets tangled very easily, very much, and incredibly fast. So combing my hair always hurts. Therefore, I searched for the right hairbrush that would comb my hair more easily but also softly. And I discovered the Tangle-Teezer. It is not that cheap (15€) but it is priceless. It detangles my hair so easily without hurting. It is shiny and soft and detangled after I use it. It feels like a dream. You are able to choose between different styles and color of the Tangle-Teezer. Here is the link to their website: https://www.tangleteezer.com/ 

I have the The Original one in the color Pink Fizz. Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you, you very wise man who invented this product!!! 

The next item or items I want to tell you about are the EOS lip balms. I have never had a lip balm that makes your lips so soft, is out of natural products and looks really cute. They are available in different colors and flavors. I have them in the pink color with the flavor strawberry sorbet and in the yellow color with the flavor lemon drop. The company does not only sell lip balms but also hand lotion, which I have not tried yet but want to so badly. Here is the link to their website: http://evolutionofsmooth.com/ Take a look at it, buy one, try it, and be amazed. 

The third and last item that I am going to tell you about is the PocketBac hand sanitizer from my favorite shop Bath and Body Works. I love that store and all their items so much. Everyone who knows me knows that I am literally obsessed with the hand sanitizer. They are just so adorable. I love the design of it and the size is so convenient. And they smell great. Every time I get the chance to go to a Bath and Body Works store (which is that that often, since I am not living in the US) I buy many of them. Here is the link to their website: http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4191860 

And a picture of my collection, which is thinned out a little. 

I have many, many more favorites, but I do not want to write a whole book about them. I use all of them on a daily basis and I am obsessed with every single one of them. Take a look at them, buy them and try them out :) 

The fabulous life of a college student (not)

My incredible, fabulous, busy and tight college schedule does not give me the time I need and want to write more for my blog. This upsets me and probably you, my loyal and dear readers and I apologize for this. With this post I want to explain why this is the case. Well, I am going to try.

First, I need to tell you that college is not as easy as it looks to some people. They think that going to college is an easy way of doing nothing and chilling around all day. And, how could I forget, going to parties at night, seven days a week. This could be a great life if you want to finish your degree in about a hundred years. Or to finish it at all. There are students who do not take their classes and university careers serious. Most of the time, they start studying at the end of semester. One of my professors once called them seasonal laborers, due to them only showing up at the end of the semester.

Anyway, let me give you a little insight look on a college life of a student who takes this whole experience seriously and who wants to graduate on time. Almost one time. This is my college life. A few weeks ago, I finished all of my study work, term papers and exams for the last semester. Classes already ended in the middle of February. That did not imply that I was done with all of my work. It took me several weeks to complete it. Two weeks ago, I handed in my last term paper. I was looking forward to a few stress free and college free weeks before my next semester will start. Boy, was I wrong. I got a few days until I received a great email from one of my professors, for whose class I registered for next semester, with tons of reading material. Imaging my not so happy face. I was very close throwing my laptop on my wall. Anyway, as you see, I did not get much free time at all. Only a small amount of it. Of course, my daily schedule slowed down a bit during the break but it is still stressful and full of work. During the semester my daily schedule is even tighter. Let me give you an example of that. Next semester, I registered for six classes on two different days. It sounds great to go to school for only two days a week and the rest of the time you are able to spend otherwise. Trust me, people, that is a huge illusion. Six classes every week is actually a ton of work. I have so much reading to do. There are always small assignments to hand in. And they have to be handed in on time. Furthermore, I already have to start doing research for term papers. Yes, I said papers. There are several. So, at school days, I get up early in the morning, go to classes, come home, crap a bite to eat, and head straight back to my desk to do school work. Now, you probably think, that this does not sound so bad. She still has several days off every week. I have to disappoint you there. I also have to work to earn a little bit of a living. I have to pay the bills somehow. Btw. I actually enjoy going to work. I like it there a lot. So, this is not too bad. Recapitulating, during the semester my week consists out of attending classes, working and studying 24/7. During breaks, my week consists out of writing term papers, and studying. If I am lucky, I get a few days off of this whole crazy life. The next point I want to discuss is the great and amazing party life everyone thinks a student has. Some students do have that and there is a different party somewhere every night. And feel free to attend that. Nevertheless, partying the whole time does not go well with graduating on time or at all. Oh gosh, I sound like a total strict and never-having-any-fun kind of person and this is so not the case. I love a good party, a night out with friends, a movie night with friends, having dinner out or going to a bar. But you do not have to spend every single night out until very early in the morning. After my long days, I am literally exhausted. Maybe it is me and other students are able to function on little sleep but I cannot. And I do believe that is not healthy for your body and your studies.

I just realized that I vented more than I initially wanted too. I do not want to complain. It was my choice to go to college and get a good degree. And I do not regret anything. I love my field of studies. But it is hard and once in a while I get a nervous breakdown because I am completely stressed out and frustrated of the mountains of work I have to do and the little I am able to finish in a day. And because a lot of people have all those prejudices of how much time a college student has. That is also one reason why I wanted to write this post. Another one is to make people understand that a college life is not that glamorous as it is shown in society sometimes. Some students make it that easy, but this is their choice. The majority of students work hard and do not have that fabulous life full of free time and only a little bit of school. Additionally, a lot of students have to work in order to earn some extra money. Going to college is a lot of work with tons of hours of studying and working. And I wanted to show the real deal. At least my deal. 

Yay on being 25, I guess?

