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Store review: Happy Monday

I haven't written anything in a while, but while I was reorganising my closet I came across some clothes I bought from this amazing store, and I figured I should do a little review about it.

 The name of the store is Happy Monday. I came across this store on instagram, and I immediately fell in love with it. I have to admit that they really have a certain style, and you either hate or love it. I think I love half of their items, and dislike the other half. But nonetheless, their clothes are amazing, and I'm planning on ordering again soon.

 The store is based in Thailand, I believe. And the currency they use on the store website is in US dollars. All clothes are below $30, and most are even below $20, all with free shipping. So they have amazing clothes for amazing prices, which is why I love them so much.

They don't really have that many sizes, most are S-M and some also have L, so you should check the measurements. I own one of their skirts and sadly I can't wear it in public because it's too short. But that's because I'm 180cm (5'11), so I just wear it at home.

 They are very active on their instagram account, and often hold giveaways. They also do this thing where they give away free clothing that is slightly flawed but still looking good.

Although their costumer service can be slow, they always try to help as much as possible.

So far whenever I ordered it arrived pretty quickly, compared to other things I order from stores in Asia. I think it took around 1,5 - 2 weeks every time. But keep in mind that it can vary per country. 

This is gonna be a short review, but I just want to say that I love this store, and it deserves more attention. You can buy here, and you can find them on instagram with the name happym0nday

And of course I have to show of some of their clothes.

Things you should know when starting an online store

So some of you might know that until a few weeks ago I ran a store called Pastel Faery, which later was changed to Curious Crescent. I closed it a few weeks ago, and now reopened it, only now I'm selling handmade stuff instead of reselling items. Now this post won't be of much use for those who are planning of making a living off an online store, but I know that there are many people my age who would love to run their own store in their spare time.

I've made some mistakes when I ran my store, and instead of regretting them I'm going to use them to warn others and tell you what you should and shouldn't do. After all, we're here to learn right?

So first of all you'll have to choose a platform. For my store I used Storenvy, which works great. It's all free and fairly easy. Only problem is that if you want things like discount codes you'll have to pay $5 a month. Another thing is that you can list your items in the Storenvy marketplace to get more attention. However you should know that if something is sold through the marketplace instead of your storefront (your website) they'll take a 10% fee off of the money you'll get.
A thing I didn't like about Storenvy is that they work with Stripe and Paypal. Paypal is great, but Stripe isn't. If you want to give someone a refund you'll have to pay a large fee over it, which is an incredible loss. Also it can take up to 10 days for your money to get transferred to your bank account. I really dislike Stripe.

You can also go for Tictail or Bigcartel. I have little experience with those, but they are both free as well. I do however not know about fees with those two.

Another option is Etsy, a platform which I am using at the moment. Creating a store is free, and having things such as stats and discounts is free as well. However, Etsy asks $0.20 for every listing and asks a small fee for every sale you make. It's not much though, but it could be annoying.
I recommend Etsy for handmade stuff, because people who don't know your store can easily find your items.

Alright, that's some info about different platforms. Now I'm gonna tell you what I did wrong.
I was a reseller. You can resell items by buying them and stocking them, or by using dropshipping services. Dropshipping means that you buy an item from a supplier and they'll ship the item to your costumer for you. That way you only pay when you sell and won't risk having stock leftovers. It saves you a lot of hassle and money, or at least that's what I thought.
It did in fact save me money, but it was a big hassle.

Basically what happened was that my suppliers didn't really communicate with me that well. They're from Asia and their English isn't that great, but that's not the problem. The problem was that if a costumer was missing an order I would have to ask my supplier where it was. And sometimes they didn't respond, or responded a week later. It's very frustrating for a costumer to be in the dark about something, but it's even more frustrating for the seller.

I didn't know where my costumer's items where, when they would arrive, in what shape they would arrive, and if they would even arrive. Being in the dark like that really sucks, because after all you want your store to do good.

If you do choose dropshipping for your store, make sure to have a good communication with your supplier(s). It's the key to success.

Another thing that I did wrong was calculating profit. Whenever I listed an item I sort of guessed how much profit I would get. What I forgot to think about was that I needed some back-up money in case of a refund, and that if people would apply discount codes my profit would drop.
Sometimes I would have a profit of less than a dollar, and one time I even lost two dollars..
It's important that you calculate your profit carefully and create room for things like fees and discounts.

My store was mainly known on instagram, and most of my costumers knew me there. I often had giveaways and I also had some promoters to whom I gave free stuff. However I again didn't think about profit, Sometimes I hadn't made that much profit and I would do a giveaway regardless. I don't know why I did it, but I didn't think about it. Looking back at it I feel pretty naïve, and I realised that I should've put more thought in it.

