My New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you have a good one!
How many of you make resolutions every year? How long do you stick to them? I feel like New Year's resolutions are made mainly because of this 'new year, new me' belief, where we feel so excited and motivated to turn a new leaf and make good changes for ourselves, but are not really ready to make them. So we fail.
Personally, I do not usually make any resolutions. I do have personal goals I wish to achieve and after a bad last year, I am using this motivation to get out of the mindset I got stuck in and start doing things I feel like I am meant to be doing. So this is my 2016 plan:

Work on starting a career

I always struggled with the idea of finding a job, and being employed, and having a boss, and being restricted with time and to a place because of my job. This does not necessarily apply to every job. Mainly what is known as a 'student job' such as being a waitress. Without going into depth, I always strived to have a successful career and it scares me to 'waste' a period of my life on a job that will get me no where. I am looking for an entry level job in my field, which is audio engineering, simply because that is something I want to learn more about. Knowing I can not spend five more years unemployed while I start my own business, working in a creative field feels like it will not scare me off as everything else since I am used to being around productions.

Blog updating

Blogging has been hard for me. I never thought how much I would love it and how much I would fight to continue doing it. However, I need to learn how to blog at a certain time to be consistent but still be able to focus on my real life. This year I would love to be courageous enough to establish a working relationships with brands and see where I can go with this platform that I have. (And that's not me being a stuck up...thing, I promise)

Regarding the design of the blog, I really wish to change it's name ~ I could use your help with that *insert puppy eyes* ~ and match it with the URL address so it can be found easier. I will most likely design a new header once I have decided on a name, and I plan to introduce categories, including new Fitness category.

More interaction

Blogging community is such an amazing group of people that I can not cope with how lovely you all are! I love talking to you all during chats even though I did not really become friends with anyone. I can only blame myself for that because I know for a fact that I do not try hard enough to stay someones friend mainly because I feel like I am forcing someone to like me. So, I will try my best to talk to a lot of you and at least introduce myself so you can freely form an opinion about me. Hi there!

The famous 'I will lose weight'

I can say that last year I worked on getting myself into the mental state of living healthy. I started working out and testing my strenght and capability while exercising. I also have been eating healthy throughout the year and now I can say that I do not have any cravings and can easily say no to any bad food in front of me. This resolution came from noticing how much better I felt while eating lots of healthy food and from wishing to, after 21 years, take control over the way my body looks. This year I want to work on consistency of my exercises and their intensity to achieve the fitness level I want to be on.

There you go. Those are my main goals to achieve this year.

What are your New Year's resolutions if you even make them? I am rather curious.

Decorate your Christmas tree | Gingerbread man idea

This holiday season has not been really nice for me, though after a whole year of feeling terrible, I am not surprised. I struggle with feeling festive and I did see a lot of people saying it comes with being an adult. I do not necessarily think that is the reason as I have not been one this year, to be honest. Most likely it is a side effect of a little 'early twenties crisis'.

Gingerbread man baking

However, I made it a point to have a bit of festivity on this blog of mine this year. Originally, this idea was for last week's post but delays happened. I understand if you already have your baubles ~ or ornaments, whichever you prefer ~ up on your tree but do not stress!...There is still time to replace those and use this gingerbread man cookies instead! *hashtag winky face* 

Gingerbread man icing

The idea came from wishing to have different ornaments this year. You know...originality and all. But one thing is for sure, Christmas ornaments are definitely overpriced and I am definitely broke! So I decided to make them myself and what could be better than gingerbread man cookies?

Gingerbread man

Honestly, it did take me quite a few hours to bake them. Mostly because I do get easily distracted so that slows me down. I did really enjoy the process. They are so easy to make and having all the spices aroma in the air really does give you the sense of Christmas being near. Also, I find baking very relaxing ~ when there is no one telling me how to do it mostly. I did not plan on posting a recipe for these cookies, but if you do wish one feel free to leave a comment.

Gingerbread man ornament

I find my cookies really nice this year. They turned out to look really cute and were not that difficult to decorate since I made my own icing. The buttons and the bow ties WERE supposed to be much darker colours ~ you know...red and green, the colours of the holiday. I also believe I got a sugar rush from the amount of the dough I tasted trying to get it off my hands and two of them did fall off the tree at one point. But not everything goes as planned, and I love it when it does not.

Christmas tree | Gingerbread man decoration

I can not wait to see photos of your trees. I know there will look wonderful! If you use this idea of  hanging at least one gingerbread man up on your tree please send me a photo I would love to see yours! What is your favourite Christmas activity? As this is the last post before Christmas:

I wish you a merry Christmas and lots of time spend with your loved ones wrapped in hugs and kisses!

