| September Blogging Challenge | Trying Yoga

Back when I asked for suggestions for this challenge, I never thought I would get this one, mainly because I know nothing about it. But I wanted a challenge, right?
So my cousin Marissa was kind enough to send me a Yoga for beginners playlist she liked, for me to start practising before blogging about it.

A month ago, I was working out for 40 minutes, 3 times a week and my plan was to replace that exercise for yoga during a month. Which I did!... for a week~ I even started vlogging it cuz I wanted to document the process and prove that I actually tried. But, suddenly life got super, duper busy, I went back to work and I just stopped. 

I feel like I failed on this challenge but I had (and still have) no time or energy to continue.

I know a week is not enough to have a real opinion about yoga but, it is what I have, hehe.

It was nice, I won't say I didn't like it. I just don't feel it is for me. I have some friends who like, and do yoga and they share this super beautiful aesthetic pictures showing yoga poses. My experience was just expectation VS reality and I feel the kind of workout I enjoy the most has to be more energetic and make me feel exhausted at the end. Everything that is very quiet and peaceful makes me laugh a little and I can't focus!! I did discover I am much more flexible than I thought I was tho.

I guess my opinion could be different, if I had more time to try it. It looks like a beautiful way to work out and I feel bad I don't have enough to share on this post. But I still wanted to write about it cuz I started the challenge... kinda. 

Maybe in a not-so-far future I'll be able to try again. You never know~~~~

I'll link the videos I used, if you're interested: Yoga With Adriene

| September Blogging Challenge | H2H: Life Goals

Wow, this one really made me think. And the thing is, I was someone who though she had her life goals very clear. And they were actually pretty "simple" things such as "finding the love of my life", "Having my own place at 25" "Starting a family at a young age" but with time I realized that life never goes as planned. Ever! And that gave me a really hard time and it was something very hard for me to accept and deal with. 

But I've learned from it and I feel like my goals have a different focus now. It's not like I don't want those things anymore, I just feel like I'm in a different place and kinda want to focus on my professional life more than in other aspects.

I think one of my life goals is definitely having financial stability. Because I know this will help me with other goals such as finding my own place. This is, I'd say, one of my biggest goals and dreams at the moment that, for some reason, keeps getting postponed. 😭

And I feel like I've been doing a good job working hard to have that stability. (I know that I keep buying uselss things like there's no tomorrow too but, that's part of my reward for working hard, haha). Which is another goal of mine, I want to continue growing professionally and to challenge myself to try new things. Cuz I've found that it gives me personal satisfaction. I finally feel like I'm good enough to do something and I enjoy it a lot. 

Being honest, for a lazy and disorganized person, I think I became a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my work.

And well, another goal is to have a balance and become more organized. Cuz for some people I might not look like that but I'm always running and all over the place because I can't seem to have good organization and, I tend to procrastinate a LOT! 

I feel like in general my goal is to continue enjoying life and the little things it throws at me. Recieve the things and people who want to join me in my journey and let go of what's not meant to be (still a work in process tho). I also want to think more about me than I think about others. I want to focus on me and do things for me without worrying about what people would think. Cuz I feel that is still stopping me from living the life that I want 100%.

As cheesy as it sounds, my goal is to live a life I'm happy with and feel proud of the things and choices I make. Which is, of course, easier said that done.

| September Blogging Challenge | ✏ Teacher Chit Chat #7: Why did I decide to do what I do?

Now that I've been back to work this post feels just right. Most of you already know that my plan wasn't exactly to be a teacher when I was younger. I'm actually a fashion designer who accidentally fell in love with teaching.

And it's funny cuz it all started with me taking a teaching job to "do something" while deciding what I really wanted to do with my life after realizing that fashion design wasn't for me. After that year I decided to continue, and spent many years working in preschool. Somehow I was always a little hesitant to work with older kids until I got a good opportunity and went for it. And gradually I started opening myself to work with different ages, now I work with children, teenagers and adults.

And well, throughout my life I've been trying to find something I'm good at (and I still am) but it wasn't easy for me to step out of my comfort zone and I think that, in a way, teaching helped me to push mysef and do it. Cuz first of all, no day is the same and no student is the same. You have to be in constant innovation and learn to adapt to different situations. It also makes me be more creative and a little more confident. Whenever my students learn somethng from me, be it life or school related, I feel everything I do is worth it. And the cool thing is, they are not the only ones learning, I learn from them too. Even from my youngest.