There were a few things I was good at though, or at least my costumers told me I was.
One thing that I heard a lot was that the costumers liked the way I interacted with them. I always took my time to respond to them, even when it was on a weekend or late at night. If someone sent me an email regarding their order I would respond no matter what. I was, and still am, dedicated to my costumer and refuse to leave them in the dark about something. I respect all of them, even if they are rude. And it turns out that people really appreciate that. So if you're starting a store, make sure to have a good costumer service. Be polite and respectful. I've seen stores insult their costumers after they were rude, and it just makes the store look bad.

Another thing people said is that they liked how active I was. Even if I wasn't posting to instagram I would get online and see what was going on. I want to know who my audience is, and I think that's a very important thing to know. As a store owner you have to reach out to the people, and social media is great for that if you use it the right way.

I've also heard people say that they liked how different I was. Even though I sold products many others sold as well, I tried to be unique. And I wanted to let my costumers know that they are welcome. I support all kinds of people, and everyone should feel safe on my store account. When I listed clothes with small sizes I would write a little note underneath saying that "your size doesn't define your beauty", because I know many people struggle with their self-worth. People actually liked that and it made them happy.
So having good connections with your costumers and knowing them well is essential.

I think that was about all I have to share. I've started over and I'm now selling handmade stuff on my Etsy store called Curious Crescent. I'm using the knowledge I have gained and hopefully my store will be a success. If you wish to create your own store and you have questions don't hesitate to comment or if you have instagram you can find me (@peculiarplanets) and ask me anything.
Have a nice day!

Shopping on Aliexpress: what to look out for

I love shopping on Aliexpress. I think I buy something from there at least twice a month. It's cheap and it's easy, and they have so many items that you can't get here. I like having stuff that not many people have. I don't know why, but I do. And it's very tempting to buy things if they are very cheap.
But now that I've been using Aliexpress for over a year I've learned some things about it that I want to share with you, so you won't make the mistakes I did.

SIZES
First of all, if you're going to buy clothes please check the sizes first. Most clothing is made in Asian sizes, which are generally smaller than western sizes. Normally I'm size M/L, but I've bought clothes on Aliexpress that were size XXXL in Asian size. For this reason a lot of sellers put the measurements in the description of the item. So please measure yourself and compare that. But keep in mind that often the clothes are measured by hand and in most cases they'll be smaller than the seller tells you they are. Going for a piece of clothing with bigger measurements is a good thing to do. I've had tons of clothing items that turned out to be a little too small or short for me, and it's just a waste of money. Especially sleeves are a often shorter than the description tells you.
For example, today I received a flannel I ordered. According to the measurements it should've been a bit oversized for me, but it turned out to fit perfectly. Though I'm glad that it fits, I was hoping it would've been a bit oversized.

Also, don't fall for the "one size fits all" thing, unless you're below 5'6. There is no such thing as one size fits all. If it says it's one size, check if there are measurements in the description. If those aren't there, I don't think you should risk buying it.

If you have big feet like I do, shopping for shoes is very risky. The sizes they list are often wrong. This is mostly because they go for US size, and they forget to tell if it's US man or women size. They often put measurements in the description, but if you go and check a site that lists feet measurements and shoe sizes, you'll see that those two are different.

SHIPPING TIME
Okay so what many people forget when they are buying from sites like Aliexpress and Ebay is that most products have to come from China. Now, if you live in Europe like I do, or in the US for example, it can take quite some time for those items to arrive. I think the fastest that I've ever had was a week, but that's pretty rare. I'd say the average for me is between the 2 and 3 weeks after I've ordered it. You should realise that if you're going to buy something here you'll have to be patient. But I noticed that the more I ordered the more I got used to the long shipping time.

A lot of items have tracking numbers, but half of the time those don't work. That doesn't mean it was all a scam, but it just means that your post office can't track it (yet). Often this is because the code only works as long as the package is in the country of origin. You could try and track it on sites like 17track.net, though often the results are in Chinese. And even 17track can't always track it.

Before you go and order, you should check something very important: the processing and shipping time, Some sellers take a lot of time to process and ship your item, and that just sucks. One time I ordered something that had a processing time of 30 days and a shipping time of 30 - 60 days. Of course I could've cancelled the order before it got shipped and buy from another seller, but I was an Aliexpress rookie and didn't know that was possible. I always try to find items that have a processing time between 1 and 10 days (15 if I really want it) and a shipping time between 15-39 days. Though it isn't guaranteed that it'll be delivered within that time, it often is the truth. Also, if you've ordered something and the seller doesn't ship it within the stated processing time, the order will get cancelled automatically and you'll get your money back.

