New York City

Hello 2014! With another year gone and a new year among us, there is a time for change. This change for me is quite large and thankfully an amazing opportunity. I am moving to New York City. As I type this I cannot even believe it but it's true. My childhood dream of moving to the big apple is finally coming true, and I could not be more excited and ready for this. 

First things first, I have to say goodbye to my life here in San Francisco. It's hard for me to do, but it is time to let go. My family and friends that I leave behind will always have a huge space in my heart and I love them to death. 

Secondly, packing. I am one of those rare souls that actually enjoys packing, and have been making lists for a few weeks now. I haven't actually packed yet because I leave in 10 days, but nevertheless the lists are in motion. 

Thirdly, expectations. I am trying my best to not have such high expectations and to live each day as it presents itself. But I can't help but think how amazing New York is and how much fun I will hopefully have. I want to explore and try so many different things that I fear I won't have enough time in the day, but I will try. 

Going to New York is a huge step in my life and career. I hope to be enveloped in the culture and lifestyle that New York has to offer and embrace everyone for who they are. I also plan on blogging about my experiences there because what better way is there than to record what happened? I want you to be able to live vicariously through my stories. 

I am so excited I can hardly wait. 

If you have any suggestions on what I should do while I am there please let me know! 

<3

Holiday Spirit

Look at how cute this little guy is!! Ahh <3

With the holidays fast approaching and the jolly spirit in the air, I thought it was time for a new blogpost. I know that I am absolutely horrible at keeping up with writing, but I don't like to write unless I feel inspired; it's just something that cannot be forced. Regardless, let's get into the holiday spirit. 

I personally LOVE the holidays- like most people do. But the funny and sort of ironic part about it is that my family is not very big on the holidays. I grew up with Christmas and receiving presents, but nothing really extraordinary happened for me. I am grateful for what I have got, and will continue to love the holidays.

The reason that the holidays make me so happy is because of the spirit. In the shops, with the christmas music playing, you walk around and see all these beautiful lights and colors. Holiday deals and steals, and Santa is always waiting for someone to sit on his lap. People tend to be in such a good mood around the holidays that is becomes contagious. Even the holiday commercials make me happy. Every thing about the holidays is worth while and shopping for your family and friends is the icing on the cake. 

I previously did a post on being a good gift giver, and I stand by that post especially during this time of year. I don't like to get presents that the recipient won't love. I love seeing the look on their face when they open the gift and their face reads "how did you know?". It's the best feeling to get someone you truly care about a gift that they love, it is what the holidays are truly about; giving. 

To me, whether my house is decorated or I get presents is of little to no importance for my holiday spirit. I get it from the public. The streets that are filling with christmas lights, the holiday music, the christmas cups at Starbucks, basically the overall glee. 

This holiday, try not to get bummed out about the amount of gifts you get or even if your family celebrates the holidays- that doesn't matter. Go and experience it outside, and love the holidays for what it brings to the community rather than the individual. 

I know that some people reserve the holidays for just December while others like to start right after Halloween. I personally believe that the longer we can make the holidays, the better. Let's all celebrate this year with a smile on our faces and love in our hearts because this time of year is the best.

:)

Losing Weight- How to stay motivated

I have finally decided enough with the wishing and the praying, and that I am going to finally be serious about losing weight. I don't really want to lose a huge amount and I don't really have an ideal number of pounds that I want to lose. I just want to becoming smaller in some places and lose the lumps in others. I find that my problem areas are my thighs and my stomach, which is where most women have more added fat. I have been on this diet for 3 weeks now, and I can start to notice that I am feeling a lot better and shedding a tiny bit.

The diet that I am currently on is a low carb diet, which means that I can only have less than 150g of carbs a day. This diet is so easy, that I don't even consider it a diet. My meals consist of a banana with peanut butter in the morning, a salad with meat for lunch, and a toast with meat and steamed veggies for dinner. I personally have always eaten like this so I don't find it difficult. The reason I would struggle with my weight is because of the junk food I would eat on top of this. 

