My Spain Adventure!

Hi loves!
As most of you know, I spent over two months in Spain visiting mom and just having a break from life, work and pretty much everything. It was my first time in Europe, I remeber when I was little I was obsessed with living in Europe, (London to be exact) but I never thought I would fall for Spain as much as I did.
There are a bunch of Spain vlogs I'll link down below for you to see part of my trip but I also want to have a (not so) little chit chat about some of the things I lived and experienced there.

Let the adventure begin...
On November 21st I took my first flight to Madrid, arriving there on the 22nd to catch a second flight that would take me to Valencia. Flight was great, Iberia crew were always super nice to everyone, plane was very comfortable and even tho I had a bad migraine during my flight, I had a good trip.
I have to admit that the few hours I spent in Madrid were not exactly my favorites. Even tho I had the best happy and polite attitude, immigration police made me feel so stressed! But, I also find some nice (but cold) people who were willing to help a very lost Mon to get to her boarding gate. Such an adventure, I swear! I felt so relieved once I got to Valencia!

From Valencia to La Pobla de Vallbona
La Pobla de Vallbona was my home during my stay in Spain, it is a small (and I mean. small) but nice town really close to Valencia (15-20mins by car). It kinda reminded me of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, everyone knows each other, you can hear good and bad news on the streets, there's only a small place to go to watch movies, theater and other entertainment related stuff. Every Monday they have a big market downtown and it is very popular. It was fun to walk around and buy some goodies. You can find a bit of everything there: food, fruits, shoes, clothes, etc.
People there were super nice and sweet to me from day 1, starting with the adoptive family, who invited me for lunch on the same day I arrived so we all could meet. I had my first fideuá and met people I truly adore now.

Family & People
I had my mom & Jose, who were the only people I knew when I got there. I really, really enjoyed all the time we spent togehter and I'll be forever thankful for everything they did. I was so spoilt, they took me everywhere and fed me with yummy food. I was literally a princess. ♡
People made it so easy for me to feel comfortable around them. My now Spanish family are the sweetest people. It was hard to leave them considering I found new grandparents, uncles/aunties/friends in them. And of course they had a dog to love, Pocholo. Aka Pocho, who has been the most difficult dog I've met. It took me a couple of days to make him like me but we ended loving each other.
I met other amazing people too; family friends, people from pubs, restaurants and coffee places that made my time there a very happy and special one.

Valencia, cities & towns
I absolutely loved Valencia, it has everything: city, castles, beach, mountains, story, malls, lots of coffee places, etc. I would live there if I could! Besides Valencia, I went to other places too such as Requena, Teruel, Vall de Uxó, Albarracín, Utiel, Xilxes, Alcalá del Jucar, Alpuente & others.
Most cities have both, their modern part and the old town. I was amazed to see castles pretty much in every place we went to. Some of them bigger than others but always beautiful. Some towns even made me feel as if I was walking in a movie, or being transported to a different era.
But as beautiful as the towns are, some of them are so small that there's nothing to do there besides sightseeing. Unless you are looking for a super duper quiet place to hide from the world.

Requena

Albarracin

Alcalá del Júcar

Teruel

Customs, traditions & Time difference
I have to say time difference wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be for me. At least not in the sleeping part. I pushed myself to styay awake the whole day from day one so I could sleep better at night and I have to say that helped a lot with my jetlag. My eating hours were a little more affected by it cuz whenver I had to eat, I was not hungry, then I got hungry when I wasn't supposed to eat. but that only lasted for a couple of days.
Something I noticed is that most people are very religious, so religious celebrations are a big deal. I got the chance to see many parades, lots of music and fireworks when I was there.
It seems like respecting eating hours is something very important there. I was used to only have 3 meals a day and I dodn't exactly had an hour to eat, I ate whenever I could or if I was hungry but, they usually have like 5 meals a day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, something in the evening and dinner. Funny thing was, some restaurants only had food around lunch time, after a certain hour, there was nothing to eat as a main dish.
I'm always used to have all the stores open all day, unless it's a sunday, but you know you can always have supermarkets in case you need something. So, something I found a bit annoying was the fact that most places close around 2 pm and open until 5pm...!!! (lunch time and then, a nap!). Everything is dead. It wasn't likie that in the city but, still!!
Another thing was how supermarkets were not open on Sundays. Not a single one. That was the only thing I missed, having everything open whenever I needed it.
You all know how much I love my coffee, and I was very surprised to discover they drink a super yummy and strong coffee but, in the tiniest cups ever! Other than that, I don't think I had a big cultural shock. It was actually very easy to get used to the way things were over there.

