Winter Survival Kit For The Cold-Blooded

Jeej! It's that time of the year again, where all you want to do is stay warm. During winter, I'm ALWAYS cold and I'm not even joking... Having been born cold-blooded it seems, I had to learn fast how to protect myself against the 'freezing' temperatures in Belgium. This is the winter survival kit for all you reptiles out there.

Layers, layers, layers

Ski socks

Ski socks are the best! You can also wear hiking socks but I find ski socks to be warmer. Just make sure that the shoes you're wearing have a strong shoe sole and are big enough to fit your feet in.

Tights

When it's that cold that it seems like the air is trying to cut your legs off, it's always a good idea to wear tights underneath your trousers. Wear thick ones, otherwise they'll feel annoying and you'll do 'the awkward walk'. 

Legwarmers

When you wear legwarmers, they will stop cold air from getting into your shoes. I also wear legwarmers for different reasons. Lucky me, I have this great advantage of having extremely long legs. Finding trousers that are long enough can sometimes be impossible. So often I will wear trousers that are a tiny bit too short and wear legwarmers over them so I still can look fancy ;) (like seriously, the only thing long legs are good for, is seeing how jealous people get when they see them. Besides that, finding clothes, public transport, small tables, tiny chairs, ... it all sucks)

Thermal clothing

Besides wearing tights, wearing thermal clothing under your regular clothing is an extra thing that can keep you warm and cosy during winter.

Gloves vs Mittens

Most people prefer gloves over mittens because they're easier to wear. Since I have cold hands all the time I prefer the second option. Yes, wearing gloves comes in handy, but when you wear mittens all your fingers are together in one space and therefore your fingers will be kept nice and warm.

Looking pretty is overrated

Yeah, I think the pictures explain it all ...

Tea

Tea (but also coffee and hot chocolates) is the best thing during winter.  Again, I don't think there is much exlplanation needed :) When you finally get home after a cold day and are not able to feel your fingers nor your feet anymore, there's nothing better then getting a cup of hot tea and resting your feet on the heater.

Hot air blower heater

Besides your regular heater, having an extra heater is awesome. My room seems to be at least 2 degrees colder than any other room in the house (maybe I've a ghost in my room?) so I love using the extra heater to make my room extra warm. One thing that is not that great about it is that it makes the air really dry and my eyes are quiet sensitive to it. But if it keeps me warm then it's still worth it!

Moisturising stuff

Lipbalm

When I'm stressed I have the horrible habbit to pick my lips. Now that it's winter, my lips are even drier and I have an even bigger tendency to pick my lips so now it's the time of the year to use lipbalm. (Not that you don't have to use it during the rest of the year, but now it's really important to moisurise your lips.) What I love about lipbalms is that they often have a really cute packaging so most of the time I will choose cute packaging over the lipbalm itself. Let me know if you do that too! ;)

Hand Cream

Hand cream during this time of the year is again really important. Apparently I have some type of light nickel allergy that my aunt has as well, which means my hands are dry all year around, especially it seems when I go to amusement parks. Luckily it's just a really light form, but I still like some good hand cream! Also, using a body lotion is less effective than using a handcream. I first was a firm believer that you can use Nivea Soft for anything and that is indeed true; but it doesn't work as well as an actual handcream.

For if you would like to know, I stole this hand cream from my mom, and apparently it's from a Belgian brand. If you would like to purchase this, which I think is only possible if you're Flemish, you can do that here

Conditioner

For most people, conditioner is already a must but now, everybody's hair is getting frizzy and everybody could use a good conditioner. Even though I've short hair, I always like to use a good amount of product. Recently I've bought a new conditioner from Lush 'American Cream'. I will do a review on this when I've used the product a bit more.

Fleece blanket

I looove getting cosy with a fleece blanket, especially whilst reading a good book or watching the television with my family. Since I'm 'cold-blooded', I feel like they've invented fleece blankets so we can use them all the time. I mean , you even have special ones where you can put your feet in or those with sleeves, which I would love to have! 