CHECK FEEDBACK
Aliexpress is like Ebay: a place for people to sell items. Aliexpress itself doesn't sell anything. This means that there are ten thousands of sellers on Aliexpress, and they're all different. (Also keep in mind that if you order multiple items, they're often from different sellers and thus will arrive separately). But how do you know if someone is trustworthy or not? Well, you don't. But the feedback that the seller has received will help a lot.

Basically it's like Ebay; it shows you how much positive feedback a seller has received. The higher the percentage, the more trustworthy a seller is, or so it seems. However, not everything is the way it seems. It works like this: when you have received an item you can give feedback. You can give 1 to 5 stars for shipping, communication, the item, and overall experience. You can also leave a comment. If everyone was to give someone 5 stars, that would mean the seller would have 100% positive feedback, however, not everyone is as positive in the comments as their stars show. I've seen people give someone 4 stars, even though they didn't receive their package, simply because the seller gave them a refund. Imagine if you buy a product that has four stars, but no one ever received their package. Then those 4 stars don't say anything.

On the contrary, I've seen sellers who haven't made enough sales yet to get an overall feedback score. Not many people buy from them, but I have. Sometimes they're even better than the big guys. I'm not saying that goes for everyone, but having no feedback score doesn't mean you're not trustworthy.

The product itself also has a feedback score. And just like the seller's score, it isn't always what it seems to be. Sometimes it'll say "0% of the people enjoyed this product", but that's simply because no one has given feedback yet. So my advice is to read a product's feedback and see what others say about it. And if you're in doubt you should check the seller's feedback and read that.

RETURNS AND REFUNDS
Not many sellers accept a return, simply because they have too many costumers to deal with that. (Plus, shipping costs would be a little high for you). But it's something you'll have to ask the seller. Most sellers don't speak English that well, so take your time to make sure you understand each other. If you haven't received your order, or you have received it but you aren't satisfied with it you can open a dispute. However, this can only be done as long as the purchase protection is still running, so always make sure you keep it running (you can open a dispute to extent the purchase protection if you haven't received your item yet).

If you open a dispute the seller will try to give you a solution. Many people don't know that they can get a refund, no matter what the seller says. If you haven't received your item and the seller says you should wait longer, here's what you have to do: nothing.
Aliexpress has this system where a dispute has to be solved within a certain time period. If there isn't a solution by then, they will step in to solve it. So if you don't agree with the solution all you ahve to do is wait until the time limit passes, and Aliexpress will step in. This usually takes a few days, but in most cases you can get a refund. I'm not promising that, but in my case I got a refund 90% of the time.

CONCLUSION
Aliexpress is great for shopping, because it has many items and often for a low price. But you do need to know how things work around there, and make sure you don't get disappointed when you receive your package. I hope that informed some of you, as I know there are many people out there who don't trust sites like this. Maybe you'll now feel a little bit safer.

Review: Twilight Bathbomb

Today I finally had time to use my last bathbomb. I really needed a bath, as I had been cycling all the way to the other side of town for my dentist appointment, and on got shat on by a bird on my way home.. I felt really gross and sweaty, so a nice cooling bath was needed.  

Smell: Very sweet, but subtle and soft, it's not overwhelming. It's kind of energising and reminds me of flowers in spring (it sounds cliche but it's true).

Grade: 7

Look: It looks cool with the moons and stars on it, and the colours that are shining through make me wonder what's inside. I have high hopes for this one.

Grade: 7.5

Effect: The effect in the water isn't that spectacular to be honest, although the colours are very pretty. My bathwater didn't really change colour, which is a bummer. The smell isn't really strong there either, but I did feel relaxed.

Grade: 6

Afterwards: Although the smell wasn't really present in the bath, after I dried myself I could smell is very lightly on my skin, which was pretty nice. I had high hopes for this one, but it wasn't as great as I expected.

EDIT: hours after my bath the tub dried and it was full of glitter. So apparently there is glitter in the bathbomb, which is kinda cool, though I did not notice it.

Total grade (average): 6.8

Now that I've reviewed all the bathbombs, I can say that the Dragon egg bathbomb was my favourite, and it had the highest grade. If you're planning on buying a bathbomb from Lush, you shoudl definitely go for that one.

Why is it so hard to be nice?

I've always been taught that nothing beats kindness. I'm always as kind as I can be, which can be hard sometimes. I know that if someone is angry at you it doesn't help to return that anger. Instead, you should stay calm and be nice and act like a reasonable person. So far that has helped me a lot. Whenever I stay calm and kind in nasty situations I feel much better and stronger, simply because I know nothing can beat kindness. If I say kind when someone is angry at me, I will always win. If I give in to anger then it will only get worse and the situation might go out of control. Maybe I explained it a little weird, but it's how I feel.

