I'm sorry that this post is going up late, but I have had a crazy week - as I will explain in my next post.
So on this coming Tuesday, (September 15th) I will be turning 20. TWENTY! And it terrifies me. This last year has helped me grow into a better, stronger adult but leaving my teens behind is very overwhelming!
This year I am back in University for my second year, which means I am away from my family and friends. Granted, I have friends here but it isn't quite the same. In fact it kind of solidifies the "adult" feeling that I am trying to escape.
What scares me the most about starting my twenties, is that it is the time in your life when you are expected to know where you are going. You are now an adult, after all.
If you asked me four years ago what I wanted to do, I would have said go to school, get a teaching degree, and be married by age 23. If you asked me now, I would probably just sit and cry - because I don't know. Married by 23 is more than likely not going to happen, I'm not looking at teaching right now, but I am in school! However, if you asked me two and a half years ago what my plans were, I couldn't tell you that I would even live to see 20. I was in such a depression, and had thought (and attempted) suicide on many occasions - that I didn't think I would survive my teens.
I want all of you to know that if you are struggling, you can get through this. Take it from me, there is so much else going on that you should be around to experience.
I go back and forth between wanting to go to graduate school and travelling the world - and people saying I can only choose one. Who says I can't get my undergraduate, travel, and then go to graduate school? Why do I have to be married and have children so young? I can hardly take care of myself, I can't imagine having to take care of another living thing.
If I could say something to my 16 year-old self that was sure she had her life planned out, it would be that "the world is bigger than you think it is". It wasn't until two years ago that I started really branching out and travelling without my family - Washington, DC, New York, and of course New Brunswick for university. Four years ago my goal was to go to a university seven minutes away from my house.
And I am so glad I didn't.
I might be 23 before I get my first degree, but that is okay with me - because I am here getting an education, no matter how long it takes.
So goodbye teen years, and hello twenties.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
New (School) Years Resolutions!
Hello and happy Friday! So this is my last Friday in Ontario for a while as I am moving back to school on Tuesday. I will be starting my second year of University and although I am very excited, I am also very nervous because I am going to be crazy busy.
In an effort to try and keep myself on track with my life, I came up with ten resolutions that I want to keep up with throughout this coming school year!
1. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and be consistent. I have a very bad habit of staying up late and being exhausted all day. Thankfully I don't have any classes before 10am first semester, but I want to be able to go to sleep at a reasonable time every day.
2. Don't sleep away the days. This one kind of goes with the above, since I stay up late and then spend my days off sleeping. If I ever get a day when I have nothing going on, I still want to get up at a decent time and be productive. Or at least just spend the day watching Netflix.
3. Keep notes and desk organized. This isn't something I am worried about as I am a very organized person, it's just something I want to be aware of daily.
4. Complete all required readings on time. I am a procrastinator - I can admit that. Last semester I was terrible at keeping up with readings, and it is something I want to fix this year!
5. Find a good study spot. It is my goal to find a good study spot that is quiet and free of distractions! I did use the study hall quite a bit last year, but there were days when it was full and I wasn't sure where else to go. My roommate and I did find some empty classrooms to study in, but a consistent spot would be nice.
6. Go to the gym at least four days a week. The gym is my "happy place" and I don't want my health to be neglected because of my busy schedule. Even if it means going late at night, or running for 20 minutes in between classes and my job, I will make it happen.
7. Look good for class/work every day! I have recently gotten into makeup and being comfortable in my own skin. I want to feel good every day, and want to get up early enough that I can plan an outfit and do my hair/makeup when I feel like going all out.
8. Eat some kind of breakfast every day. I am the worst at eating breakfast. If I were to estimate, I would say I eat breakfast 5-7 times a month. I don't much care for cereal, and since I am not much of a morning person, I don't usually feel like making something. It is my goal to get my butt down to the meal hall for breakfast every day. Or if I'm running late for something to at least eat a healthy granola bar or fruit.
9. Don't procrastinate any assignment, reading, or studying. This fits with my fourth resolution, but I purchased a Kate Spade planner to make sure I am keeping track of everything. It is a goal to use my planner actively!
And finally the biggest and hardest one...
