I don't know if I have a lot of readers out there but just to let you know..


I decided to close the blog because I am always so busy right now. I litterally have no time at all. Especially because I decided to go back to school since I was on an on and off break for almost two years now, because I moved around a lot and never knew if I want to go back to Austria or not. First I even thought about leaving university completely, but I now decided to finish by bachelor degree here in Zurich and stay in Switzerland for a longer period of time.

The main reason is because I love the city so much that I decided to stay here for the next couple of years. To know that I'm going to be at one place for quite a while also gives me the stability that I was looking for and motivates me for carry on with my studies. People here are very focused on having a good background when it comes to education. Another reason is that the education system is one of the best in Europe and the universities are extremely well organised.

I'm still going to work but just part time. Right now I work in a beautiful restaurant right next to the lake which I like a lot :)

My life is slowly moving in a really good direction, and I'm just so happy about that!

On that note, I'm going to close the book (for now)

Something Personal

Today I want to talk a little bit about struggle. The last couple of years were a great learning experience. I moved out, moved to a different country on my own with almost no money in my pocket. When I look back at that I can't believe how bold I was when I came to Switzerland. But somehow I made it through, I struggled, had to fight, motivate me everyday. There were certainly times where I just ran out of energy but I knew I couldn't give up, because when you are an adult, you can't give in so easily. Somehow you have to make it through and believe me, no one prepares you for this in school or when you are young. Being a grown up is sometimes hard and you need to make decisions on your own. Not your parents make your decisions for you like when you were a child. I can say that I am very proud of the last years and what I have seen and experienced. When you are looking back on things and you are thinking "Wow, I can't believe I did this" and you were able to accomblish something, even if it's just some small archievement, it definitely builds your self-esteem and strengh in such a positive way.

I think it is so important to go your own way. Definitely be open to opinions from others, which you think are having a good influence on you. But be your own person. And believe me, in the end all the struggle is going to be worth it!

Mistakes of Loosing Weight

I wanted to talk a little bit about my weight loss journey last year and what I did wrong. At the beginning of last year I was very motivated but over the summer I struggled with keeping off the weight I loss to be honest. I have always been a healthy eater and concious about my health in general, but at that particular time and due to stress at work I had some fall outs with my fitness routine. I also ate really badly which lead to gaining back a couple of pounds.

I finally can say that I am back to a healthy routine again, although I still have to work to get where I was before. Here are some mistakes I made that where the reasons for my struggles:

Over-exercising

I never led my body some time to recover and sometimes I worked out 7 days a week. It also lead to some health issues because I got pain in my ankles which was due to over-exercising. I think working out 5 times a week is enough for me. I also cut down the cardio on the treadmill to 40-45 minutes instead of an hour.

No Rest Days

Even the days where I didn't work out where planned out. Now I allow myself to be a little lazy sometimes which is ok, otherwise I would loose my mind pobably ;)

Not Eating Enough

I had the perfect body but still wasn't happy, and I always wondered why since I always wanted to be perfectly thin. The reason was that I didn't eat enough to keep up with my now active lifestyle. It was too much for me sometimes and just for my mood I now try to get in regular meals with enough carbs and proteins.

Private Life

I basically never got out to see my friends because all I focused on were my workouts. So having a social life next to my work and off-work activities is very important for me and my mood as well.

If you want to read a similar story, which is ON POINT, go to tinyurl.com/n4cbwos

New Year's Resolutions

Ok I have to admit I'm a little late on this but here we go...

• Learn to Cook

I always wanted to learn it but never really had time to do so. I want to learn all the basic stuff and try out some new recipes.

• Get in Shape for Summer

Right now I'm doing a challenge with a coworker which is fun bc we always send each other pictures of our fitness routine. I set some goals for the end of February and he holds me accountable for it if I'm not able to go through it.

• Learn Another Language

Probably French, but I also like Russian lately. If I've got time I want to learn both but we'll see ;)

Things I Learned in 2014

• Go your own way but also try to listen to people you admire and be open to their advices because sometimes other people see what you don't see.
• Try to live a balanced lifestyle and make sure you also have time for your friends.
• Have one day in a week where you are allowed to be a little lazy. If your week was busy & productive, you'll need it. Otherwise you'd go crazy in our society.
• Be responsible with your money because it makes life so much easier.
• If you want to make a bigger decision, sometimes it's better to sleep over it.
• My motto has always been that good things come to good people, so try to be a honest and good person, no matter what life throws you at.
• Plan ahead, because you can never be too prepared.
• Be critical and don't believe everything people talk. Some people just want to take advantage of you.
• Always stay strong, no matter what!
• Learn from your mistakes but never regret anything, because everything led you to become the person who you are today, which is a good thing.

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Best Thing for Acne!

Avéne Triacnèal

This is the best I've ever tried for fighting acne and I have to give it a big shoutout today. It works wonders for me and can clear up my skin within a week. It says you should use it only on the areas where you have acne, but I put it on my whole face before I go to bed, it's ok for me.