I never understood why people feel the need to be mean to each other. I mean, if you see someone on the street whose hair you don't like, is yelling something mean at them gonna make you feel better? Why do people find it fun to hurt someone else's feelings? What do you gain from that?
This is just something I simply cannot comprehend.`

I'm not saying that I'm a perfect angel who never means harm, but at least I'm not mean to others. In fact, I can't be. Just the thought that I insulted someone or made them sad makes me feel so terrible that I just cannot bring myself to do or say something mean to someone. That doesn't mean I can't say anything mean to someone about someone else, but I will never say it straight to their face because why would I hurt that person? Besides, I'm never the one who starts with being mean. If I say something mean about someone to someone else it's always because they did something similar.
It's honestly not that hard to keep that mean comment to yourself. And if you really want to get it off your chest, say it to someone who is not the person in question. It can save someone's day.

But that's just a start of what this post is about. I haven't even talked about bullying, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and all those kind of things.

Why do people make it their mission to ruin someone's life by bullying them? Why do they put so much time and effort in making someone else feel terrible? What is wrong with them?

Why do people hate LGBT+ people? Because the bible said so? You know how many other things the bible forbids? I doubt those people listen to that too. Gay people are people, trans people are people, we are all people. We are people with thoughts and emotions and opinions and we are all valid.

Why do people hate on poc? They have done nothing wrong, but just because they have a dark skin they are getting harassed and killed. Wake up people! You're being ridiculous!

Why is it so damn hard to be nice to each other? Why can't we accept each other for who we are? No matter the colour of your skin, no matter your sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. We're all living beings who deserve respect and acceptance. Why is that so hard to understand..?

Holiday haul

It's been a while, but I'm back!
I was on a holiday in Luxembourg, which I spent with my family. I think all of us calmed a little (see previous post) and we had a lot of fun. We went to different castles, went shopping in the city of Luxembourg, and we went on a 11.7km walk, which is something I'll never do again, mostly because my mom tricked me in coming with her by saying we would only walk the first part of the route. I've learned my lesson.

Of course when I buy things in the capital city I gotta show them off. So here's what I bought:

I got these books from an English book store that was somewhere in Luxembourg. It was a small, but nice store. There were so many cool books there, but eventually I chose these two.
I heard a lot of good things about Eleanor & Park, and although I'm not one for the romance stories, I decided to give it a try. It has lots of great reviews so it has to be read worthy. The other book, Simon vs the homo sapiens agenda, is a book I had never heard of before but it got my interest when I read the quote "Straight people should have to come out too. The more awkward it is, the better" on the back. I don't know why but it made me snigger, so I decided to give this book a try. I don't know if it'll be any good, but I'm sure eager to start reading it. I also wanted to buy "An abundance of Katherines" by John Green, but my sister wanted it too so I decided to let her have it on the condition that I could read it when she's finished. This basically means I have a free book.

I found this beautiful fluorite at a small market in the local village. I've been collecting crystals ever since I was five, and whenever I go on a holiday I try to bring a crystal home with me. It was hard to choose a crystal, as the seller had so many different ones. But eventually this little fluorite stole my heart and got to go home with me.

I got this cute grocery list at a store called Hema. It's a Dutch store, but it slowly starts to spread across Europe. It always has the cutest stationary and a lot of other cute things. Since I'll be moving out soon I figured I'd need a grocery list thingy of some sorts. Whenever I see my mom make a grocery list I wonder how she never forgets anything. Even if I'd check my fridge and the cupboards for missing food, I'd still forget half of the things simply because I wouldn't miss them until after the grocery shopping. So my idea is to write down my groceries as soon as they come to my mind. So if I'm in my room and thinking "I need to buy painkillers" I would have to get up and write it down so I won't forget it when I'm going shopping. Let's hope that'll work..

I bought these clothes at H&M. The jeans, which are in a seventies style, were on sale for 7 euro. The top was only 10 euro. I fell in love with the jeans the moment I tried them on. I've been very insecure lately, mostly because in the summer I always gain weight. I don't know why, but I do. In two months time I gained 4kg, which makes me feel terrible. But these jeans made me feel confident because I love how they fit. I wish I could wear them forever.

The shirt caught my attention because it has constellations on it. I'm a lover of the stars and the universe as a whole. It also has my zodiac on it (Sagittarius), which makes it even cooler.