10. Manage a 3.7 GPA. I need to somehow accomplish this while working part time, having a social life, and maintaining two blogs plus a YouTube channel. I think I should be able to achieve this if I can keep up with my other nine resolutions!
Wish me luck and I wish any of you students the best in this coming school year!
~ Kristina
In an effort to try and keep myself on track with my life, I came up with ten resolutions that I want to keep up with throughout this coming school year!
1. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and be consistent. I have a very bad habit of staying up late and being exhausted all day. Thankfully I don't have any classes before 10am first semester, but I want to be able to go to sleep at a reasonable time every day.
2. Don't sleep away the days. This one kind of goes with the above, since I stay up late and then spend my days off sleeping. If I ever get a day when I have nothing going on, I still want to get up at a decent time and be productive. Or at least just spend the day watching Netflix.
3. Keep notes and desk organized. This isn't something I am worried about as I am a very organized person, it's just something I want to be aware of daily.
4. Complete all required readings on time. I am a procrastinator - I can admit that. Last semester I was terrible at keeping up with readings, and it is something I want to fix this year!
5. Find a good study spot. It is my goal to find a good study spot that is quiet and free of distractions! I did use the study hall quite a bit last year, but there were days when it was full and I wasn't sure where else to go. My roommate and I did find some empty classrooms to study in, but a consistent spot would be nice.
6. Go to the gym at least four days a week. The gym is my "happy place" and I don't want my health to be neglected because of my busy schedule. Even if it means going late at night, or running for 20 minutes in between classes and my job, I will make it happen.
7. Look good for class/work every day! I have recently gotten into makeup and being comfortable in my own skin. I want to feel good every day, and want to get up early enough that I can plan an outfit and do my hair/makeup when I feel like going all out.
8. Eat some kind of breakfast every day. I am the worst at eating breakfast. If I were to estimate, I would say I eat breakfast 5-7 times a month. I don't much care for cereal, and since I am not much of a morning person, I don't usually feel like making something. It is my goal to get my butt down to the meal hall for breakfast every day. Or if I'm running late for something to at least eat a healthy granola bar or fruit.
9. Don't procrastinate any assignment, reading, or studying. This fits with my fourth resolution, but I purchased a Kate Spade planner to make sure I am keeping track of everything. It is a goal to use my planner actively!
And finally the biggest and hardest one...
10. Manage a 3.7 GPA. I need to somehow accomplish this while working part time, having a social life, and maintaining two blogs plus a YouTube channel. I think I should be able to achieve this if I can keep up with my other nine resolutions!
Wish me luck and I wish any of you students the best in this coming school year!
~ Kristina
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Etsy Sticker Shop Haul/Review!
Hello again! Sorry that this post is later than my Friday posts, but I have been crazy busy (terrible excuse I know). I have a very exciting post today and that is a review for a newly opened Etsy sticker shop! One of the creators of this shop has a YouTube channel, which is how we first got in contact and she asked me to review - I will link her down below with all the other information.
The Etsy shop is called BellaDiva Designs, and they are based out of Ontario, Canada. It is so hard for me to find Canadian Etsy shops, so I get super excited when I come across one. This was also my first time getting asked to be sent stickers to review so I am extremely grateful to this shop. The fact that these stickers were sent to me for review does not affect my opinion.
I do have an Erin Condren Vertical Life Planner this year, but most of the stickers could be used for the horizontal, or any other planner.
So the first thing I saw were these cute green duo sets - one with full boxes and the other with different heart checklists, flags, icon stickers, and weekend stickers.
There were also a TON of cute random things! Movie marque stickers, baking set, date night, garbage/recycling, grocery bags,
The colours of these stickers are amazing, however the quality lacks a little bit. With some of the stickers, they would split when I tried to take them off the sheet. This happened mostly with the smaller ones and the checkboxes. They are glossy and permanent, so be careful with your placement!
I did plan my next spread a couple of days early just so I could use these stickers and show you how they looked!
Again I would like to give a huge thank you to BellaDiva Designs for sending me some of their stickers - I will be placing an order very soon!
The Etsy shop is called BellaDiva Designs, and they are based out of Ontario, Canada. It is so hard for me to find Canadian Etsy shops, so I get super excited when I come across one. This was also my first time getting asked to be sent stickers to review so I am extremely grateful to this shop. The fact that these stickers were sent to me for review does not affect my opinion.
