Keeping Up With Kalina

5 September 2014

I felt like answering questions

I know no one asked me, but that's life. I'm in one of those moods when you just wanna do something, no matter what, so you can just feel like you've accomplished something in life. Not sure if you know what I mean, but just bear with me until I get some inspiration for good blog posts.

1.What are you looking forward to in the next week?
Getting the text book I'll be teaching with and my baby cousin's christening.

2.Could you go the rest of your life without smoking a cigarette?

Yes.

3.Last three things you had to drink?

Arizona Green Tea, water and Nutella milkshake.

4.Honestly, has anyone seen you in your underwear in the past 3 months?

I do walk around in my underwear at home all the time. I know that's not the point of the question.

5.Do you miss anyone?

I do.

6.Who did you last see in person?

This nugget (my brother)

7. Will you sing today?

I sing all the time, so yes.

8. What is wrong with you right now?

I feel lonely and I need affection.

9. Do you miss the way things were six months ago?

Honestly, I don't. Mentally I am in a much better place. There are some things I miss, but I wouldn't want to go back.

10. Ever stayed up all night on the phone, with who?

No, but I have talked on skype for 6 hours straight with my boyfriend.

11. Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile?

There are few people and I'm really grateful.

12. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone?

Well it does depend on who the "someone else" is. I do sleep better when I'm alone, but I wouldn't trade sleeping next to my little sunshine for the world.

That were 12 questions nobody needed the answers to. You're welcome.

4 September 2014

Today I'm listening to...

I'm currently in bed and I don't want to do anything. I think I just need a break from life. The past few days have been stressful - job interviews, getting my UNI schedule and I'm starting driving lessons tomorrow.

I decided to share some of the songs I've been listening to lately or for a long time. Obviously, I had to stop myself from making it an Ed Sheeran only gig and managed to include other artists as well.

"Happy Little Pill" (and the whole EP for that matter) by Troye Sivan
"Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran
"Love Me Harder" by Ariana Grande and The Weeknd
"No Angel" by Beyonce
"Where We Land" by Ed Sheeran
"Blood On The Leaves" by Kanye West
"Boom Clap" by Charli XCX
"West Coast" by Lana Del Rey
"Stay With Me" by Sam Smith
"Ghost" by Ella Henderson

I'd love to hear your favourite songs or the songs you've been loving lately, so leave them in the comments!

1 September 2014

My Must-Have Fall Accessory

I recently did a H&M Autumn Wishlist and one of the items that was included in there was a black wool hat. I went shopping today and I bought one, not exactly the same as the one I featured here. It's a little bit smaller and more structured, but I actually liked it more on me than the first one.

I love it so much and even though it was quite hot today I still wanted to wear it, just because it's so pretty.

The way I see myself wearing it is paired with a black leather jacket, jeans and heeled black leather ankle boots.

I got it in size M and it cost 20€

30 August 2014

The Stroke of Midnight Mascara: Review

As I mentioned, I have finally found my holy grail mascara. I knew the Kardashian Beauty line was good, but I wasn't expecting such amazing results.

Here are my lashes before applying mascara:

Or anything else for that matter. I usually don't do anything to them, I don't even curl them.

Here they are after one coat of the Stroke of Midnight mascara:

As you can see, they definitely look longer, but there isn't such a dramatic effect. There aren't any clumps either.

Let's see what happens after the second layer of mascara:

Now they definitely look much longer and there still aren't clumps. It is a lengthening mascara, so of course it lacks in the volume department. I do prefer long beautiful lashes though, so I love it.

Here are some different angles to see its effect better:

Again, if you're looking for something that will give you volume, this is not the mascara for you, but if you, like me, like long false-looking eyelashes, go for it. I got mine from feelunique on sale and it cost me about 7 or 8 pounds. The original price is about 11.

27 August 2014

Trying to Keep Up With the Kardashians

I couldn't resist the feelunique sale and since the Kardashian Beauty line is something I've had my eye on for quite a while, that's what caught my attention. These are the items I finally decided on:

I received them today, so I can't write any reviews, only my first impressions. The first thing, and probably one of the most popular Kardashian Beauty products is the Honey Stick lip gloss.

The packaging is really simple, but still pretty. It does actually smell like honey, but isn't sticky. I would say it's quite gentle on the lips and even mosturizing. It's also pretty long lasting. The colour I got it in is Natural Honey, because I don't have enough nude lip products.

The next thing I got is the Side Long Glance - eyeshadow duo and false lashes.

I haven't had the chance to try these yet, but by doing a swatch I could tell that the right eyeshadow is not as pigmented as the left. I also like the left colour more.

The last thing and probably my favourite was the Stroke of Midnight mascara.

I have finally found my holy grail mascara. It's so sad that it's not available in Bulgaria yet. I think I will be making a seperate post about this one and here's a preview:

This is what my lashes look like after two coats and 5 hours since application. Amazing.

26 August 2014

Spin the Bottle

Essie is without a doubt my favourite nail polish brand. Their polishes are very long-lasting, dry quickly and not to mention all the cute names they are given.

I never intended to talk about just one nail polish, but this one was so outstanding that I had to. Spin the Bottle is a perfect nude - a colour I think everyone should own. I don't think there's anything special about the formula, but what impressed me so much is how long it lasts.

These photos are taken a few minutes ago, which makes a week after painting my nails. There are still no chips and no peeling. All it took was two coats to get this colour and effect.

For the index and ring finger I used a mixture of these two, but the rose gold one from Flormar is something I'm very disappointed with - it takes forever to dry.

Anyway, Spin the Bottle is amazing and I think that if you're looking for a nude colour, this is the one you should try. It's definitely worth the money.

20 August 2014

Learning To Like Myself

I have had this post saved as a draft for exactly a month, because what I'm going to talk about is an issue I'm still struggling with. I wanted to post it at the right time, when I'm feeling positive enough, because otherwise it would just be very hypocritical of me.

The past few years have been hard regarding my self-confidence. I have changed so much, my weight has fluctuated and I have tried so hard to become a better (looking) version of myself. Now I see the ways in which I was wrong more clearly and have finally started to accept my appearance as it is. Of course, I still don't like some body parts of mine and could use a bit more motivation to work out, but my attitude has changed.

Focusing on your looks, to me, seems very vain and silly, because, as cliche as it may sound, that's not what really matters. There is so much more you can do and so much more energy you can use on enjoying life if you just stop worrying about the way you look. Honestly, nobody cares about your appearance, except for yourself.

For example, a few years back, I couldn't even imagine posting a full body photo of myself online, let alone one in a swimsuit. But today, I have let the fear of judgement go and well, I just don't care.

One little trick I have found is that posting selfies does not make me more self-conscious, in fact it does the opposite - it helps build more confidence and acceptance. It may not be the same for everyone, but if you have the courage, do it. I'm very much pro-selfie :)

In the past, I haven't been very fond of my face either and have used countless products to try and change it or hide imperfections, but these days I rarely wear make-up.

Uploading a photo of my naked face is another thing I would not have done before, but here I am, seconds ago, quality as low as possible, but in my natural habitat.

The point I am trying to make with this post is that it may take weeks, months, years, but as much as you're fighting against it, you will start to accept yourself. Be proud of who you are and stop worrying so much about the way others think of you, because in most cases, they don't.