I proudly present: The Sunshine award!

Hey, guys! Long time no see - what seems to be the way I always start out my posts these days. I really miss you and I miss blogging, but things have been crazy, as I've said. I'm doing well, as long as I focus on as few tasks per day as I can, which comes down to work, sleep, food, essential communication with my loved ones and exercise.

Since I'm meeting new people almost every day in a professional environment with hopes to find a job after my internship, I try to look my best every day, but that also means, I stick to what I know and haven't really been experimenting with anything beauty-wise. I've also been staying away from heavy or colorful makeup, which is why I haven't been putting out posts of my makeup routine etc. I also haven’t been shopping at all due to lack of time and… well, salary :)

But have no fear! This is just a temporary condition and I look forward to continuing writing this blog and you can’t imagine how happy and excited it makes me, when you guys enjoy it as well.

Which is why I just HAD to find time in my schedule to write this post, because I’ve been nominated for another award, this time by the super lovely Sofie from The Little Green Sofie – if you don’t already – go follow her now! Then come back and continue reading this post ;)

Receiving your (ever so positive) feedback is truly heartwarming and the Sunshine award is given to "bloggers who are positive and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere" – how sweet is that?

Anyway, I’ll stop blabbing now and get into the actual post! Here goes.

RULES:

Share 11 random facts about yourself

Answer the 11 questions set by your nominating blogger

Nominate 11 bloggers yourself
Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer and let them know they're up

I’ll go first:

1. I talk to myself. A lot. It helps me solve problems and organize my life, I’m not kidding. Just hearing myself speak the words out loud makes me look at them differently. And yes, I do reach out and ask for advice to other people, but, honestly, sometimes I “trust” myself more, just because I’m very emotional and tend to overdramatize. With myself I can be 100% honest, no matter how silly I’m being and there’s no harm done, if I change my mind shortly after. I wouldn’t want to call my mom and explain to her the whole situation (which is also one of the perks when you talk to yourself – no background story catch up necessary) and then possibly upset her or worry her only to calm down by myself soon enough.

2. I have a chewing addiction. I developed it while I was in the early stages of recovery and stopped, because it caused me to get bloated, hungrier and hurt my stomach. Since I’m at the office and feel a bit stressed I’ve picked it up again, so I need to lay off the grazing a bit ;)

3. I’m a very goal minded person, so I always have a project in the works. At the moment it’s growing out my hair (enjoy the mugshot), which is sloooooow as a snail, but fun anyway. Other “self development projects” include “find a new recipe at least every week”, “read a new book every month” and a veeeery brief “go coffee free”, when I (in my pain filled head) realized – I don’t just like the taste of coffee – I NEED it.

4. I’m not a particularly talented person in the traditional sense of the word and I know that, because I’ve literarily tried my hand in just about anything – acting, singing, dancing (you name it), sports, writing and bartendering. As a result, I can read sheet music and play piano with one hand and holding down the chord with two fingers with the other; I can play a little volleyball, I write a blog and can make a couple of drinks. Not really what I had in mind, considering I had great dreams regarding every new idea, but I regret nothing ;)

5.  My biggest insecurities are probably my hair (or the lack of them), the dark circles under my eyes (which is one of the only reasons I wear makeup) and my general stomach area as I consider myself to be apple shaped without a defined waist.

6. I pick on my nail polish, when I’m nervous and my boyfriend has noticed. Hence, his constant, slight smile, during the first dinner with his parents back in the day. I didn’t even realize.

7.  I’m not a big drinker and go through phases (like now) of not drinking at all, however my favorite drinks are (quite unfortunately, I have to say) all the girly ones – Piña Colada, Passionada and frozen daiquries (low on the drink hierarchy), but I love a good White Russian, Caipirinha and when all else fails – pour me some jin & tonic any time ;)

8.  My name would have been Emīls, if I was a boy.

9.  My boyfriend says I’m a very “put together person” by what he means (as I recently found out!), that I’m very diverse – I’m “put together” by a bunch of (often contradicting) qualities.

10.   I’m in a desperate (okay, that’s maybe a bit too dramatic…) need of an external reinvention. I feel like my closet, makeup and beauty items no longer reflect who I am accurately and I have already made a very precise list of things I’d like to own and purchase (a post about that coming soon!). It’s a rather pricey task, so it’s got to be gradual and I need to be patient, but what I aim for is to have very few, but high quality, well functioning things.