I love this outfit to bits and I feel like it's gonna be my new fave. It's even better that it was so cheap, as I'm a huge cheapskate.

Anyways, that was what I bought. I'm not really supposed to spend money, as I'm still saving up to go see my datefriend, but my parents decided to pay half of the things I bought, so that makes it a bit better. Hopefully I'll find time to read my new books as well as doing the many other things I'm planning on doing this summer holiday. I hope all of you are having a great holiday, and I'm curious about what you guys are up to. I hope it's something that makes you happy!

Have a nice day!

Chaos

I'm pausing my Pokémon marathon to write this post, as I realised I now finally have some time to write after a chaotic few weeks.
A lot has happened in the past two weeks.. I had a lot of exams to take and many assignments to do, which caused me a lot of stress. In the meanwhile I was in the process of moving out and getting my room done, and on top of that my aunt passed away last week. The whole family knew it was gonna happen, as my aunt has been battling cancer for over two years. We always knew she would never get better, but the last few months went so fast. About a month ago she was told that no treatment could help her anymore, and three weeks later she passed away. It was in the middle on my exam week, so that caused me a lot of stress. Luckily I have a very kind mentor who let me take the exam I missed (due to the funeral) today.

The days in between her passing and the funeral were hectic. We'd constantly have our family members coming over during the day, in the evening our neighbours would come visit to ask how we were doing and such (a lot of neighbours are also our friends), and in between that our phone would constantly ring. It was also difficult to see my grandparents cry, it's just heartbreaking..
My dad (who's my aunt's younger brother) stayed calm and would often joke around, but I knew he was upset too. My dad is the kind of guy that doesn't show his emotions around others, and he copes with difficult situations by using humour. I'm actually much the same, now that I think of it..
My uncle (who's my dad's and my aunt's younger brother) on the other hand cried a lot during the funeral. It was pretty strange because he is this 6'2 ft tall strong guy who usually jokes around a lot, and now I saw him break down crying. I think most of my tears came from seeing my family so broken..
After the funeral you could just see the relief my family had. That may sound weird, but we were all just glad that it was over. My aunt had suffered for a long time, and it caused us all just as much stress. So now we finally have time to process everything and let it rest.

The past few days me and my parents have been working on my new room. It's weird to walk around there and see myself living there with three other people, though now that the furniture is there it does starts to feel more like a place I can call mine. I just have to get my stuff there and buy some decorations, but I'll do that after my holiday.

In just two days me and my family will be going to Luxembourg for two weeks. Though none of us feel like we're going on a holiday, I'm sure it'll do us good to be away from home for a while after such a stressful period. It's gonna be a weird summer holiday for sure, but I think we all deserved some time off..

Review: Granny takes a dip bathbomb

I finally found some time to take a bath, and this time I decided to go with the "Granny takes a dip" bathbomb.

Smell: It smells very strong, like perfume, which is something you either love or hate. But once it's in the water it smells like flowers and it smells very sweet and natural, which is absolutely amazing. It smells familiar.. I don't know what it is but it reminds me of when I was younger.

Grade: 8

Look: It looks pretty, and it's kinda cool that it's flat. It looks a bit retro, which reminds me of old times (so the name is perfect).

Grade: 7

Effect: The effect in the water is pretty cool, it released some kind of coloured ring after a while, and the colours are blending, which is pretty. I felt really relaxed and happy. It was extremely hot outside when I took this bath, so in combination with cold water this was very refreshing.

Grade: 8

Afterwards: This bathbomb left a very subtle smell on my skin, though it's not really noticeable. The smell of this bathbomb reminded me of when I was a kid, so a lot of happy memories came back, which I loved.

Total grade (average): 7.6

This one really stood out with its smell, I'll definitely buy another when I get the chance!

It's the final countdown..

Yeah it really feels like that. I just got home from having my first exam. This week is my last week of school. After today I'll have three more exams, two presentations, and some assignments that are due. It's a stressful week, but it's good to know that the end is near.

It's so strange to think that a whole year went by already.. It's my second year in uni.. That feels so weird. It feels like yesterday that I graduated from highschool.. Time goes by so fast, I don't like it..
I've been 18 for over six months now, and yet I still feel like I've just turned 18. We're halfway 2015.. when did that happen?

As a kid time used to go so slow, and years seemed to last forever. But now you blink once and another month has passed. It's ridiculous. People say that's because when you're younger, let's say five, one year is only 1/5 of your entire life. But when you get older that amount will become smaller and thus time will seem to be faster. I don't know if that's true though, but it does make sense.