And well, with time I also discovered that I love to insipre others and share what I know. That is part of why I have this blog too. Cuz if what I share in here can reach at least one person, inspire or help someone, I'll be the happiest. And same thing happens with my students.

But, why did I choose teaching? 

Because even tho it can be exhausting and stressful, it's been the best challenge life has thrown at me. I love what I do and I really enjoy it. There have been times when the classroom was my happy place, it has made me grow professionally and personally and, I don't know, I feel like even tho everyday Mon and Teacher Mon are slightly different people, I can really be myself around my students and that feels great. 

Sorry this post is a little shorter than usual but, I've been crazy busy lately and it's been hard to find time to  sit and write a proper post. 

| September Blogging Challenge | Skincare for olily to combination skin

Skincare has been an important part of my routine for a couple of years now cuz I do believe that going back to "basics" can make, even the cheapest makeup, look great.

It is true that what you eat and drink can have an influence on how your skin looks and to be honest, I don't worry too much about that, and I should. But, it is amazing what drinking a lot of water can do for you. And I think that would be my first tip for a healthy looking skin, start from the inside to look great on the outside. (and here is when I should start taking my own advice...)

I'll start with my skin type: I have combination skin but, it is also very, very sensitive. So I struggle with a bit of everything; I have a bit of an oily T-zone but my cheeks tend to get dry especially during Winter. As for the sensitive part, I can't experiment with many products when it comes to cleansing because some of them give me rashes and reactions after the first or second use, no matter how good the brand is.

So, today I am going to share with you some of the products I use to take care of my skin. Keep in mind that what works for me may not work for everyone.

I linked some of the products to older posts dedicated to them, in case you want more info.

One of the main requests for this post was to talk about skincare for oily skin, which is caused by the excess sebum production, this colgs pores and can lead to acne. So I think good and constant cleansing is key here. Salicylic acid is known to be good to help with oily skin.

I usually go super basic with my morning cleansing cuz I don't have much time but, I always make sure to wash, apply moisturizer and sunscreen before I do my makeup. It also helps me to wake up. I'm currently using the Miniso Watermelon Bouncy Hydra Facial Cleansing Gel to wash my face in the morning and at night. It removes excess grease, dirt and impurities, is super gentle and it smells delicious. Other cleansing foams I love are the Missha Creamy Latte Cleansing Foam. They have 3 different "flavors". The Green Tea one is for oily skin. Plus they smell delicious and are super creamy. And lastly, a product I got to try a few months ago: The Burt's Bees Soapbark & camomille deep cleansing cream. As it says, it is very creamy and soothing. This is a great choice if you're looking for something with natural ingredients.

I've been using this sunscreen from Mary Kay 
for a couple of years now.

One product that I liked to use years ago was an astringent from Bioré that contained salicylic acid. I used to apply it at night, using a cotton pad after cleansing. Since it also contains alcohol it kinda soaks the oil from the skin and you wake up with a fresh, non-oily skin. I don't remember why I stopped using it and I'm not sure if it's still out there.

Another product I really, really like is the Avon Clearskin Pore Penetrating Invigorating Scrub (What. A. Long. Name.). I love to use a good facial scrub twice a week and this one if defo one of my favorites. Not only because it is super cheap but, it also does the job. It is gentle to my sensitive skin but at the same time you can feel the beads scrubbing all the dirt on your skin leaving it fresh and clean after using. It has a cooling effect that I love. It contains eucalyptus extract and Witch Hazel which is also a good ingredient to cleanse the oil. I love face scrubs in general, but this one is great for oily skin.

I double cleanse at night. Sometimes, when I'm not extra lazy. The first step would be to remove my makeup using Micellar Water or the MINISO Sakura Water Bright Cleansing Balm. I find Micellar water to be faster to use and effective when it comes to removing my makeup but the cleansing balm is pretty good too. After having a makeup free face, I move on to the washing to make sure there is no dirt left.

This is the one I'm currently using

After that comes the moisture part. Before applying a hydrating cream, I've been using a new essence lately. It is the MINISO Energy of Fruit 3 in 1 Essence (citrus) and it's been working well for me so far. I wake up to a moisturized and healthy looking skin.