Shopping, people & fashion 
I am aware I have shopping problems, but I honestly didn't think I'd buy enough things to end up paying for a second suitcase... Thing was, I was lucky to be there when they had sales everywhere! I tried not to buy in stores I already have here. Some of the stores I love the most were Druni, TEDi, MANGO (even tho I have it here, it was way cheaper over there), El Corte Inglés, AleHop & Mercadona (yes, even if it's a supermarket). I thought I got more makeup than anything else but as I started unpacking I realized I did get many clothes too. I found some face & eye creams for great prices and became obssesed with ESSENCE.

I noticed that people in Valencia (and around) were a lor warmer than in Madrid. Most people were friendly with me in restaurans, stores and just in general. Of course, there are exceptions like in every other country. You get too see many tourists and foreigners in Valencia. I love to see people from around the world walking around! Their style, and all that.
As for fashion, I realized that older people really put an effort to always look good. I don't think I saw trends that I loved but I did find some pieces of clothing that you don't see over here often. I liked that!

Weather
To be honest, I was expecting a super, duper cold weather but even tho it was cold, it wasn't as bad as it was supposed to be. I arrived in late fall and it was just beautiful. Super windy but, beautiful. Fall is my favorite season and I don't think I've seen a fall like that before. During my time there we got warm days, cooler ones, but not super cold until late Jan - beginning of February. Then cold got serious. Some places got heavy snow but Valencia only got rain. I got to see snow tho. They took me to Requena & Utiel so I could see it. I fell in love.
I was actually worried about my flights being cancelled because of the snow but luckily, Madrid had no snow the day I ad to fly back.

I'm sure there is a lot missing here, but if I keep adding things as I remember them, I'm never gonna post this entry before the month ends.
Going to Spain was a beautiful experience I'm never gonna forget. It hepled me to grow in so many ways, I got to relax and sightseeing a lot, ate different food and went to places I never thought I'd get the chance to visit. I'll be forever thankful to everyone who made that trip possible and who made me feel at home over there. I met wonderful people and came back feeling like I have a family there in Spain. I defo want to go back soon and see everyone again.
Spain, you have my heart now!!

And to end this blog here, I'm gonna link the Spain Adventures playlist down below as well as some of the Spain related posts. I really hope you enjoy this travel chit chat and, I'll see you next time!
xx

YOUTUBE | Spain Adventures |

BLOG POSTS:
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul #1
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul #2
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul #3
Essence Makeup Haul

TEDi Haul

Spain Clothing & Accessories Haul #1
Spain Clothing & Accessories Haul #2 |MANGO|

| Spain Adventures | Alcalá del Júcar

| Spain Adventures | Albarracín

TEDi Haul

Hey there! Yup, here comes another haul...

TEDi is an European store (Germany to be exact) that apparently is one of the leading companies in the non food sector. You can find pretty much everything in there; from DIY to pets, house goodies, stationery and even beauty. I was lucky because while I was in Spain, they opened a new store in La Pobla de Vallbona, where I was staying so, we went crazy! I can say we stopped by at least once a week and never left with empty hands. You can find really nice things for very, very cheap prices.
TEDi quickly became one of y favorite stores and even tho I already gave away some things, I still have a pretty decent haul to share with you guys.