I do have an Erin Condren Vertical Life Planner this year, but most of the stickers could be used for the horizontal, or any other planner.
So the first thing I saw were these cute green duo sets - one with full boxes and the other with different heart checklists, flags, icon stickers, and weekend stickers.
There were also a TON of cute random things! Movie marque stickers, baking set, date night, garbage/recycling, grocery bags,
I did plan my next spread a couple of days early just so I could use these stickers and show you how they looked!
If you would like to order from them, make sure you use the code "GRANDOPENING" for 25% off your order! They accept all methods of payment - so check them out!
Instagram: @BellaDivaDesignsPaperCo
Lindsay's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lindsayheartsbooks/about
Friday, July 24, 2015
My First Trip to MAC!
Happy Friday!
A couple of weeks ago I walked into my local MAC store for the first time. I wasn't expecting to buy anything because I don't have that kind of money, but a few things caught my attention!
NOTE: I don't want this to seem like I am braging in any way. I have recently started getting makeup and when I would wear drugstore foundations and such I would break out. I have very sensitve skin and have to be careful with what I use.
I have recently become more interested in doing my makeup and watching beauty videos, and although it's a fairly expensive hobby, I love the way it makes me feel. *Disclaimer however that I don't wear makeup every day and I don't think I need to enhance myself in anyway. Through the years I have struggled with self-esteem issues, but am finally starting to become happy with myself.
Okay so just to touch on my experience at the store, it was pretty great. It was a fairly small store with quite a few customers there, but I was still greeted upon entering. I was so overwhelmed with all of the products and how it worked I almost left. But I was so interested in learning that I decided to do something I rarely do - I asked for help. I told the woman it was my first experience with MAC and that I was just starting to get into makeup, so she took me through the basics. I told her I was interested in eyeshadow that brought out my green eyes, highlighting because I have a rounder face, and setting spray because I work in a hot store - and she knew exactly what I needed.
I'm going to include some pictures of the items I got along with swatches, but I love everything I got. She didn't push me into buying extra things, but I did mention an interest in lipstick briefly and she showed me a really nice natural one for beginners.
Products purchased:
* Mineralize Skin Finish - shade: Global Glow
I use this almost every day to brighten up my face and I am obsessed with it! I think soon I am going to purchase Cheeky Bronze and Lightscapade!
* Prep + Prime Fix+
Again something I use almost daily. This is so refreshing and hydrating on my skin, and the cucumber scent helps wake me up. Before reading reviews and trying it out myself, I had never seen the purpose of setting spray. To lock in your makeup? Isn't that what primer is for? NO! Primer actual just preps your face! I have noticed a complete difference in how long my makeup lasts with just a few sprits!
* Eyeshadow x9 - Purple Times Nine
I did not know (until my MAC visit) that purple eyeshadow brought out green eyes! When she first told me purple I was very scared and apprehensive. But she sat me down and showed me how to apply the different shades, and now I am in love with it.
Side Note: There were too many colours to swatch, but believe me when I say they are exactly as they seem!
* Mineralize Eye Shadow x4 - A Waft of Grey
These shades are so well pigmented and blend so well together. I love using this compact for nights out because it is so smokey and makes my eyes pop!
* Viva Glam Lipstick - shade: A45
This colour, oh my goodness. Whenever I look at it I fall in love all over again. It is such a beautiful colour that goes on so smooth, and feels natural. If you need it to last longer however I recommend starting with a lip liner!
Did I mention 100% of the proceeds go to charity? Sold.
I felt the need to write this post because I have seen a lot of videos on YouTube of people having bad experiences with MAC's customer service. Considering I work in retail myself and have seen some terrible things and been treated disgustingly, I have no complaints about my personal experience. Maybe the Canadian stores are better? JOKING! But seriously, I am so grateful to the employee that helped me and took the time to show me how to use the different products before purchasing.
When I was at the register we got to talking, and I mentioned I go to school in New Brunswick, so I was considering stocking up on makeup. Even though the store was busy with customers, she went and got this big book of all the MAC stores in Canada, and went through it with me to find the closet one to where I'll be staying. She already had my money but was continuing to help.