As I have previously mentioned, I am a huge chocolate fan. I haven't touched chocolate in 3 weeks! This is really big for me because I would have it multiple times a day, so I give myself a pat on the back for that one. I still crave chocolate every day and when I see the commercials or pass by a place that sells chocolates, it takes a lot for me to restrain myself, but I know it will be worth it.

I have been telling myself that this diet will only be for 3 months, until Christmas. It won't be forever, I will be able to have chocolate again. It's not the end. But I would say my major motivation would be my letter. At the beginning of my diet I wrote myself a letter. I wrote down how I felt, how I looked, how I wouldn't get the attention that I deserved. I wrote everything. In that letter I also listed all the events that will be coming up in my life that I have to look forward to and having a better body would only make these 100 times better. My key for motivation is this letter. I folded it and pinned it up on my bulletin board with the phrase "DON'T GIVE UP" written on it. I can't even tell you how much this letter is helping me. Seeing it everyday, and thinking about it whenever temptation gives in. I highly recommend writing yourself a letter if you want to lose weight.

I will keep you updated on my weight loss, hopefully I will continue to stay on track and my letter will bring me all the way there! 

:)

Long time no talk! Update & Confidence Ramble

Hello there! I know, I've been absent for the summer. Things got busy, and I was procrastinating. I'm sorry :( 

This summer has been crazy. I took some online summer classes in order to be able to transfer to a different University and to boost my GPA. It was fun, and I really enjoyed it. I also spent a lot of time with my family and friends, you know the usual stuff. But I think the most important thing that I've done this summer is regained my confidence. 

When I was in high school I went from being super confident to incredibly insecure. I didn't like how I looked, I wasn't doing the things I wanted to do because of the fear of being embarrassed, and I just wasn't being myself. This carried on to when I went to college, but it was slowly going away. I was breaking out of my shell a little more and I was a lot more open to trying new things. But I still wasn't completely myself.

This summer I traveled a lot, met up with old friends, and re-evaluated myself. I would lay there at night and just think about why I became so insecure and what made me feel so badly about myself. And honestly, there wasn't a legitimate reason. I had built up so much in my head about being ugly, being unwanted or unliked, when it wasn't even true. 

So finally after a month or so of examining myself, I decided that this insecurity needs to stop. I needed to stop putting myself down and beating myself up over the smallest of things, and take action. I have never been satisfied with my weight, and it's not like I am over weight, I just would prefer to lose a few pounds. So I have decided to do it and stick with losing the weight. I wasn't happy with the way I was acting when I went out to a party (I would exclude myself and be more of a wallflower), so I have been more interactive. This summer was full of change and I finally feel comfortable in my skin and am embracing the human that I am.

I know that as of right now I don't have very many followers, and the one's that I have may not care that much, but I am writing this for me. I have decided to do things that make me happy and not try to satisfy others instead of myself. That may sound a little selfish but it's just what I need to do for me. I love every single one of you who comments on my posts or even just reads this. It means the world to me, and together we can encourage girls to be more confident in themselves because why the hell not?!

More posts to come! :)

Review: Origins VitaZing- SPF 15

I have always tried to find the perfect tinted moisturizer for the summer time. Something that wouldn't make my skin look oily and would have SPF. I had very high hopes for the Origins VitaZing that were unfortunately not met. I decided that the only way for my review to be honest and true would be if I finished the bottle, so I waited to write this until I did. 

The idea behind the VitaZing is brilliant: one bottle fits all. At first I was skeptical about this aspect of it, however once you apply the product you will be able to tell that it does match to your skin. If you don't believe me, take a tissue and wipe it down a cheek and you will see that the product matched your skin tone. The idea was not up to par with this product because the texture was just way too oily for me. It didn't sit well and it made me look way more greasy than ever. After applying loads of powder over this product I realized that it was not worth it, and the shine didn't go away. The VitaZing leaves a little bit of residue on your skin making it feel dirty and for the entire day all I wanted to do was wash my face. I was not happy with this product even though it matched my skin, it just made my skin feel oily and made me more self conscious about how I looked.