I tried to organize things into little groups to make it a little easier to read. Hehe.

KITCHEN

I wanted to get everything kitchen related. They had cute baking tools, mugs, and even a pink coffee machine!
I got a package of 4 sponges for the dishes for only 1€. I gave two of them away and kept the others. I really liked the fact that they had faces on them! I'm sure they'll make me smile when I do the dishes.

The next is a unicorn glass chopping board, it was a gift from my mom. I'm not using it to chop anything atm but, I'll find a good use for it until I get my own kitchen. Hehe~

PETS

I was surprised of the variety of pet treats they had, toys & really nice bowls. For TinkerBell I got two bags of treats, one is in cute heart shapes and the others are soft small cakes. She already tried the hearts and, she loves them. I also got a toy for Michee and some training pads because well, my dog isn't exactly well trained so they are always handy.
Pocho (my Spanish family's dog) also recieved a bag of treats for Christmas.

STATIONERY

I LOVE these things and they had so many to choose from. Erasers in cute shapes, markers, pens, pencils, color pencils, magnets (got some for gifts) paper clips, planners, notebooks... I could go on and on. I only got a box of heart paper clips, fun pins with faces and cat stickers.

BEAUTY (related)

I couldn't help to get another makeup organizer because they were a lot cheaper than what I usually pay for them back home. And the quality is as good as the expensive ones. I also thought the cotton pad dispenser would be a very usegul thing to have around.

I still have to try the beauty blender, but it looks as soft and good as others I've had. And I got the nail polish because, first of all, the color was gorgeous but, also because I wanted to try their makeup before buying more. (they had eyeliners, nail polishes, lippies, mascaras, etc.)

Sadly, the Beauty Woman Nail Polish in "Au Naturel" didn't last for even a day. I applied a couple of coats and my nails were already cheaped when I woke up the next day. Chunks of it came off easily. Kinda glad I didn't brought more makeup. Not saying everything is bad, but nail polishes... big no no. Too bad I really liked the color and it actually looked really nice on my nails.

OTHERS

Super soft pink ballerina socks, and strawberry sponge. Too cute not to get.

That's it for my TEDi haul, I couldn't show you everything because I don't want to reveal some gifts here so, yeah. Right before I left, they started having easter stuff, too many cute bunnies! Iwanted to get some but my lugagge was already too heavy to get more~ Maybe next time!

If you want to know more about TEDi I'll leave the link to their site: www.tedi.com

Essence Makeup Haul

Hi dollies!

During my time in Spain I started buying lots of products from Essence. You might have seen some of them on my previous Spain makeup hauls so, I'm just gonna show you the ones I got after those hauls.

I liked essence not only because they have very colorful and cute things but also because it is very affordable. 

I'm gonna start with nails. First we have nail polishes, all of them are from The Gel Nail Polish. The gold one was the last one I needed to have all the glitter polished they had. I'm not a big fan of gold but this one looks absolutely beautiful. It's called "On Air" (44) and as most glitter nail polishes, I find the durability a little better than regular ones.

On Air

The next two were gifts from my mom. First is a grey-ish lilac that looks absolutely gorgeous when you apply it, "I dreamed a dream" (102). Definitely one of my favorites at the moment. And the other is a bright, fun color that I think will be perfect for Spring, "Red Carpet?" (92).

Red Carpet?

I dreamed a dream

I also got a 2 step nail file because I forgot to take one with me and I use them a lot. The Studio Nails Banana-File has a black side that helps to shorten the nails (step 1) and a pink side to shape them (step 2).

Moving on to the face, I got two products, the Soft Touch Mousse Make-up in "Matt Ivory" (04) it was the lightest shade I found, which is very light weight and soft. Application is sooooo smooth. It is not high coverage tho but you can build up the color without feeling or looking cakey. Like it says it is a mousse-like base with a matte finish. I just started using it not long ago so I'm still in the process of knowing if I love it.