I don't know if I like this to be honest.. I can remember when I turned 12 and I was like "wow, now I'm a teenager, I'm gonna have such a cool teenage life!". I'm sorry to disappoint you, my younger self, but it's not that life full of parties and friends like you imagined it to be, it was quite boring.
But the point is, it doesn't feel like I grew up. I mean, I feel more mature and such, but that's about it. I don't feel like I'm ready for the adult life yet.. I feel like I still have a long way to go, and I really don't want to be an adult yet. It all feels so strange..

Anyways, I guess I should go back to studying instead of writing here. Maybe if I get the chance I'll go outside to enjoy the weather, which is finally nice for once.
I hope you all have a good day!

Nature is my religion

I've always felt a strong connection with nature, it had the ability to calm me and clear my mind. I like the peace and quietness, because it's something I don't have. As someone with ADHD, my mind can get quite busy, and my body can get restless. I have several tics, which are movements or things I do without noticing, or things I have to do. For example, I have to stretch my fingers about every five minutes or else I'll get restless, I have to crack my wrists, ankles and toes or else I'll get an itchy feeling, I have to stroke edges of tables and other objects or else I can't focus on anything else, and many more things.
Things like that make me very restless, and I often have aches everywhere around my body because of it. But whenever I'm in a forest, or near a creek, or just in a field, I feel at peace. I enjoy the soft summer breeze that caresses my cheeks as I'm riding my bike (how Dutch of me), I enjoy putting my feet in a river and just feel the water touch my feet, I love listening to thunderstorms and just feel so puny, yet amazed by this thing that the earth creates. It's things like that that calm me, better than any medicine has ever done.

Ever since I was little I've had a huge fascination with the universe, the galaxy, the planets, and the stars and the moon. I love thinking about how weird it is that the universe is infinite, or that maybe it isn't infinite and it just stops somewhere, which is equally as weird. I love thinking about how we live our day to day life here on earth while outside of this planet there is so much going on that we don't understand yet. And I like to think about how weird it actually is that we exist here on this planet, just like that.

Now, I've been raised a Christian, but I never really felt a connection with that. I couldn't really find myself in the idea that there is an almighty God that created everything, but then again it would also feel weird to think that there isn't a deity of some sorts watching over us.
Up until a few months ago I just let the religion thing be. I didn't believe in something, but I also didn't believe in nothing. But on one boring night I spend some time with my good friend Google. I've always felt like the universe was a thing that watched over us, and I loved the idea of our soul returning to the earth or the universe when we die. So I googled some things, and eventually I found what I was looking for: pantheism,

Pantheism is a religion or belief that beliefs that we are all equal. No one is superior by being a god. We are the universe, and the universe is us. We are equal to the trees, the water, the animals, and everything else that lives on this planet. It's a very peaceful belief that allows everyone to be who they are, because everyone deserves to be here. I think one of my favourite quotes that I've come across is "You are the universe, expressing itself as a human for a little while", and I think that is beautiful.

I love the universe, and I love nature. I feel blessed that I'm on this earth, and I hope to be here for many more years. I don't have a God, nature is my religion,

Review: Dragon Egg bathbomb

I found some time to take a bath, and this time I chose the Dragon Egg bathbomb, which means there are now only two left to review.

Look: It looks plain, a little boring. Though the tiny spots of colours make me a little curious. They almost look like (dragon) scales that are sticking out, so I'm curious to see what's inside.

Grade: 6.5

Smell: It smells very fresh and strong, but not in a bad way. It has a citrus smell, which I love. But it's not like dominating, which, in my opinion, is very good when it comes to citrus scents.

Grade: 8

Effect: It takes a long time for the bathbomb to dissolve, but that's okay. The cool thing about it is that it really looks like an egg. Other bathbombs immediately start to fizz when they come in contact with water, this one seems to become really soft and a little gooey. As the white part fades away the yellow part of the "egg" becomes visible and it colours the water, making it seem like a real egg. The bathbomb is full of coloured scales which float around in the water. In the core of the egg there are some golden glitters, which give the bath a golden colour. 

Grade: 9

Afterwards: Unlike the previous two bathbombs, this one barely leaves a scent on my skin, nor does my skin feel softer than normal. But I was really impressed by the effect it had, and the citrus smell just calmed me and made me feel really fresh.

Total grade (average): 7.8

So far this is my favourite bathbomb, and I can't wait to test the other two. Let's hope they'll be just as good as this one!

A little puddle

It's been a while since I've posted a life update, but that's because nothing interesting happened. Until now.

I found a nice room, which means I'll be moving out within a month. It's all very exciting and I hope that it'll go well. I'll be having 3 (male) flatmates, and they're really nice. They're like me: geeky and awkward. So I'm sure it'll be great.