Please don't let the videos you see on YouTube deter you from experiencing it yourself! I am very sad for the women that had terrible customer service but if you live in Kitchener-Waterloo like myself, I recommend Fairview Mall!
I love you and will talk to you in a week! Have a great weekend - unless you work in retail like I do, then good luck.
~ Kristina
A couple of weeks ago I walked into my local MAC store for the first time. I wasn't expecting to buy anything because I don't have that kind of money, but a few things caught my attention!
NOTE: I don't want this to seem like I am braging in any way. I have recently started getting makeup and when I would wear drugstore foundations and such I would break out. I have very sensitve skin and have to be careful with what I use.
I have recently become more interested in doing my makeup and watching beauty videos, and although it's a fairly expensive hobby, I love the way it makes me feel. *Disclaimer however that I don't wear makeup every day and I don't think I need to enhance myself in anyway. Through the years I have struggled with self-esteem issues, but am finally starting to become happy with myself.
Okay so just to touch on my experience at the store, it was pretty great. It was a fairly small store with quite a few customers there, but I was still greeted upon entering. I was so overwhelmed with all of the products and how it worked I almost left. But I was so interested in learning that I decided to do something I rarely do - I asked for help. I told the woman it was my first experience with MAC and that I was just starting to get into makeup, so she took me through the basics. I told her I was interested in eyeshadow that brought out my green eyes, highlighting because I have a rounder face, and setting spray because I work in a hot store - and she knew exactly what I needed.
I'm going to include some pictures of the items I got along with swatches, but I love everything I got. She didn't push me into buying extra things, but I did mention an interest in lipstick briefly and she showed me a really nice natural one for beginners.
Products purchased:
* Mineralize Skin Finish - shade: Global GlowI use this almost every day to brighten up my face and I am obsessed with it! I think soon I am going to purchase Cheeky Bronze and Lightscapade!
Again something I use almost daily. This is so refreshing and hydrating on my skin, and the cucumber scent helps wake me up. Before reading reviews and trying it out myself, I had never seen the purpose of setting spray. To lock in your makeup? Isn't that what primer is for? NO! Primer actual just preps your face! I have noticed a complete difference in how long my makeup lasts with just a few sprits!
I did not know (until my MAC visit) that purple eyeshadow brought out green eyes! When she first told me purple I was very scared and apprehensive. But she sat me down and showed me how to apply the different shades, and now I am in love with it.
Side Note: There were too many colours to swatch, but believe me when I say they are exactly as they seem!
* Mineralize Eye Shadow x4 - A Waft of GreyThese shades are so well pigmented and blend so well together. I love using this compact for nights out because it is so smokey and makes my eyes pop!
* Viva Glam Lipstick - shade: A45This colour, oh my goodness. Whenever I look at it I fall in love all over again. It is such a beautiful colour that goes on so smooth, and feels natural. If you need it to last longer however I recommend starting with a lip liner!
Did I mention 100% of the proceeds go to charity? Sold.
I felt the need to write this post because I have seen a lot of videos on YouTube of people having bad experiences with MAC's customer service. Considering I work in retail myself and have seen some terrible things and been treated disgustingly, I have no complaints about my personal experience. Maybe the Canadian stores are better? JOKING! But seriously, I am so grateful to the employee that helped me and took the time to show me how to use the different products before purchasing.
When I was at the register we got to talking, and I mentioned I go to school in New Brunswick, so I was considering stocking up on makeup. Even though the store was busy with customers, she went and got this big book of all the MAC stores in Canada, and went through it with me to find the closet one to where I'll be staying. She already had my money but was continuing to help.
Please don't let the videos you see on YouTube deter you from experiencing it yourself! I am very sad for the women that had terrible customer service but if you live in Kitchener-Waterloo like myself, I recommend Fairview Mall!
I love you and will talk to you in a week! Have a great weekend - unless you work in retail like I do, then good luck.
~ Kristina
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Inside Out Movie Review
Hello again! I told you I would post weekly and I am trying to stick to that!
So last Saturday I decided to treat myself and my mom, and took us to the movies. It is very rare for us to go and see a movie since our work schedules collide so much, but we had a free evening and we really wanted to see Inside Out.