Look at these little cuties enjoying their cosy blanket! 

What do you do to fight the cold? Do you have any special rituals to prepare yourself against such horrible temperatures? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo Lien

Goodnight! | How to get good sleep in a noisy environment

Hi Guys!

This Friday, I have my last exam, JEEJ! This means that I'll be staying at my student residence from today until then. Since Belgium is so small, it's easy to go home during the weekend and only half of the students actually stay at a student residence/house/studio. 

During this week, I want to get the best amount of sleep I can get, which is not always easy when there are social (read loud) students having fascinating (again, read loud) conversations in the middle of the hallway. 

Since so many of us suffer from sleeping problems, I thought I'd share with you what I do to avoid bad sleep due to noisy neighbours.

Block the sound

This is something that works really well in my dorm because of the way it's designed. When I walk into my room, I have the door of my wardrobe on the right and the door of my mini-badroom on the left. When I open both doors before I go to sleep, they form a type of sound barrier, which blocks just as much noise as a regular door would. 
Basically, try to find objects to create a sound barrier with. You can also do things like putting long vertical objects against the wall or simply lay a mat against your door gap. Trust me, it will make a difference, even if it's just a small one!

Listen to white noise

Often, blocking the noise won't be enough. I'm still able to hear little parts of those 'fascinating' conversations and I will start to focus on them. To avoid this, I listen to white noise. I downloaded the 'White Noise Lite' app for Android and now I listen to it every time I go to sleep. The sound I prefer the most is the 'Ocean Waves Crashing'. 

Not only does this help me to block distractions, it also helps me to calm my mind after a stressful day at University. With the sound of the ocean playing in the background, I can let my mind drift off to a quiet and peaceful place without being interrupted.

Use Earplugs

Using earplugs is probably the most common thing to do when trying to sleep in a loud environment. I recommend that you buy custom molded earplugs, since normal ones can be quiet difficult to sleep with. I don't use them because I have sensitive ears and they get infected when I wear them too often. I always have earplugs, just in case, and use them occasionally when I really need to get proper sleep or when I go out. If you don't have sensitive ears and can wear earplugs without further problems, I strongly suggest you do, because it's the most effective sound barrier there is.

If all else fails, talk to your noisy neighbours

No one likes to ruin other people's fun, but sometimes that's the only thing you can do. If your neighbour is only having a party once a month, it isn't too much of a problem but if it's at least once a week, this can be a huge nuisance. 

Talk to your neighbour about the problem in a respectful manner. For all he/she knows, you don't mind him/her being the party animal every now and then. Say what effect this has on you and then, talk with him/her about a proper solution. A good agreement would be e.g. he/she can still throw parties, but only once a month and he/she will always let you know first. 

And maybe, just maybe, you'll party with him/her once in a while and gain a new friend. Or you have to call the police because he/she is behaving like a little [insert dirty word].

What do you do to get a good amount of sleep? Advice is always welcome since so many of us suffer from things like insomnia, parasomnia,...Hopefully, we'll be floating along fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows quickly. 

xoxo Lien Bee

Review: The Body Shop 'Fresh Nude Foundation'

Hi Guys! For the past years, I would never find a foundation that would match my skin colour. I naturally have fair skin and now that it's winter my skin is even more pale. I would always buy foundations in the lightest shade and it would always make me look like an orange. Last week I decided to go to the Body Shop, since I want to use more of their products, and bought myself a new fond de teint. 

Product description

From the website of The Body Shop:Make every day a good skin day with Fresh Nude Foundation. Enriched with English rose water and aloe vera, this hydrating formula leaves skin feeling beautifully fresh and comfortable all day. It also contains SPF 15 to help protect your skin. With a semi-matte finish, each of these 16 nature-inspired shades mimics the look of fresh-faced natural skin with a nude glow.