No more travelling for me. Train journies always make me so tired. And that's very inconvienent because that means I can only do homework in the weekends and when I'm having a day off.

I hope I'll like it there, because it'll be a big step to move out. As a kid I used to get homesick, so I'm wondering how that will go now. But then again, it's something I'll have to get used to.

Right now I'm saving up for two things: stuff for my room, and a plane ticket so I can meet my datefriend (gender neutral for boy/girlfriend). Ze means the world to me and I really really want to meet hir. Like, I'm sure I'd feel 10x better if I get to hold hir. But my parents are being difficult and are saying I should save up for furniture. My plan was to just thrift shop, but they don't like the idea of that. And new stuff is expensive.. I really don't know what to do, I just hope I'll get enough money for both things..

Okay so why is this post's title "A little puddle"? Well that's because I'm sitting outside with my family, we're BBQing while it's 33°C, and I feel like I'm melting.

Soon I'll be a little puddle of human.. things... 

I like sun, but as soon as it gets above 25°C I'm out. I don't get people (like my sister) who go out and sunbathe in this wearher. Honestly I think I'd just.. vaporate..

Anyways, I hope you'll have a lovely day. Don't melt..

Review: Space girl bathbomb

I've already reviewed this bathbomb before, but since it's entering the "competition" I will review it again.

In case you've forgotten what it looks like, here it is.

Look: It looks pretty cool. I really like the galaxy and planets and such, so it's definitely something that fits me. The red bit on the bathbomb look like some kind of glitters, which is awesome.

Grade: 8

Smell: It smells sweet, and sort of mysterious I guess? I feel like it energizes me; it wakes me up a little, in a good way of course.

Grade: 7.5

Effect: I think most people would expect the water to turn some kind of blueish, but it actually turns red. It sort of looks like blood, but I really like that. It's really awesome actually.

Grade: 7

Afterwards: My skin smells nice, though it's not really a very dominating smell, which is a shame really. I feel actually energized. Not that the bath wasn't relaxing, but I'd say this is a bathbomb for a morning bath rather than an evening bath.

Total grade (average): 7.5

I really like this one, and I can't wait to test the others because I've never used those before.

Quest for a room

I always said that I would stay at home during my study period. Simply because I can't afford to move out and I don't feel like lending money. But after hearing some stories of cheap and good rooms nearby my school I changed my mind. I really want to move out, more than anything. Not that it's so bad at home, on the contrary, I love it here. But I just really need my own space. If I could I would rent my own apartment, but that's just too expensive. So now I'm looking for a room, or people to rent an apartment with.

The problems that I've encountered so far are making it difficult though. A lot of rooms within my budget are either too small or don't include things like water and electricity, which means that if I find a nice room within my budget I'd still go over budget because I would have to pay for those things.

Another problem is that a lot of rooms are in houses where people expect you to go clubbing with them every weekend, and go to parties and such. I don't want that. I mean, I don't mind spending time together but it shouldn't be a rule to do so. I need some time for myself too.

I found a nice room near the city where my university is, but my mom is against it because it's in Germany. Even though it's only 10 mins by train, she doesn't like it. But I've contacted the owners so maybe I can convince my mom.

It feels weird to look at rooms, because I feel like time went so fast.. I'm 18 and planning on moving out. When did that happen? How? It feels like yesterday that I turned 12 and became a "teenager". Or that I turned 16 and graduated from high school. Time goes so fast and even though I'm ready to move out I don't feel like I'm ready to be a "real" adult yet. I wan't to enjoy my teenage years as much as I can, and this will be an exciting new chapter to my life.

Bathbomb review: Blackberry

This is the beginning of a series of reviews. Like I said in one of my previous posts, I bought some bathbombs. So now the time has come to review them. Every time I use one I will write a review and give the bathbomb a grade. When I've done all the reviews I will write another post with comparisons and eventually there will be one winner.

Now let's get started!

The first bathbomb to review is the Blackberry bathbomb.

I've never tried this one before, so I was really curious about it.

Look: It looks kinda plain, but that doesn't mean it's boring. Sometimes a little bit of simplicity ain't all that bad. If I give it a close look I can see little bits of purple underneath the blue, which is cool because purple and blue are my favourite colours.

Grade: 6.5

Smell: It smells very fresh and yet very sweet. It's a strong scent but in a nice way. It is a very relaxing scent as well, so it's definitely nice after a long stressful day.

Grade: 8

Effect: It's pretty much like a normal bathbomb: it fizzes. The water turns black/purplish (like a blackberry) and it's slightly glittery. Inside the bathbomb is a little note that says "Boom Boom", which is kinda cool.