The other product is the Stay Natural Concealer in "Soft Nude" (03). First of all, I live the brush applicator, considering it is kinda thin, it makes it easier to apply the concealer on small areas. The formula is very light but coverage is pretty good. I like it so far!

For eyes I picked two eyeliners, a pencil liner and a liquid liner. I've been trying to use more liquid eyeliner lately but I'm still pretty messy with the application, the one I got is the Super Last Eyeliner in "Deep Black" It claims to last for 18h. It is a really black, black (lol) and yeah, it lasts for a long time. The only thing I don't like about it is the applicator. It is too long and it makes it harder for me to create a nice, even line. And the pencil liner is the Kajal Pencil in "black" (01)

I also got two mascaras, one for the yes and one for the brows. For the eyes: Instant Volume Boost Mascara. It claims to be smudge proof and intense black. To be honest, I'm not too picky with mascaras, I like them as long as they are water/smudge proof. And for the brows: Make Me Brow eyebrow gel mascara in "Blondy Brows" (01). Even tho it says it is gel based, it feels too liquid for me, in a non-messy way. This was the lightest shade they had and because it is not super strong on the brows, it could help me to keep the brows in place once I fill them with the pencil.

Next is a blush! Mosaic Blush in "All you need is pink" (20). What can I say about this blush? It is beautiful! Even my mom loved it so I ended up getting one for her as well. It leaves a very subtle glow on the sking, it is pigmented and lasts the whole day. I believe this mosaic blushes have other 2 shades, a pink one and a more bronzy(?) one. I wanted to get all of them!

I realized I only got two lipsticks... one is the Ultra Last Instant Colour in "Cherry Sweet" (11). I fell for this color after buying one for my mom and my cousin, I knew I /had/ to get one myself. The other one is a matte lippie, Matt Matt Matt "Wow Effect" (03). What I like about it is the fact that even tho it has a semi-matte finish, it doesn't dry my lips like other matte lippies do.

cherry sweet

Wow effect

We're almost done guys, I promise~

The last 3 things I got were from the Wood You Love Me? collection, which is their Valentine's day collection. The theme is obviously love, but not in the classic all-red, hearts & stuff, is more of a forest/animal love thingy(?).

They had 3 nail polishes, I only picked one because I didn't love the other colors (green and a bronzy brown). They one I got is called "Sweet Kisses" (03). It is the perfect shade of pale pink. It look really clean yet cute!

Also bought a pair of makeup sponges (gave one to mom), "Mr & Mrs cute" (01). I still wonder if they had other designs...

Lastly, I got a double pencil liner, then again, they had other colors that I don't think I'd use. "My tree love" (02) has a brown color with a pearly finish on one side and a nude matte one on the other side.

This collection had, nail files, eyeshadows and even facemasks but I could only get a few things cuz they lauched it right before I left...

And, we are done! These are some of the products I bought when I was in spain, I also have face creams I'm really excited about but I think I'll talk about them in a separate post.

I'll see you next time~!!

Other hauls:
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul 1
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul 2
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul 3

JANUARY Favorites 2018 | Spain Edition | Beauty, Stores, TV & Drinks

I'm starting to realize it's true when people say "time flies when you're having fun" This year had a great start for me and honestly, I didn't want it to be over~

Hey there!
It is officially the first favorites post of the year. As some of you already know, I've been in spain for a little over two months here and that means, I've been trying many new things. (that includes going to new places too). There are SO many things I've loved but I'm only gonna list a few in here to keep it "short" yeah right...

Let's start!

❥ BEAUTY

If you've seen my previous makeup hauls, you might know I've been obsessing with essence, I've been buying lots of their products to try them. They have really fun and cute products for a very decent price. One of the things I've been loving the most is their nail polishes, especially The Gel Nail Polish in glitter colors.
The 3 faves where "My Sparkling Darling" (86), "Crashed the Party?!" (101) and "On Air!" (44). I used them all December long and part of January. They are festive, cute and yeah, you can't go wrong with nice glitter with me. I LOVE THEM! Even mom liked them.
Durability is pretty good too so, that's a plus!