11.   I’m silly. Especially, if you know me well. I don’t hesitate to make fun of myself and even though I’m sensitive to critique (something I’m working on), I’ll always try to be the first one laughing about my mishaps. I think that’s important. Check out, what happened to me last weekend. Need I say more...? 

My 11 questions asked by Sofie:

1. What is your most memorable moment of your life?

Oh, dear me. My brain went blank for a second and the next – I had too many options to choose from without a single obvious one.

I think I’m a big romantic at heart and I’m a sucker for movie-like-scenes, so I’d probably go for some of the Cinderella moments I’ve had – mostly romance related. Although giving a speech when I graduated last year was pretty awesome too, it’s definitely a big moment for me. Here's a picture, that involve both!

2. Name one thing you can't live without.

The problem with that is that you only know until it’s gone and I’m grateful every single day for the things I have in my life, that make me happy. I don’t hope to find out, what I can’t live without, if you know what I mean. In the big scheme of things – love. Community. Purpose. In the small – sushi. Music. Books.

3. The best song ever?

It’s hard to name one. Music has always played a huge role in my life and I’ve always found the answers I was looking for. Mads Langer – Fact Fiction will always hold a special place in my heart, because it reminds me of the one person… I can’t live without. Hey, here’s your answer to Question no.2 after all ;)

4. What could you eat every day?

Sushi, no surprise there. And I love all the healthy fats, for some reason. Salmon, avocados, nuts, nut butters… Not only COULD I eat them every day, I actually do. Berries. Fruits. Greek yogurt, honey, bananas. Cottage cheese. Is it obvious, I love food?

5. How do you see yourself in 5 years time? What would you like to achieve in that time?

This is something, that’s on my mind a lot. I’m very aware of not falling into the “IF - THEN” trap, but I do focus on my future. In 5 years I’ll be 27, still in Denmark, hopefully married + with a couple of kids, living in a house (rented, still, not bought), I’ll have a job – or I’ll study my master’s at the time, it’s very possible. I’ll be able to financially support my parents and will have more safety around me – a good group of friends, a steady workout routine. Oh, I’ll have a dog, for sure ;)

6. How would a perfect day look like?

Oh, this is easy. I have these. A perfect day would start with no alarm. Waking up slowly with my boyfriend, a bit hangover from going out the night before, talking about how much fun we had, who did we talk to, what happened. A slow morning, big, tasty breakfast. Coffee. Getting ready. And then we’d have a plan for the day. An activity. A movie, a walk, a drive somewhere. My boyfriend’s family’s summerhouse is one of my favorite places in the world. We could arrive there and shop for dinner. Pack out. Light up the fire place. Cook, have dinner there. Have wine. Stay by the fire place, Bruce Springsteen in the background. I love making memories.

7. If you could choose any country to live in, which country would it be and why?

It would be an English speaking country, because I would love to try that. I had a hard time starting up a life in Denmark and still feel limited sometimes at social gatherings and everyday situations. I’d like to see, if my experience would be different, if the language (or my lack of it) wouldn’t be an issue.

8. Do you have any strange habits?

Ask my boyfriend, he’ll get back to you after he’s done making a list ;) I don’t know what to say, though. I “need to” eat something with my coffee – so I never (very rarely, to be exact) have a plain cup of coffee. I also love to drink coffee with my meals. I’m known to order coffee at a restaurant together with the main course – why wait till the end when there’s no food left?

9. What 3 words best describe your personality?

Emotional, considerate, hopeful.

10. What was the most beautiful place you ever visited?

I’m going to say, Sankt Andrä in Austria, because that was my first trip and I took it alone – meaning, without my family and friends – I was helping at a summer camp. I was 16 years old and have never been anywhere further than the neighboring country of Latvia – namely – Lithuania. It was so, so beautiful, the weather was perfect and I remember taking a walk at 10 pm when the air was still incredibly warm, but it was dark and I could see tons of little houses and churches lit up in the mountains around. I really thought that the world is amazing in that moment. Thanks for reminding me, actually ;)

11. Would you rather be very small (ca. 4ft 11) or very tall (ca. 6ft 3) and why?

How can I explain… I seem to think, that being short would have its many perks – such as looking cute, wearing petite outfits, being safely shorter than almost any guy you date etc., but still – I’m going to go with being really tall. I’m 5ft7 or 173 cm as it is and that’s considered fairly tall for where I come from. That’s what I know and I haven’t felt self conscious about it. Something about a very tall, confident woman is extremely attractive to me and even though it can be tough to be the tallest of your friends, tower over boys and to see a larger number on the scale (I’m giving examples here, people), because it simply makes sense, when being a taller person, I’d go with that. I think there’s something elegant and impressive about it. However, I feel like this is possibly quite a controversial question as it is so personal and subjective. I’m all about loving yourself, especially for the things you can’t change – like your height. Here's a picture of my friend and I in high school, hope she doesn't mind me posting this. We both could've felt awkward, but - why should've we?