I saw the trailer for this movie last year and was hooked from the very beginning. I will link the trailer for anyone interested but it was hilarious and Mindy Kaling was starring in it so I was sold. I love Mindy so much as you probably already know, and thought her playing "disgust" couldn't have been more perfect. I had been highly anticipating the release of this movie and am happy to say I was not disappointed. I have loved Pixar movies since I was a kid, and expected this to be light and funny as usual. I was only half right.
The storyline for this is centered around emotions and the different aspects that make up your personality. So what happens when you take away joy and sadness, but leave anger, disgust, and fear? Chaos.
Throughout this movie you watch 11-year old Riley struggle with moving to another state, not being around her parents as much, and essentially falling into a depression. She loses touch with her friends, no longer interested in sports, and starts fighting with her parents. It was such a sad decline but there were some funny lines and moments thrown in making it lighter than it came across. The writers of this movie handled the topic so well and I think it was very powerful. Mental illness is becoming very common in adolescents, and this movie can serve as a way to see it does get better, and where you can draw joy from.
Not going to lie, I did cry in this movie. It was so well done that I couldn't help but get emotional! I will be purchasing this movie when it comes out and highly recommend you watch the trailer!
So last Saturday I decided to treat myself and my mom, and took us to the movies. It is very rare for us to go and see a movie since our work schedules collide so much, but we had a free evening and we really wanted to see Inside Out.
I saw the trailer for this movie last year and was hooked from the very beginning. I will link the trailer for anyone interested but it was hilarious and Mindy Kaling was starring in it so I was sold. I love Mindy so much as you probably already know, and thought her playing "disgust" couldn't have been more perfect. I had been highly anticipating the release of this movie and am happy to say I was not disappointed. I have loved Pixar movies since I was a kid, and expected this to be light and funny as usual. I was only half right.The storyline for this is centered around emotions and the different aspects that make up your personality. So what happens when you take away joy and sadness, but leave anger, disgust, and fear? Chaos.
Throughout this movie you watch 11-year old Riley struggle with moving to another state, not being around her parents as much, and essentially falling into a depression. She loses touch with her friends, no longer interested in sports, and starts fighting with her parents. It was such a sad decline but there were some funny lines and moments thrown in making it lighter than it came across. The writers of this movie handled the topic so well and I think it was very powerful. Mental illness is becoming very common in adolescents, and this movie can serve as a way to see it does get better, and where you can draw joy from.
Not going to lie, I did cry in this movie. It was so well done that I couldn't help but get emotional! I will be purchasing this movie when it comes out and highly recommend you watch the trailer!
IMDB + Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/
Friday, July 3, 2015
Welcome to My Blog!
Welcome!
Thank you for taking the time to click on my blog and read this! I have lots of plan for this page and hope we all have a good time on this adventure.
You probably know me from my YouTube channel where I talk about books, ThePrincessGummyBear, and I love connecting with you guys there but I wanted to take it to a more personal level.
Basics:
- 19 years old, born September 15, 1995
- Currently living in Ontario, Canada. Attending school in New Brunswick Canada. Love to travel.
- Diagnosed as manic depressive, obsessive-compulsive, and an anxiety disorder. I've been hospitalized twice for my depression.
- My parents are separated as of last year and I live (apart from school) with my amazing mom and loving dog.
- I have a passion for books and recently discovered a love for makeup, Etsy, and my Erin Condren planner
- I'm more focused on my future than my past
With this blog I just want to be able to talk about different things, fun and hard things, and everything in-between. Joining YouTube was one of the best decisions I've made but since I have a small passion for writing, I want to be able to voice a lot of topics in writing as well.
Last summer I got really into fitness and will probably bring some of that over to this blog as well. Progress, workouts, recipes, who knows! Some simple changes have helped me to see a huge difference in my body (both how I look and feel) and I would love to share that with people who care to read about it.
I'm not sure what else to say as there will be plenty of more in-depth posts to follow! Let me know if there is anything you want me to talk about specifically!
I will link all of my social media below as well as on the "About Me" page.
Twitter: @kristinalenny
Instagram: @kristinaalovee
Snapchat: @kristinalenny
Thanks again and I love you.
~ Kristina
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