• 16 nature-inspired shades

• Up to 24H moisturisation

• Light to medium coverage

• Semi-matte, fresh-faced finish

• SPF 15

• Suitable for sensitive skin & dermatologically tested

They have 16 different shades, going from really fair shades to dark shades. I've read some of the reviews and one girl said that only The Body Shop had a foundation that would match her dark skin tone. I agree, but then that I've finally found a shade that matches my really fair skin tone.

The foundation costs €20, which is a good price for the great quality that you get.

What I think of the product

I like the fact that this foundation has SPF 15. Even though it's winter and the sun isn't out that much, I want to protect my skin, especially because I've a light form of sun allergy. 

The coverage is indeed not a really thick one, but your skin doesn't feel 'greacy' after you've applied it. Instead my skin feels and looks soft, while previous foundations used to make my skin look oily. 

I also looove the colour; I've tried numerous foundations in my life and they would always make me look like an orange, even when the colour seemed to be lighter than my own skin tone. So if you're one of those people who also has a really light skin tone, I think you will love this foundation!

The one thing I think that can be a bit annoying, is the fact that the texture is a bit 'watery'. I always apply my foundation with my fingers and the foundation is always almost dripping off my fingers as I try to apply it. But once it's on my face, it blends and looks great on my skin.  

Also, the foundation smells nice, like a mixture of sweets and flouwers.

This is how it looks; I don't edit my photos nor wear other makeup because it would give you a false impression of the product. Yes, I am this pale!

Do you also have problems finding the right foundation for your skin tone? What foundation do you use? Let me know in the comments! :)

You can get this product at: The Body Shop 

xoxo Lien Bee

Happy 2016!

2015 has been a crazy year for me!

It started off with a great party at my place, followed by my first exam period at the University in Leuven. Sadly enough the study of literature didn't fit me and I had to change not only my study, but also the city where I studied. Now I'm studying applied linguistics in Antwerp, which fits me a lot better. In the middle of all that I had my first love, an amazing guy but despite our great connection, we didn't work. At my new University I made friends quickly, even though making friends isn't easy for me. They've proven to be amazing and I wouldn't want my life without them. 

As you can read it wasn't all perfect but it was definitely an amazing experience. 2015 was also the year I was finally starting to heal and accept myself. In secondary school I had been bullied, and besides that my closest friends and family didn't understand what I was going through, even though I explained my problems to them a billion times. I got my first heavy depressive episode in 2014 and had my last really heavy one in June 2015. I'm proud to say that although I'm still struggling, I haven't had a depressive episode ever since. 

I learned how to be my own best friend and I decided to create this blog not only as a creative outlet, but also to help others who are in a position in life where they feel they're stuck and no one understands them. This are some of the things I do to battle my depressed feelings:

Positive vibe book

In this book I write the good things that are happening in my life so that when I feel down, I can read all the good things that have already happened

Keeping a diary

I've already been keeping a diary since I'm 8, it really helps expressing your emotions and understanding them. 

Create a safe haven

for me this is weheartit. I decided to delete all the negative things I ever 'hearted' and right now I'm only 'hearting' the images that have a positive meaning to me. When I go to my wall I only see positive things and there's nothing negative to find. This is like a sort of therapy to me. If you would like to follow me, my user name is Miss_Sheeran.

I wish you a happy 2016 with lots of love and joy! ;)(PS: I'm sorry I'm uploading this today and not yesterday! I had already finished my post yesterday but had forgotten to actually post it.)

xoxo Lien Bee

Making and keeping friends, not always easy...

Hi Guys! I've just finished a really stressful week with loads of big assignments and tests and now I'm enjoying a short break before I'll have to start studying again for the exams in January. 

Making friends and keeping them is something I've struggled with my entire life. I don't have great social skills and I'm working on myself every single day. By now, I've already gone through a lot of pain but I've also gained a lot of widsom. I want to share with you my insights on the importance of friendship, but also what's actually not that important about it.