Christmas presents for him

Buying presents is not all that easy. Especially if you want to be original and are avoiding any classic gifts ~ not that those are any bad. I always found it more reasonable to buy things you think would be perfect for someone right when you find them, rather than waiting for Christmas shopping season and not know where to get them now. Then again, I always was the one to leave everything that needed to be done for the last moment. Got myself in a bit of a pickle there.

But to help you out of your pickle, I went and found some Christmas gift ideas for any special man in your life. Boys are difficult to buy for. I always find it hard to think outside of the box and ignore the typical "guy stuff", such as belts, boxers or aftershave ~ even though I did buy a really nice smelling one once for my dad ( BINGO! ). Give it a look.

1. Scratch Map

For any traveller out there this is a really nice gift to receive. It is a good way of keeping track of where you visited and where else is left to explore. If I was to receive this map I, for sure, would be so excited, especially about the scratching part. What is really nice is that they can frame it and hang it on the wall. However, they can also roll it up and store it into one of those poster tubes and take it with them in a suitcase! Also, I may be wrong, but I have read that this was created by a Croatian couple who are travellers. The price of the maps varies depending on the model but the original one is £18.95. Kind of pricey, but I think it is worth it ( find it here ).

2. A wireless charger

This is something I feel a guy with love for technology would love to have. I do not think there is an easier way of charging your phone than placing it on this and that is it! The design of it makes it easy to incorporate into the home decor as it is very simple yet modern. Also, for all the clumsy people this is very practical as it sits in one given place. You do not have to touch it, so there is no reason to lose the charger or damage the wire ~ as it happens to me with everything…This one is from Ikea and the price is £30 ( find it here ).

3. A notebook

Any creative person usually writes down their ideas and thoughts. Whether it is for the purpose of venting or just for making notes for later, it is always good to have a personal notebook close by. I stumbled across this gorgeous notebooks the other day and though they would be really nice as a gift. The design of it is like a diary, though it does not have to be one, but it makes them look that more personal, which I love! I would recommend taking a look at this site as it has some CRAZY discounts right now and this notebook is only $7. Quite nice, right? ( Find it here ).

4. A beer mug

Now, let's not forget, men are men, and the probability is they like their beer. Living many years with my father, I know he prefers certain glasses or mugs to drink his beer from. I guess there is just something special about the experience of drinking it. Such a guy, right? However, these glasses can be quite expensive depending on the design and the brand. I once bought one for my dad in Prague ~ they
are known for their beer ~ though I can not remember the exact price. I did find this one for 14.90 EUR. Pricey, but hey, Christmas is only once a year. ( Find it here ).

5. A cookbook

This one could be potentially risky. However, some guys do enjoy cooking as does Jamie Oliver. So why not get them a book of recipes of their favourite cuisine. There are many to choose from ~ Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, quick meals, complicated meals, healthy food…you get it. I personally chose the 15 Minute Meal only because I hope that is not enough time to completely destroy the kitchen if the guy decides to cook but is not very good at it. #Sorry The price is £12.00 for a hardcover via Amazon ( find it here ).

• Stocking fillers

I find Christmas stockings very lovely and sweet tradition. My family does not really use them but I love to create mini presents to fill them up with. I love that the goal is to find as many smaller items that would fit in but would also be useable. Here are some ideas that I adore. I personally love them all, though I really like the anchor detailed bracelet that is still quite simple and the beanie because if I am honest, beanies on guys are pure perfection. All these are from H&M and can be found here.

Hopefully this will help you somehow. Maybe you like a certain item, maybe you get inspired for something completely different. Anyway, I just hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! Have a nice holiday!

Baking ingredients beauty benefits

It is close to Christmas time and preparations are already under way. Excitement is starting to show and if you are anything like me, you are already imagining your perfect Christmas holidays. What is your favourite part of it all? I am most excited about all the baking that will soon take place and all the aromas of spices that will consume my kitchen air space. But did you know, many of the baking ingredients can be used for beauty purposes as some are very beneficial.

• Cinnamon
Adding a tablespoon of cinnamon a day to your food will help you get rid of toxins as it provides the body with fiber, thus leading to your skin not being clogged and your skin tone improved. It has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic and anti parasitic properties which help with skin conditions such as acne, different skin infections, eczema or to soothe and soften the dry skin. It is also a good exfoliant and can be used as a hair mask to stimulate the scalp and provide nourishment to hair follicles. Some use it for plumping their skin (mainly lips) as it stimulates blood vessels and brings blood and oxygen to the surface. However, use Ceylon, not Cassia cinnamon as Cassia has high percentage of coumarin which can cause allergic reactions so before anything you should do a patch test just to be safe.