And the nominees are:

1. Nora @ Nora's Sweet Fashion
2. Lucia @ Style Confessional
3. Lauren @ Sophisticated In Style
4. Victoria @ Afluenza
5. Andrea @ Andrea Clare
6. Jemma Page @ Bamboozle Beauty Blog
7. Becky @ Beauty and the B
8. Laura @ Belles Boutique
9. Jessica @ birdie to be 
10. Bethany Jade @ Birds Words
11. Amanda Nortman @ Chic N Rock

My 11 questions to you:

1. What’s your go-to outfit for a regular day?

2.  Who would you most want to meet – live or dead, real or fictional and why?

3.  What's the first full dinner you cooked for someone and how did it turn out?

4. If you were to choose a class at the gym, what would it be? Weights, dance, zumba, yoga, boxing (keep going)...?

5. What is “your beauty thing”? Are you into hair care? Skincare? Nails? Makeup? Fashion? You catch my drift – let me know ;)

6.  How do you create an outfit? Do you build it up around one item? Do you lay it out the night before? Match it to your hair and makeup?

7.  Are you an impulsive shopper or a planner? Saver or spender?

8.  Name 3 things off your bucket list.

9. Do people tell you that you look like someone? One of your parents, a sibling, a celebrity…? If so, who and do you agree?

10. What is something you’re really proud of?

11.   Name 5 webpages you open first as you turn on your computer.

Oh, hey, I made it! Hope you guys enjoyed it and high five to you for making it too till the end (granted, I assume you did, if you're reading this)!

I really love when you guys reach out to me and get me involved in things! These award posts are hard, though!

Anyway, I hope you're all good and I will talk to you soon! As always, leave any feedback, questions or requests down below, I'll answer them all ;)

Renate ❤

Motivational Monday

Hey, guys!

Long time, no see :) Thank you so, so much for the lovely feedback on my last post, it meant a lot to me and made me smile, reading your lovely comments!

This past week has. been. crazy. Subsequently, I'm sick with cold now, which is so typical, but I'm pretty sure I can get over it since I'm already almost good again.

I was working my a$$ off and on top of that tried to workout and exercise, because I've really found it helps, when I'm busy and stressed. Since I've moved towns I (physically) need to speak with my loved ones back home and then, obviously, cook etc., so it's been hectic.

I did what I could to relax during the weekend, no social media, just seeing friends, exercising a couple of times, watching a show (or two) etc., but yesterday I simply broke down, because I'm a cry baby (surprisingly as older as I get, the more sensitive, I have noticed - I'd like to think of it as being more in tune with my emotions) 

I did the most stereotypical mature thing I could have done:

Me (casually): Hey, what are you doing?
Mom: Hey, sweetie, nice to hear from you! We are just watching some TV with dad. What's up?
Me (histerically crying): Moooooooooooooooooooom

Haha! Yep! So, she logged on skype and we talked about everything and they listened and they made me laugh and brought me back up. I wasn't even planning to tell her anything negative, I just wanted to hear her voice. But who am I kidding - deep down I knew exactly what I needed to keep going and woke up this morning feeling determined to tackle life again.

This is not my photo! Source - tumblr

This is my computer's background photo this week. Let me explain why. Truth is, I challenge myself, I push myself and I get scared. I get insecure and start to doubt myself and don't know if after a long day at work I need a late boxing class or an early bed time. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing the right way and if I'm being okay. Is it okay being me. But most importantly, is it okay with other people - meaning, if I treat them fairly, with respect and consideration, because that can sometimes be a challenge, when you're trying to figure out something personal yourself.

But I keep learning. And I keep trying. And I keep getting better and being smarter and take these twists and turns and I'm so, so thankful for the loving, supportive and patient people I have in my life. I couldn't do it without them. So, my goal for the week isn't to exercise a certain amout of times or dress up a certain amount of outfits, I want to spend this week working hard and being positive! I want to show the people I care about so much, that their support is working and its helping me reach my dreams, no matter the doubts I sometimes struggle with.