Keep giving

I cannot stress enough how important this is! Even when you're going through a tough period in your life, even when you feel like no one loves you, you need to keep giving. You need to keep loving the people you care about. The point is, you never know what your loved ones are going through, or where anyone is basically going through. Always try to spread kindness and try to not judge people and when you can't say or do anything nice, just don't say or do anything at all. Eventually, your loved ones will give back to you and everything will be okay, just don't wait for it. Happiness is not something people can give to you, you need to create it yourself. 

Friends come and go. Yes, even the true ones!

This one is still really hard for me to accept, but at the same time this gives me peace. You still remember that amazing friend you had in primary school that would always stick up for you? I know I do. The thing is, I don't have that friend anymore, even though it was a true friend. He was the friend that I needed at that time in my life. Now, I have new ones, some I've only met a couple of months ago, and I already love them! :) Always love and appreciate your friends, you never know when they might leave or when new friends might come along the way. 

Focus on the positive

When you're like me and you often feel lonely and feel like no one understands you, this is a really important tip. Because of feeling like an outsider so often, I started having depressive episodes. I would focus on every little aspect that was wrong with me and simply couldn't see the good in people anymore. Not that it was an easy task at that time, besides struggling with maintaining good friendships I was also being bullied for reasons some fake girls in my school had invented. But now that I'm in much more healthy, I can see the good again. Don't only look at the big things, but also the little things, like watching a snowflake melt on your fingertip or looking at the leaves falling off the trees. 

Through all of this, be your own best friend

Love yourself as much as you can, no one else will do it for you! There will be dark times in your life when there's no one to support you and you're going to have to heal yourself all on your own. Choosing a best friend does not only make you very clingy when with that person, it also gives you expectations that that person can never fullfil, leaving you nothing but disapointment. Don't be so hard of yourself, and when feeling horrible, comfort yourself. Because at the end of the day, when you keep spreading kindness, everything will be okay.

I hope you liked reading this post, I'm sorry if it's a bit all over the place, I've a lot to share with you on this subject. Enjoy you Christmas holidays!

xoxo Lien Bee

Dorm Life: Making that nice hot chocolate whenever you want!

This week I had to get my biggest coat out and we all know what that means, the winter is (already) settling in.

I live in a dorm where I share a big kitchen and have my own fridge, which creates a lot of cooking possibilities. Sadly enough, cooking an amazing meal isn't always an option when you have limited time and only have to cook for yourself. 

This is an easy and quick way (duh!) to make a nice hot chocolate which is almost completely vegan.

Your traditional ingredients: Milk, chocolate and a sweetener as an extra option

Instead of using cow milk, you can use almond milk, which tastes just as good, in my opinion even better. For chocolate, use one which has a really high percentage of cacao. The highest one I could find in the nearest supermarket had 84%, but there's chocolate which has up to 98% cacao in it. To make it completely vegan, you can use pure cacao powder, but I would never be able to use all of it and it would only take up a lot of space in my dorm. As a sweetener, use about one teaspoon of honey.

First I heat up the milk a little bit in the microwave. Next I add chocolate and heat up the milk again. Last, I add honey as a sweetener and stir well so there's an equal amount of chocolate everywhere. 

Drink it like a pro:

- While reading a book and listening to your favourite Christmas music
- While watching your favourite youtuber, movie, series,... 
- While wearing your most christmassy pyjamas
- ...

 

I'm starting to get in the Christmas mood, really looking forward to celebrating it together with my friends and family :)
I hope you enjoyed this blogpost and are having a wonderful day!

xoxo Lien Bee

Laptop crashed...

Hi guys!

I've got some sad news... After I went to London with my friends, I wanted to update my blog but sadly, my laptop has crashed :( . Right now I'm working on my tablet and the devices of others, but I can't update my blog the way I want to. Please stay tuned, I will update the moment my laptop is fixed!

xoxo Lien Bee