Cinnamon

• Ginger
Rich with antioxidants, ginger helps with getting rid of toxins and stimulates the circulation delivering more nutrients to the skin. As cinnamon, it also helps with acne by killing the bacteria responsible for creating acne and can also reduce the visibility of white scars by rubbing it directly on the scarred area. Ginger can help with hair growth by increasing the scalp circulation and stimulating the hair follicles. Also it is rich with vitamin, zinc and phosphorus making it good to use if you have dry hair or suffer from hair loss and split ends and it's antiseptic properties help fight dandruff.

Ginger

• Coffee
Caffeine is good for reducing eye puffiness by constricting the blood vessels under the skin sufrace. It's antioxidants eliminate free radicals that cause ageing of the skin which is why it is popular ingredient of anti-ageing creams. Also adding ground coffee to a homemade body scrub helps reducing the visibility of cellulite by extracting water from fatty cells and thus tightening the skin. Caffeine is also beneficial for hair growth. It penetrates into the roots and stimulates them while preventing hair loss and increasing hair growth and it's life cycle.

Ground coffee

• Cocoa
Cocoa is rich with antioxidants and fatty acids so it moisturises the skin and promotes collagen production. Cocoa powder contains lots of minerals such as calcium, potassium and zinc. Cocoa butter has many purposes and can even be used with your shaving lotion to prevent any irritation. It has healing properties so you can use it for any scars or even stretch marks or if you are struggling with chapped lips which is why it is an ingredient of many lotions, moisturizers and lip balms.

KRAŠ cocoa powder

• Sugar
If you are living healthy lifestyle, the possibilities are sugar is something you steer clear from. But did you know that sugar is a source of glycol acid which is commonly used in skincare products for it's capability of penetrating into skin? It reduces wrinkles, acne scarring and hyperpigmentation and exfoliates upper layer of skin. Also sugar scrubs are more hydrating than salt scrubs which can strip skin of its natural oils. Use brown sugar scrub for the face and sensitive skin since it is softer than granulated one.

Sugar

Hope this was somewhat informative to you. Are you familiar with using any of these products in your beauty regime? Or will you give it a go after reading this?
Thank you for reading if you came this far and hope you have a nice rest of the day!

My facial skin care update

Skin care is very important to me. It is one of the things I feel I know quite a lot about. I am always researching what is good for the skin, what I should not be doing or how to improve some imperfections. And I have always concentrated more on improving my flaws rather than hiding them with makeup. So if you wish to know what products I use, stick around because you are about to find out.

Before you begin treating your skin, it would be good to know the type you have. I, personally, self diagnosed myself with a dry skin judging by the fact that every time I wash my face it feels extremely tight as if I have a peel-off mask on my face and I have to put on a moisturiser. If you have oily skin, you will notice an excessive amount of oil in your T-zone that will also be quite shiny most of the time. Mixed type ~ well, bless you, you will not have these problems.

Afrodita Clean Phase Cleansing Gel

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Products that I currently use are actually mostly random ones I found or took from my mom. But hey, they seem to work. On a good morning I like to give my face a good cleanse. After I wash my face with a warm water, I apply, on still wet skin, a CLEAN PHASE cleansing gel by AFRODITA COSMETICS to get rid of any dirt. Just for an extra clean skin I use GARNIER Micellar Cleansing Water that I leave on. I also found the GARNIER Ultra Lift cream that comes in a tub for the skin under your eyes that should reduce wrinkles ~ we will see about that! Finally, because my skin is dry I often use Melem, which I know is very healthy for skin, and I apply it all over my face. I can say from experience that it's benefits are astonishing.

Garnier Ultra Lift eye cream

Melem

Recently, I faced quite a bad breakout which is unusual for me since I never (other than that one time) had more than a couple of pimples on my face. It was most of the time pretty clean and acne free and now I do not have any scars or dips left. Hashtag panic when strange things start to show up! My guess is that the pimples were showing up because of the hormonal imbalance, though I can not be sure because I am not about to have my blood checked just for acne. No thanks. However, I noticed that often the black spots around my nose get inflamed and create really painful pimples. So to keep that under control I use a paste made with lemon juice and baking soda and so far it seems to somewhat clean out my black spots.

Ingredients for black heads paste

Of course, dealing with acne is stressful and it is understandable that you will not feel the best about yourself. As with anything, it is a case of trial and error and you have to find out what works best for you. Some products with great reviews may do absolutely nothing to improve your skin and some you find accidentally may work wonders. Basically, be sure of what you are looking for, whether it is a moisturiser or an exfoliator or something to reduce an excess oil.