Grade: 7.5

Afterwards: My skin smells very nice (I keep sniffing myself..) and I feel really relaxed. But at the same time I feel motivated to do something (maybe now is the time to start on my homework). I feel refreshed and calm.

Total grade (average): 7.3

I'm very satisfied with this one. It's simple but it's very nice and I will definitely buy one again. Let's hope the others will be just as good. 

Review: Ayshmalysh Jewellery

A while ago I contacted the owner of a jewellery store called Ayshmalysh Jewellery because I was interested in buying from them, but I wasn't sure how much shipping to the Netherlands would be. Because I contacted her on my store instagram account (@pastelfaery) she suggested that we could do a swap; I would give her one of my items and she would give me items with the same value as what I had given her. I thought it was a brilliant idea so we set up a trade.

Today my items arrived and let me tell you, I am in LOVE. I got two necklaces (one was out of stock, but she managed to make one for me, which is incredibly sweet), and they're gorgeous. She added a cute little message with the package and she was very sweet during our chat.

The owner seems like someone who is very passionate about what she does and she obviously puts a lot of love into her items. They're obviously handmade (this does not mean the quality is bad, it's perfect actually) which I really love. It makes items more interesting and special.

Interested in buying one of these beautiful items? Here is her store! I'm definitely gonna buy from her in the future, because this is a special store.

They see me rollin'

Today I had another day off (well.. I had one class but I couldn't be bothered to go). The weather was fairly nice today, which was good because I had to go out and go to the pharmacy to get some meds for my mom. While I was on my bike to the pharmacy I suddenly got a feeling of relaxation come over me.
Does anyone else have that? Like, you walk or cycle somewhere and the weather is nice and you just suddenly feel very calm and at peace. That's how I felt. I don't really like riding my bike (even though I'm Dutch. The irony..) so I came up with the idea to get my roller skates out of the closet and use those to get around. And that's what I did.

When I came home I sat down for a moment (and almost lost my motivation to go out) before going out on my roller skates. I had taken my camera with me because you'll never know what you'll come across.
I skated through the park and by the riverside, and sat down there. I don't know why but water has always calmed me. I could sit by the riverside for hours. Whenever me and my family went on a holiday to France I would go to creeks (if there were any nearby the camping area) and just sit there. Or just sit on a large rock that was in the creek, with my feet in the water. I would just sit there and listen to the water. I think the longest I've been doing that was about two hours in row (my parents thought I had walked away and got lost).

While I sat at the riverside I just realised that I should go out more often. I'm always inside my house, in my room, on my laptop. But whenever I go outside and do these things I just feel so much better afterwards. I've always been someone who can appreciate the little things in life. For example: last summer I had a summer job as a pool supervisor / gatekeeper at a camping area. While I was at the gate I saw a squirrel quickly running past, and it basically made my day.

I hope I will be going out more, because I've said that many times and never did it. But now I just feel like maybe I can keep up to that late years resolution. Maybe..

Shopping trip / fashion haul

As I said in my previous post, last week was the May holiday and I went shopping with my sister and grandma. It was really nice because it had been a while since I had done something fun together with my grandma, and I missed it. We went to a city called Utrecht, which is in the middle of the Netherlands. I have free public travel during work days (because I'm a student), my grandma had a card for one free day left and we had gotten a free ticket in the mail, so my sister used that one. The train journey was about 1.5 hours, which is not too bad in my opinion.

First we went to the NewYorker, which is quite a cool store with reasonable prices. I'm not too fond of spending a lot of money on one item, so I tried not to pick the most expensive things out there. I bought a mint green crop top and a pair of dungarees. Just because I can.

The second store is my favourite. I had ordered from them before but I had never visited their store. I'm talking about Lush. After my first bathbomb (see one of my previous posts) I fell in love and I wanted more. But the shipping costs are fairly high, so it's better to visit the store. For once I didn't mind to spend money.

The third store we went to was HM, which is pretty known everywhere I think. I have a love/hate relationship with this store. Mainly because half of the time I can't find anything nice, and the other half I find too many cool things. The latter was the case this time. I bought two tops and two shorts. I really needed those because I had to throw away a lot of shorts and stops that didn't fit/had holes or stains.

And the last store I bought something was The Sting. It's an awesome store, but I only buy things there if they're on sale. It's not that they're ridiculously expensive, just a little to expensive for my own personal taste. Here I bought a pair of black jeans, because I was lacking those. (also in this picture: stuff from the NewYorker)

Conclusion: this was the first time in about a year I actually spent a lot of money at once, instead of buying one item at the time spread over a few weeks. My wallet hurts, but my inner fashionista (if I even have one) is satisfied.