Also, drink a lot of water and avoid dairy. These are definitely things that helped my skin to get better as well.

Trend: Purple Eyes Nude Lips

As you guys know I looove makeup tutorials on YT

Here's one of my favourite trends this season, purple sparkling eyes from the lovely Lustrelux.

The trick is that she's using a black base to intensify the colour.

youtu.be/Lq_MuxxLeU0

Looking Back on 2014

Not gonna lie, I had a pretty rough year this year. I definitely had to learn some lessons in 2014.

But in my opinion from every negative experience you can gain something positive and sometimes your struggles are the things that make you a better person in the end.

You also appreciate the good times so much more then!

For me, this post put everything in perspective. You need to read the comments, I love them! So if you are ever having a bad moment, believe me there are people in this world who are having it 10x worse then you and they are still able to fight their battles and accomplish their goals.

http://tinyurl.com/ozd6noq

Little Update

So here's a little update on my challenge I'm doing right now which I posted ealier.

So far I'm doing fine but I just had to do some adjustments. For example I started incorporating more lean meat and fish into my diet just because I felt a little off when I wasn't eating it. I already explained that I tried being vegan a couple if times now but I truly believe that you should listen to your body first and in my opinon not everybody's body is made the same, and while some feel amazing on a vegan diet some won't, as in my case.

I'm still struggeling a little bit with my workouts but that's ok, because I probably need some time to get back. I made the experience that you shouldn't stress yourself out all the time when something isn't perfect yet, just keep working on yourself, even when it needs longer as you expected.

By the way, i love this quote I found on Pinterest:

DIY Facial Scrub & Face Mask

Today it's Sunday, so perfect for recharging your batteries and cuddeling in your bed all day. Here are some simple ideas for an easy beauty treatment you can mix at home:

#1 Honey Sugar scrub

Just mix brown sugar with some honey. The best way to use it is to put it on your face like a mask and scrub it off with water. If you don't use a mask afterwards, you can put in a little olive oil to moisturize your skin.

#2 Avocado Honey Mask

Mix 1/2 of an avocado, honey, apply and leave it on for 10 minutes - done!

Your skin will feel super gentle afterwards :)

XO

Youtube: Healthy Food on a Budget

As you know I'm on a budget right now to save up some money. I even wrote an article about saving when it comes to food back in summer. Here's also a great video one of my fav Youtubers made, check it out:

http://youtu.be/Li9Lo5VGRI4

Challenge until the End of 2014

Since summer I have been a bit lazy when it comes to my beauty and workout routine. I also gained a couple of pounds back, mostly because of my stressful schedule and developing bad habits like eating late at night, which should be a no-no for everyone who is concerned about their shape.

So I had to say 'stop it' to myself and needed to make changes for the better. For a month and a half I slowly started cleaning out my diet with some cheat days here and there. I recently decided to cut out alcohol completely until the end of the year. What I also did was to set me on a mostly vegan diet, but with some exceptions like eating little amounts of butter, which I will follow through until January, so for two month. 

For one week now I'm eating vegan foods only and I can already notice  positive changes!

Of course working out will play a huge part as well.

So that's basically it for now!

Wish you all a good night depends on where you live of course ;)

XO

btw love this pic:

Impressive Self-Experiment: Drinking 3 Litres a Day for 4 Weeks

This is incredible: A Swiss women called Linda Meier (42) did what her doctor told her to: Drink more water. So she challenged herself to increase her intake to 3 litres a day and also took some amazing before and after shots, check them out, no photoshop involved:

She said she changed nothing but that and you can clearly see what a change it made to her skin: She looks more vibrant, healthier and younger. No expensive beauty cream can beat that!

Smoothie Recipe: Peach & Apricots

I loove this fresh combo. Try it out if you'd like to!

1 peach

cup of frozen apricots

1-2 tb honey

1 cup of ricemilk

1 teaspoon of vanilla protein powder

(optional: vanilla extract)

Enjoy!

Make Up Look: Bridal Nudes

I have a lot of time on my hands right now. That's the reason why I keep posting so frequently lately.

I'm obsessed with make up tutorials on youtube. I think they help everyone to archieve an amazing look step by step.

Check out this one I found, it blew me away how beautiful it looked in the end. Enjoy!

Vegan for a Week

Since I'm very into nutrition, especially the last couple of month, I read a lot of articles and books about this topic. Veganism is huge right now and although I tried it two times, but wasn't able to give up meat completely, I can recommend this sort of diet because as far as I have got to know, it seems to be a good choice for your health. There are TONS of delicious vegan recipes out there too. I think you can live a healthy life with or without meat, it's just important that you know where the meat is coming from.

So I stumbled across this video and really liked it. Oprah's doing a challenge with author Kathy Freston and her employees, being vegan for a week. She shows the results on the show and I have to admit, some of them are pretty impressive.