A moisturizer that I would defo recommend is the  Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream. It has to be hands down one of my favs. I like to use it as both, day and night cream.

But when in Winter, when my skin gets super dry, I try to use something thicker at night. Last year my aunt introduced me to this cream called Tressura, and it is one of those super old creams that are very cheap but work wonders. It contains glycerine and it works great as a night mask and super hydrating body cream.

And well, I think I've said this before but using facemasks constantly also helps a lot. There is a huge variety now, and not only for the face. You can choose according to your needs and some of them are also really cute and fun to use. 

I don't know if I'm missing some things, I probably am but I don't want to make this a super , duper long(er) post. So, let me now if there is something else I should mention when it comes to skincare and I'll be glad to share it in another post.

| September Blogging Challenge | 10 Of My Favorite 90's Movies

Even tho I look back at the 90's and see all the terrible looks I had, it is defo of my favorite decades. Mostly because of all the happy memories I have of it.
I loved the idea to share some of my favorite 90's movies as a part of the blogging challenge.

There are many 90's movies I didn't see until I was older cuz back then I wasn't really interested but, I'm gonna share some of the ones that made an impact back then or that I was just simply obsessed with.

And I'm going to start with one of my all time favs: Clueless (1995). I didn't only love the movie but also the show. My sister, cousins and I were obsessed with it and even tho my fashion style was clearly nothing like Cher's, she was kinda my role model and it was thanks to this movie that I met Paul Rudd and still love him to this day. This is one of those movies that never get old for me and I watch it every time I can. I still love the fashion, the characters, the music and... it just screams 90s!

My next one is going to be Spice World (1997). I know some of you wouldn't even consider this one as a favorite but, the Spice Girls were a huge part  of my life while growing up. I can still remember how excited I was when we went to watch it. It doesn't matter what they do, I still follow them and they will always have a very special place in my heart. Hehe.

Let's get into a Halloween mood now with The Addams Family (1991). This was one of those movies we watched over and over again. I remember we used to rent it, yeah... I feel old now. I remember looking at Morticia, thinking she was gorgeous! And I really loved the whole concept of this family. They were one of my first looks into people living an "everyday is Halloween" kind of life. I could (and still can) watch everything Addams related.

The Witches (1990) is also one of those Halloween movies I loved. I would watch it every time it was on TV and I believe it was part of the big fascination I have over witches now. The only part that really scared me in this movie was the girl who was trapped living in a painting. She slowly grew old and eventualy died, disappearing from the painting.

Last Halloween movie will be The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). This is defo a Christmas / Halloween classic that everyone knows and enjoys. Even the soundtrack is good! Hehe.

Changing the genre a little is the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie (1995). I was a big MMPR fan and this movie wasn't the exception. Jason David Frank (aka Tommy) was one of my first big crushes and there was a pink ranger so, yeah. I didn't follow all the PR seasons tho.

Then we have Batman & Robin (1997). I know many people hate this movie. And it's funny cuz I'm not a Batsy fan but I used to love it. Especially beause of Robin ♡. Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl was an extra reason to like it. There was this PS game my sister and I used to love too. I still enjoy watching this movie to this day.

I don't know if this next movie was exactly a favorite but it started my obsession with the show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992). I think I randomly watched it on TV, I already liked Luke Perry from BH 90210 and I liked the whole concept of the movie. Years later I discovered the show and well... we'll leave the rest for another post.

And my last ones are both Leonardo DiCaprio movie that I was probably too young to understand back then but still watched them over and over to the point where I knew the dialogues.

The first one is, The Man in the Iron Mask (1998). I watched this movie because of my Grandpa and loved it after that. I especially loved the costumes and of course, Leonardo. I started liking him after Titanic. I'm not a big Musketeers fan but would watch this one again for sure.

And the last one is: Romeo + Juliet (1996). I know the original story but this one is the one I've officially seen. And it's a "modern" adaptation of the original. I feel like rewatching it to remember everything because, even tho I had my obsession period with ths movie, I haven't seen it in a long, long time.

And there you go, some of my favorite movies from the 90s. Maybe some of them were not the best movies ever but they were a big part of my childhood and I still enjoy them. The list could go on and on but I don't want to turn this into a super long post.

| September Blogging Challenge | Favorite Cafés ☕️

Everyone knows how much I love coffee and something that mom and I enjoy doing is to explore different coffee places. I do that with my friends too.
But even tho there are many that I like, I'm only going to share 3 of my favorite ones, here where I live and 2 that I loved back in Spain.