Not my photo

My goal is not to be happy all the time. To be perfect. To be a star. My goal is to be the best I can be from day to day this week. Have a great start of the week everyone! 

 I really have a lot of great posts lined up, but they're going to have to wait, because my hands are quite full at the moment and I, as always, want to put out quality posts, no matter if it's "get ready with me" or "my current favorites" - I want to have the time to take good photos, describe them, link the products etc., so, please, bear with me, I'm still going to blog as soon as things settle a little bit.

Talk to you soon!

Wondering, what are all of you up to these days?

Renate ❤

Versatile Blogger Awards

Hey, guys! :) Guess what? I've moved! Spent my weekend so far packing, traveling and unpacking again! If you're new, I'm a (relatively) recent graduate, who was lucky enough to land a great internship for the next two months, which required me to move towns. Talk about exciting.

Anyway! After a busy, no computer sort of weekend, I turned on my blogger this morning, sipping my first cup of coffee in the new place and found out multiple things.

1. I have a few new followers, which I'm super, super thankful for, welcome, guys, it means a lot to me!

2. I have received my first ever request, namely, to do my makeup routine, which I was surprised and extremely flattered by. Obviously, I had to oblige, so you can expect that coming out soon.

3. And, that the gorgeous Nora from Nora’s Sweet Fashion has nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award! I figured, what a better way to get back to posting than doing this right away! Hope you'll have fun and enjoy the post :)

The Versatile Blogger Award

The Versatile Blogger Award is an award given to you from your blogger peers, for writing quality blogs that have somehow touched them, having good quality photographs, and the uniqueness of the subjects covered. The Award is to honor the bloggers who bring something special to your life. 

How It Works:

• Display the Award Certificate on your blog. -Announce your win and thank the blogger who nominated you. 

Thanks to Nora @ Nora's Sweet Fashion

• Present 15 deserving bloggers with the award. -Link your nominees in this post and let them know of their nomination with a comment.

The 15 Bloggers I nominate are:

1. Lauren @ Sophisticated In Style
2. Andrea @ Andystyle
3. Amy @ Amy Grace
4. Lucy @ Bonjour Luce
5. Carly @ Carly Rowena
6. Leah @ It's Leli
7. Emily @ Jammy and Jelly
8. Lauren @ LITTLE RED
9. Rakel @ Lovely Style
10. Lucy @ Miss Lucy Loves
11. Chelsea @ The Dauphine
12. Anngelik Mary Martinez @ Vogue and Heels
13. Emily @ What She Hearts
14. Dannii @ What I Call Beautiful
15. Megan @ Wonderful You

• Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

7 facts about me:

1. I'm a dreamer. I make big plans and imagine many scenarios in my head. It's also a trick I've learned growing up - when I had to fall asleep in a different place other than home, when I had to travel alone, when I had to wait for something long periods of time, I'd basically live out an entire movie in my head. I was the lead, obviously :) Since I get motion sick, I can read while I'm driving somewhere, I didn't have a smart phone to keep me entertained while waiting for doctor's appointments etc., I'd always go crazy with all kinds of imaginary stories. I still do that, actually.
2. I don't have a driver's license and I can't drive. My mom wanted me to focus on finishing my highschool and I wanted to be able to pay for it myself, but right after graduating I moved to Denmark, where I had no time and even less money. Luckily, Danes are crazy about biking anyway, so nobody notices :)
3. Explaining the previous point a bit more - I was born and grew up in Latvia, moved to Denmark to study construction & management 4 years ago and ended up falling in love with the country, the town, my new friends and one very special Dane in particular, so I've been here ever since.
4. 3 years ago I weighed 15 kg more, than I do now and 2,5-2 years ago I weighed probably around 10 kg less, than I do now. Needless to say, it took me a while to figure out some balance!
5. Despite what people think, when they meet me, I am a shy person. I'm working on it and can push myself and be quite socially capable (thanks to challenging myself and scaring the **** out of myself constantly by moving countries, speaking foreign languages, working as a waitress etc.), but not even my boyfriend realizes, how shy/anxious I often get, he simply knows, because I've told him.
6. I suppose I have very common dreams, regarding my future. Although I love to challenge myself and push my limits, in the big scheme of things, what I look forward to the most in my life is ultimately having kids, doing a job I enjoy and I'm good at and having a cozy home, where I can grow old together with the love of my life.
7. I'm constantly trying to better myself, especially in regards to thinking positively and being nice to myself to the same extent I am to others.