Next is the SEPHORA Mixology Eyeshadow Palette, "Nude & Fresh Mix" I've been loving this palette, not only for its quality, but also because it comes with all the colors I would pick for eyeshadows. Nothing too dark or bright. All nice neutral and earthy colors. The colors apply easily, they are pigmented and stay on your eyes the whole day. Just beautiful.

As for creams, we have the DELIPLUS Gold Progress 24K Day Cream with SPF 10. Deliplus is a brand that belongs to Mercadona. I've tried some of their hair produncts as well as makeup and skincare. They are really good and I'd say the prices are very affordable too. With this cream in particular, I've noticed my skin looks a lot healthier and glowy. It is slightly thick and it absorbs really quick on the skin. I just think I wouldn't recommend it for very dry skin.

The PIL'ATEN Shea Hand Cream has been one of my most used this winter. I don't usually use many hand creams, but the Spanish cold forced me to do it. This cute cream helped me to keep my hands moisturized and soft. I carry it in my bag all the time now.


❥ STORES

DRUNI. So, I think I've mentioned it before somewhere but, Druni is a perfume/Makeup/Beauty store that has differen brands. From high end to drugstore products, this store became one of my favorites in no time. Mom talked to me about it many times before so I was very excited to go there and once I did, there was no way back. I grab something everytime we stop by. It's not hard to find one in Valencia, (at least from what Ive seen) and you find different brands on each store. I was suprised to find some Korean brands such as TonyMoly or Holika Holika and Japanese ones like, Shiseido.

TEDi. I'd say Tedi is a non-food store where you can finds pretty much a bit of everything; DIY, decoration, stationary, pets, toys, party supplies and even some drugstore for a very good price. From everyday items to really cute and fun things. As same as Druni, I end up buying many things everytime I go there. I believe it is from Germany  and since they opened a new store here in La Pobla, we stop by at least once a week.

❥ TV

Ven a cenar conmigo. It's a cooking show/contest/reality show based on the British "Come dine with me" (Which I never saw...). On this show 5 amateur chefs compete against each other to become the best host. This show is absolutely addictive!

❥ DRINKS

Horchata de Chufa. It is a Spanish (Valencia) drink that is popular during the Summer time. It is kinda milky and has a texture to it that I can't really explain. It is made out of a nut thingy(?) called chufa. I tried the natural horchata and the comercial one and...both are really good. Cold is super yummy and refresing but, apparently you can drink it hot too. I'm addicted!

Café Bombon / Bombonet. It is a mix of espresso sweetened with condensed milk. It is served in a small transparent glass to show both ingredients, the coffee and the milk before mixing it. Once you combine them you get the perfect flavor of a strong but sweet coffee. As small as it is, I love it. It was also the first coffee I had when I got here.

Bitter Kas. Is a bright red soft soda that has a very (and I mean, very) unique taste. It is sweet but bitter at the same time. But... not too sweet and not too bitter...
Considering how I taste describing tastes, let's google a good description~
"The palate is at first fruity ('estery') with flavours of ripe banana, followed by red fruits: Cranberry, cherry and redcurrant. The sweet spell is soon broken however, with the arrival of a controlled bitterness signalled by flavours of kumquat and red orange peel.
There follows an extraordinarily long, bitter, lingering finish that manages to leave a complex aftertaste of vermouth herbs and spices."
Now, that's a lot better.
I've been liking this so much that even my beloved Coca-Cola has been neglected during my time here. Sad thing is I believe you can only find this soda in Europe~~~
What am I gonna do without you Bitter Kas... WHAT!? -cries-

I think I'll end the post here, I'm planning to do many more Spain blogs soon where I'll talk about more places, food and products.
These are my favorites for this month, or at least, some of them.

I hope you're all having an amazing start of the year, I'll see you next time!!