Let's do this! I'll start with the places I like to go often:

☕️ Starbucks

I think some of you already saw this one coming and I know many people have mixed feeling about it because, they don't like the coffee or think it is too expensive. It is true that there are cheaper coffees out there with great taste but, I just love my Starbucks. And I'm not only talking about their coffee, also love their matcha lattes, shakes and seasonal drinks as well as their food and bread. I have a thing for seasonal drinks so there are certain drinks I patiently wait for such as my beloved pumpkin spice latte and other pumpkin drinks in Fall and the cranberry white mocha in Winter.

They have coffees from around the world and have different brewing methods to enhace characteristics in each coffee. Plus it's always nice to costumize your coffee to your liking. You can find Starbucks almost everywhere!
Check Starbucks.com for more info.

☕️ Macadamia Gourmet

This is the place my friends and I like to go for seasonal drinks because their themed menus are the cutest, no only on Halloween season. We started going years ago when it was a very small coffee place, now it is a lot bigger and they offer meals and acoholic drinks too. I find cozy in a way and it is located in a nice place so even the view is kinda pretty.
Prices wise it is a little similar to starbucks and it's a very pet friendly place.
Go to Macadamia Gourmet for more info.

☕️ CachiBache Caffé

I really like the whole vibe this place has, decoration is also pretty interesting. They mostly have desserts and drinks but you can also have a few salty things. They have unique drinks such as the turmeric latte, which I love, coffee is really good and strong too. I believe they work with other local gourmet food brands so they have unique thingies. You can also play board games and enjoy live music in this place. Defo a good place to visit if you're downtown. Add to that prices are great and very affordable for yummy treats.
For more info, check their fb page: CachiBache Caffé

Now I'll move on to 2 places I went often and really liked back in Spain:

☕️ Pastisseria Crespo

This was the place I used to visit at least 4 times a week when I was in Spain. It is in La Pobla de Vallbona, a small town, 30 minutes away from Valencia.
I had my first coffee in Spain in this place and tried bitter kas for the first time so, it's special, hehe. They make their own bread and food is always fresh, they have good variety and food changes depending on the hour. You can go to have meals there or just coffee with dessert. Something I loved about this place is the attention. They always make you feel welcome. Thanks to Crespo I became addicted to café bombon (which is sweet condensed milk and espresso), and that was my regular order in there. I was also spoiled recieving free yummies on every visit. I couldn't find much info about this place online because it is in a very small town but it is really worth it and it has a special place in my heart and tummy, haha.

☕️ LiaoPastel

I only got the chance to go to the one in Vall de Uxo but there are many franchises all over Valencia and Castellón. The one I went to was really pretty and has a big variety of food, desserts and drinks. You can eat for a very good price and its a nice place to get some coffee and relax too. You know how much I love pretty things and most desserts were like that, pretty! And yummy too. I'd defo go back if I had the chance and it's a place that I totally recommend if you happen to go to Valencia. From what I've heard, the other cafés have a pretty decoration too.
Click here to check the one I went to, or here for more info on the other Liaos hehe.

I only chose those two places cuz I went there many times but honestly, Spain had so many good local coffee places with strong and delicious coffee for a very good price. I didn't even miss my Starbucks while I was there.

September Blogging Challenge

Hello darlings!
I kinda wanted to try something different and challenge myself to blog only about the things you want in September, that's why earlier this month I asked you guys to send me your suggestions.

These are some of the suggestions I'll be blogging about

Back then I was so sure I was going to have enough time to prepare for blogs but suddenly things got super busy and my time of planning and prepping blogs ahead came to an end. So, I will do my best and try to stick to my 2 blogs a week schedule. There were like 2 videos planned but I don't really think I'll have time to edit~ We'll see.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who took the time to send suggestions, I thinks I already blogged about some of them so, I'll be focusing on the ones I haven't or that represent doing something different from what I'm used to like, yoga. Cuz that's the point of doing this, to push me to do things that I don't normally do. I try to be a open as I can on ths blog but, I always share what I want to or feel comfortable about so, yeah. It'll be fun. Haha.

So, goodbye August and let the September Blogging Challenge begin!