There you have it! Thank you so much Nora, for nominating me, this was really fun and I hope you guys have enjoyed it, let me know, if there's anything else you'd like to see or know and I hope you're having a lovely weekend! What are you up to?

Talk to you soon!

Renate ❤

6 highlights

Hey, guys!

Happy October everyone! Am I the only one who's a sucker for new beginnings? A new day, a new week, new MONTH... New book, new bottle of shampoo... :)

Sorry I haven't blogged much during last week and haven't been checking out my reader and keeping up with your blogs as much, truth is - I was mentally busy and occupied with things and I actually got pretty stressed, which always makes me hyper sensitive to everything, so I try to be mindful towards what I'm exposing myself to - most of the time blogging inspires me, it motivates me, it cheers me up etc., but sometimes it overwhelms me and I feel like I'm always chasing something, that's out of reach, if that makes any sense.

This is my last week before my internship, so there's a lot of packing and organizing and phone calling and a little shopping (think - a bike lock, not exciting shopping) and lots of list making and arrangements etc. I don't really have it in me to do a full on post about anything specific, so I figured I'd share some moments from the past week and things that has gotten me through feeling stressed and anxious!

The picture quality is questionable, because I uploaded the photos straight through my phone using my blogger app, but I hope you can bear with me for this post only, since it's an update, not a tutorial fx.

So, the first thing I've tried to do recently is dressing up a bit more, regardless of whether I have special plans or not and whether I feel good about myself that day or not, it really makes the world of difference. Treating yourself with respect and keeping a smile on goes a long way at making me feel happier and more cheerful instantly.

I've also been distracting myself a lot by healthy cooking, since I've taken care of most dinners this past few weeks. I've also found myself constantly hungry, combined with sudden disgust towards food and a slight nausea - sorry for the TMI, its just the typical way my body's dealing with stress and nerves. Which is why I've been trying to focus on eating as much as I want and what I crave as long as its healthy, which makes me feel good and prevents feeling heavy and sick. One of the definite highlights was this cauliflower crust Italian pizza I made last week - it seriously tasted amazing and left me feeling so satisfied and clean! Can't wait to make it again. It's so easy too!

This Sunday was one of the best days I've had in a long time. First of all - my amazing parents had their 34th Wedding Anniversary - how cool is that? I love them both so much and feel so thankful and proud. My boyfriend and I went to a party Saturday, but left in a decent time and started Sunday morning nice and slow with some amazing breakfast and watching the House of Cards (a new favorite), followed by a lovely walk in the woods in this glorious Autumn weather we've been having here in Denmark. We also went to see the old town (haven't been there for more than 2 years) and checked out the new additions - the 70's corner and the poster exhibition, which I very much enjoyed. And after that we went for dinner at a cafe by which point I was pretty cold, since the sun has gone down, so I had a delicious pumpkin soup and, obviously, I had to have a cup of coffee with the apple cake - my all time favorite. I make happy faces and approving sounds and say funny things, whenever I eat one, so my boyfriend says it's really worth it, haha. Later on, we binged watched the House of Cards and (sadly) were done with season no.1 in no time. Oh well, another reason to look forward to February.

I've been doing some light shopping recently, I'm very broke, as always, but picked up these two gorgeous nail polishes from MaXfactor, which I've been eyeing for a while - the Royal Blue and the Burgundy Crush - highly recommend, they're my favorite colors for Autumn. And I'm planning to slowly build my lipstick collection, since its pretty much non-existant at the moment. I was on a look out for a wearable, flattering, sheer nude shade, but nothing I really liked (might be going back for Rimmel's Saved By The Bell, however) until I spotted this (last) lipstick by Maybelline in the shade Holywood Red, which is the perfect (for me) wearable, berry, dark, yet subtle Autumn shade. It's already a favorite, especially paired with the nail polishes and a simple makeup look. I'm really wanting to try a nude, no-makeup, makeup look with different lipstick shades for going to work during the next few months, so I'll be keeping an eye out for more shades I like and find wearable and flattering.

And hey, this is me, as I was typing this (posting it a day late). Feeling better already. Hope to get back at it and get in touch with you guys again :) As you know, I still always reply to the comments you leave me, especially if you have any questions or requests.

 

Hope you're having a great week and I'll talk to you soon!

Renate ❤