It happened. It actually happened. The day I was afraid of for quite some time was my birthday in January 2015. You are probably asking yourselves right now, why on earth was she afraid of her birthday? Well, let me explain.

Turning 25 years is a big deal, when you are still in college. At lot of changes will happen by turning that specific age. In the country I come from, parents and children get child benefit from the state. First, you get that until your child is 18 years old. Then, you have to prove to the state that your kid is still in school, college, or training for a job in order to still get paid child benefit. Nevertheless, once you turn 25 child, benefit stops. And it does not matter if you are still in college or in job training. Furthermore, until the age of 25 and if you are still in school, college, or job training, the child or young adult is still insured with the parents. Hence, after turning 25, one has to insure oneself. Overall, when turning 25, child benefit is done and you have to insure yourself. As you see, turning 25 is pretty expensive. And I have never used that number so many times before.

Anyway, there is a lot of happening and a lot of changes, especially when it comes to money. For the past few months, I have been searching for the cheapest health insurance. Most of the insurance companies have a special student installment. Hence, it is a lot cheaper that regular installments. But still, it is a lot of money for a student with an only 400€ income every month.

Aside from the financial side of turning 25, the number itself kind of scared the hell out of me. One is actually closer to the big 3 0 than before. And what did I do so far? I graduated school. I got a Bachelor Degree. I am currently enrolled in a Master Degree program, from which I hopefully will graduate 2016. But I have not really done anything. I never had a job that paid more than 400€ every month. I still live at home. And what the hell am I going to do after I graduate with a Master Degree? Is there somebody out there who will hire me? Besides from these obvious points, some 25 year old people are already married with at least one kid. My biological clock is not slowing down. THESE were my concerns and anxieties of this huge birthday. For some people turning 25 is no big deal. It is like every other birthday. But for me it was a big deal.

Almost a month has passed now, and I kind of accepted the fact that I am 25 years old now. And I can proudly say that I am comfortable with that number. Sure, there are the financial changes, but people who know me know that I had them on my radar for quite a while and that I calculated them into my monthly expenses. And for my anxieties, I accepted them, too. And I came to the conclusion, that I already achieved many things. And I should be proud of them, which I am. Being 25 is not as bad as it sounds, I am still young and I still have many, many years ahead of me. I will find my way somehow. I guess, sometimes one has some freak-outs, especially when one reaches a birthday milestone. For me, it was turning 25.

What I learned through all of this, is that you are never too old to do or achieve anything. Being 25 is not as bad as it sounds sometimes. It actually feels good. Celebrating my birthday with my family and later with my friends helped a lot to be okay with that number. And it is no big deal anymore. 

Panic attacks - everybody has them, right?

It is that time of the semester again, I had a panic attack. I, normally, tend to have them in the middle of the day when I start to realize how much I still have to do and how little time I have left. Normally. This time I had it at 5am on a Saturday morning. I only woke up because I needed to use the bathroom real quick. So a sleepy me stumbled into the bathroom with my eyes closed because I still was very tired and did not want to wake up completely. However, I did not think about having a panic attack at 5am on a Saturday morning. By the time, I stumbled back into my nice warm and cozy bed, threw my cover over me and turned onto my left side (I only fall asleep on the left side, I know I am weird), I was wide awake. Like really and completely wide awake. And then it came. Completely unannounced. Now, I guess you are wondering why I was having a panic attack. Well, before I go into detail, I have to explain a few things first. I am almost done with college. I only have one more semester to go until I have gathered all of my essential credit points in order to start writing my master thesis and then graduate. Nevertheless, I still have to and also want to do an internship. For the past few months, I have applied literally everywhere. I want to find an internship abroad. Preferably, in the USA.

Back to my panic attack. There I was laying in my bed at 5am, wide awake and starting to think. Not a good sign. 1000 what-if-questions and other questions suddenly popped into my head. What if I will not find an internship? What will I do then? What if I do find one? Will it be the one I really want? Will the people like me? Will I be able to do my work good? What if I find one in the USA? Where will I live? When I will find a place, how will I pay rent? I do not have a bank account in the US. I have to find a place with furniture. What if I only find one without furniture? How will I get at least a mattress to sleep on? What if it is the only chance to get to work by car? How will I do that? Will there be a public transportation system? How much will it all costs? Am I able to pay for all of it? I only have a limited budget. ß Those questions were only concerned with the internship. Many more about other issues also popped into my head. How will I be able to hand in all my term papers in time? How will I be able to understand the stupid short story I have a presentation about? I still have to pay my tuition for next semester. Time is running way to fast; I have so much to do. And so on. While I was asking myself all those question, I started feeling hot and then cold again. After like an hour, I somehow fell back asleep again. When I woke up later, I had to laugh and asked myself, if I really had a panic attack at 5 am on a Saturday morning. Well, apparently I had one, because I found a piece of paper on which I scribbled some notes in the middle of the night.

The conclusion of my panic attack was that I could not do anything on a Saturday. Especially for my internship. I first have to find one and then start thinking and planning all the other things. (FYI, I am planner, I never leave the house, let alone leave the country, without having a plan and pretty much everything worked out.) As of my term papers and presentation, I calmed myself down, that it will work out just fine. I have always managed it somehow.

Most of the time, I ask myself why do I have such attacks so unexpectedly. I mean, I know that I have to figure out all of these questions at some point. But why do they all have to pop into my head at the same time? And so sudden? I

Well, people, that was my story about my little freak-out. I always tell myself, I am not the only one who has them. Everyone has them from time to time.