I don't recommend this product but if you're on the fence, you should always get a sample. It may have just been my skin that it didn't work for or it may have been the product. Just because I didn't have a good experience, does not mean that you won't have a good one. I will not be repurchasing this product! 

How To: Get Rid Of Blemishes

Everyone struggles with the occasional spot or two, but the trick is to figure out how to stop them early. Acne is not a topic that people like to discuss, however I think that it's important to acknowledge it and to learn how to treat it. Lately I have been struggling with keeping my skin clear due to stress and chocolate but once I stumbled upon this little magic, my skin has been forever clear. 

The reason why I call these products magic is because I don't know how it works. I don't know why when I put it on the next day my spot has become smaller. It just happens like magic. These products are from the Tea Tree collection from The Body Shop, the tube is the gel and the small glass bottle is the oil. 

Lets start with the gel. 

The applicator of the gel is similar to one of a lipgloss and the gel is clear. It doesn't feel sticky when applying and it absorbs so quickly. I usually apply this in the morning on any spots that I have and then I apply my makeup on top. The reason why you should apply your makeup on top of this product is because this way while you have your spot covered up, it's being defeated by this magic. I don't even feel the gel when I apply it because it is so thin, but a little bit goes such a long way.

Next, the oil.

I know what you're thinking, but it's true an oil will help your spot. I apply this product after I have washed my face and am not planning on leaving the house. The reason why I like to use this product at night rather than the day is because if you wear it during the day your face may look a little oily, and no one wants that! I simply grab a cotton swab and get a little bit on the end and gently apply it to my spot. 

These products are amazing. Your blemishes will be smaller by the next day and your face will start to glow. The Body Shop has a whole collection of Tea Tree products if you are interested in getting a face wash, toner, lotion, mask, etc. I haven't tried any of their other Tea Tree products, but I highly recommend these two. They are very affordable and are my little life savers. The only negative thing that I have to say about these products is that they have a very strong scent that isn't so pleasing, especially the oil. The gel's scent is much more faint and unnoticeable, but the oil is quite strong. These products are absolutely amazing but to keep your face clean you need to wash it twice a day and make sure you aren't rubbing your hands on your face throughout the day. Blemishes are a struggle for everyone so don't be embarrassed if you have some. We all get them, all we need to do now is treat them.

:)

Both of these are less than $10- and sometimes you can get a buy one get one 50% off deal!

The Best Is Yet To Be

Sometimes I get a little down. I get so down in fact that chocolate can't even cheer me up. It's not because I am depressed or anything like that, I just sometimes get a bit down. I'm human! What I find usually cheers me up is either a good little shopping trip or a little scribble in my journal. Yes, I have a journal. The only reason that I have a journal is for moments where I just want a piece of paper to let all my feelings flow out of me. I highly recommend doing this, it really relieves you of any stress.

In my last journal entry I was talking about my future. I don't know what the future brings and that scares me a little. The fact that we are all going to die and that every one we know will eventually be gone as well, scares me a lot. I start to question the meaning of life a lot, and I don't really know where to start or end. Life is complicated and beautiful but if you don't treat it right, it won't treat you right.

My mum got me the candle in the picture above for when I graduated high school. I never burned it because it doesn't really have a scent, but I love the message on it. "The best is yet to be!" is such a happy and uplifting thought. When you really wonder about what is going to happen down the road, just keep in mind that it will be the best. There will be bumps along the way, but that's life. I think I just have to realize in those times that I get a little bit down, I need to look at myself from a different perspective. I need to realize how lucky I am and how this moment should be happy, not sad. Sad moments make you appreciate happy ones, but if you have too many sad ones then you don't have that balance. Be happy because after all, the best is yet to be.