If you are more interested into reading one of Kathy's books, check out her profile on amazon.com: tinyurl.com/qx3b5r2

Saving Money - Food

As I told you previously I'm trying to cut down a little bit on my spendings to save more money. Having a good habit when it comes to your expenses is really important in life, it helps you to be successful an reach your longterm goals. So I'll post my favorite tips and tricks on this blog the following weeks or so, maybe they are not for everybody but they are helping me to buy something that costs a lot in a short period of time.

I recommend an non organic lifestyle when you are a student or you need to save up for something reasonable. Living like that may be managable for a certain period of time, but I wouldn't be able to live like that for the rest of my life. At the end I'll explain why.

Food

Always try to eat healthy and work out, but you don't need to spend your money on expensive food items. You can save a LOT when it comes to food. My best three advices are buy things in large quantities, look out for things on sale or for special offers and don't buy brands. Especially when it comes to meat you can save a lot when you look out for offers in your local supermarkets. I don't know if this is common in other countries like the US, but in our supermarkets we have foods from brands and then they offer their own product line, which tends to be much cheaper since they don't need to advertise it like those huge companies. Most of them also have a product line when you live on a budget, so you get stables like pasta, rice or cereals for the cheapest price possible. Sometimes they even offer an affordable organic product line which I prefer most of the time.

• Also, the cheapest products are usually placed at the bottom of the shelf, because supermarkets usually put their most profitable products within your eye level, so look right down when you go shopping.
• When I buy lettuce, I never buy those prepackaged ones, I'll buy the whole head and rinse & cut it at home because you get more for less money.
• A good way also is doing prep meals at home. For ideas like that click on the link right here :)
• And another thing: If you really want to save money fast, don't eat out. Instead, try to cook at home 90% of the time.

Why you should prefer organic food if possible:

First of all, eating organic foods is very important in my opinion, especially for our health and it's something you should support with your money when you can. For some people it won't be possible, but if you are having a very small income, so that you can't afford anything, and there's also no near sight for a raise, think about your priorities in life and try to cut down somewhere else. If there is no possibility to reduce your expenses in other parts of your life (car, moving into a more affordable apartment, looking for a roommate ect.) think about a different career path, maybe you could do trainings or evening classes so you'll better your changes to get a job with a salary that you think you'd rather deserve, right? Of course that will cost you money again, but it will pay off in the long run. It's a good, worthwhile goal to work towards an income which enables you to buy good, organic food for you and your family!

Saving Money - Manicures at Home

I'm trying to save up some money right now so there's no way I'm going to spend so much money on expensive manicures. I found this awesome kit from Sensationails at Müller which is a store in Germany and Switzerland where you can buy all bunch of stuff. I think you can get those in the US as well, and the same brand seems to be available there too.

I have it on my nails right now in the shade "Pink Chiffon"

So basically you get a package with all things needed to do your own manicure. For me, it would last up to a week or two, but for some people it might last longer, it depends on the kind of work you're doing. How you do it is explained on the packaging or on their homepage step by step, so it's really easy to follow!

There are a bunch of other good brands too which offer those kinds of manicure sets.

Old Baggage

Only one week, and summer officially starts. How cool is that? My favourite season is coming, which means a lot of outdoor activities, late nights at the lake and enjoying the warm weather.

I live in Zurich now, which is the biggest city in Switzerland. I was born and raised in Austria, but I came here last summer for work and stayed because I just LOVE this country. It's so beautiful and the people here are very friendly, so if you ever have the opportunity to travel there I would highly recommend it. You can do tons of stuff here too, no matter if its summer or winter.

The Lake of Zurich - so lovely in the summer!

Now what I wanted to talk about today is getting rid of your old baggage. I realised over the last couple of years, especially because I moved so often, that life is so much easier when you only have things AND people in your life that you really need and love. Keep everything simple and focus on the important parts of life. I recommend throwing everything unnecessary out after a certain period of time, no matter if it means your wardrobe, make up items, cosmetic stuff, old books and files that aren't needed anymore. Believe me, you will feel so much lighter and better after that! Maybe you have friends who are happy taking your old stuff which is just lying around in some corner of your apartment and just takes space away and therefore energy. In my experience, simplicity is the key when it comes to a clear mind.

As I mentioned before, the same goes to people. Go through your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account and delate everybody that doesn't really play an important role in your life. Of course there are people you can't delate because some friendships stay in your heart, no matter if you still have contact to them or not and some people left such an impression on you that you still have a reasons to hold onto them. But a lot of people are just friends with you for the wrong reasons, and you are friends with them for the wrong reasons too. Think about who is really somebody worth spending your time and your attention, because we all know life is short.

You need self respect in life, and you can only have that when you know that you are too good for people who aren't appreciating and treating you the way you deserve it, right?

Naomi Watts Makeup Look

Another day, another makeup look ;)

This is amazing, some tips and tricks from two established celebrity makeup stylists. I love this for blondes, but I guess this is something everybody can pull off. What I like about it is how her skin has this illuminating sheen at the end, like all those celebs on the red carpet: You see it but you don't really know how they did it. This tutorial gives you a youthful, fresh and natural look for summer.

just click the link: tinyurl.com/oyo2zuf