Hot Chia Seeds Cocoa with Rice Milk

Here comes the slop~
I'm getting plunched into a sea of work again, ever since work place finalized my bachelor thesis...

But nevertheless I can't stop eating cooking, so I have this healthy hot cocao to share :)

You need for 1 serving:
1 cup of rice milk
1 table spoon of coconut oil
1 (big) table spoon of cocoa powder (or as much as you want)
1 dash of cinnamon
1-2 table spoon of chia seeds

1. Heat up the milk with all your dry ingredients except the chias seeds.
2. Stir the mixture with a wisk until combined.
3. Fill it in your mug/cup
4. Stir in the chia seeds and let it set for some minutes

Enjoy your thick hot cocoa :)

I took it to work in a jar. It's the perfect inbetween snack :)

Beauty Hunt #001

Clockwise: Formular X Sparklers, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, Lorac Unzipped, Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer, Hourglass Ambient Light Powder, Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette, Formular X The System, Revlon Lipbutter, Juice Beauty SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer, Anastasia Brow Powder Duo, Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation

For my sensetive skin it is really hard to have fun with make up. Ever since I've discoverd I have Periorale Dermatitis as to my believe to have dry - white head skin (whatever that was), I've stopped using anything to do with creams. So for anything I put on my face I have to be very careful.

While experimenting (carefully!) with my "new" skin I found out that talc and emulsions seem to be triggers for Periorale Dermatitis (PD). Since then I've switched to Bare Minerals and hadn't had those nasty red flacky breakouts you get from PD.

Since I can't get hold onto really good natural beauty in Germany (too much chemicals mixed with 1 natural ingredient...) I'm getting myself a bunch of things to try out when I'm in NYC before christmas!

I'm a bit worried about anything sparkly but it'll be a good chance to ask for samples at the counter or buying smaller sized packagings~ So I'm going to hunt down these products.

The eyeshadows, blushes and nailpolishes I'll be taking with me~

Autumn Motivation Board

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

1. Waking up early
It's back to school season and even if you're not going back to school, it's always better to pop up early for work. I need to wake up really early since I have a long way to go to university. But it would be so rewarding to see that first autumn sun light of the day...

2. Healthy eating habits
Eating hearty and healthy that's what autumn and winter is all about. I'm really looking forward to warm and comforting salad with quinoa, couscous and various legumes~

3. Drinking more tea
I really love that feeling after a cold walk back from the station to your home and then boiling some water for a warm cup of tea. It is so relaxing and literally heart warming. Making your home the coziest place in the world.

4. Half up half down fishtale braid
This elvish looking hairstyle really reminds me of golden leaves and that earthy smell in the forest. That fishtale braid makes a boring half up half down more interesting!

5. Outlander
I just started watching the new TV show Outlander and was so hooked so I started to read the book. The time traveling main character strands into the 18th century Scotland. The cold climate, unruly scenery and warm fireplace (+ romance, action and all that jazz) really is an exciting and heart racing show for autumn.

Planting Succulents

Homemade presents are the best. That's why planting a pot with succulents is an easy alternative which doesn't require too much creativity.

Supplies:

• Container: zinc pot, glass jar...
• Plants: various succulents, housesleeks...
• Gravel, small kernels
• Soil

Steps:

1. Place a layer of gravel about 2-3 cm high into your container.
2. Distribute a layer of soil about 1-2cm high onto the gravel layer.
3. Take your plants out of the plastic pot
4. Squeeze the soil and root part gently. Be careful not to break any root part (hydrate it if needed).
5. Position your plant on your soil layer.
6. Fill in the gaps between the plants and cover the tops of the root parts.
7. Gently press down and level out the soil layer.
8. Distribute a small layer of gravel on top to cover up the soil.

If you live in Germany and wonder where I got my supplies, just ask :)

Some Sources for Originality and Inspiration

Not having blogged for some weeks now~
I've particularly thinking about Originality of my blog. Everyone seems to write about the same topics - everyone seems to have the same answers. I follow quite a lot of blogs and I know there are some who are similar, from their design to their content.

I don't want to condemn then but as a beginnerblogger myself I feel repetitive to do what everyone else does. And writing about it, I get stuck so I the end I get confused and don't know what the point of that post is suppose to be.

Over the weeks I've been collecting a few thoughts on originality and trying to put them into action. Some are time consuming but I think learning something new doesn't only benefit your blog content ;)

1. Read
Read about anything you want. Anything that make you experience new things in your head or getting new information on certain things, isn't only refreshing but also liberating, evaluating new thoughts. Educating yourself about new things can give your a new perspective on your past actions, understand past situations/people better.

2. Experience
Now it's time to also make your own practical discoveries. Experiencing something yourself is also very educational and gives insight to - well - other new things. Also, it is fun to get outside and explore other of parts your city~

3. Inspiration
There are many ways for getting inspired. Actually it's a mix of the first two points. Perceiving different pictures, online or in real life can spark an new idea in your head.

4. Consistency
Try to stick to one or several topics. Having a theme you constantly exploring makes it easy to look for new content to produce. Also, the reader feels reassured about your blog and its content.

5. Do what you want
As long as you know what content to create, don't let you be restricted by factors like pretty photography. Although it's a great bonus, most important is that you're writing something you're confident and passionate about!
For myself I struggle the most with making photos. I already have written my post but I still haven't shot that one photo... Sometimes I have to tell myself that it's more important to put the post up than worrying about that picture :)


What sources do you use for staying inspired?

5 Steps to Start Reading (Again)

Source: unknown

I used to have an unhealthy relationship with books. I would finish one a day in junior high. I procrastinated from doing my homework by reading. I had to hide the fact that I've been reading all the time and doing my homework just before class started.
That's when it started that my father wanted me to read newspaper and biographies of successful people. I stopped reading for a long time.

We all know the importance of reading. Since some years I try to pick up the habit of reading again. I found it quite difficult to get back on track.
But have some steps to spark your love for reading / again:

1. Know what kind of genre you enjoy to read.
2. Do your research about of an potential read. 
3. Re-read old favorites.
4. Maybe switch languages since it gives you a new perspective of the story.
   (I enjoy English books much better than the translations or even German books... German books are all so fussy about the wrong things...)
5. Make a book club with friends that enjoy reading :)
   (I just started mine on FB~)

Living Alone and Feeling Lonely

(c) rebecca toh | simpledays.co

Living alone was the best experience I could ever have as a student. You grow up and become independent. You learn to organize your daily life, when to buy groceries, when to do laundry... Even if you really didn't want to do tidy up you know that eventually you have do clean up your mess. It's your mess, no one else's - so depends on how high your level of tolerance to dirt is, you'll eventually do it.

What I miss about living alone is the way you store things. Where you put your furniture and how to decorate. You don't have to be bothered by your parents to place the food processor somewhere else since you're going to use it nearly every day (smoothies and juices ;)).

Also I enjoyed my free time I could spent with my friend. I could come home whenever I felt like - I could leave the house whenever I felt like. No reporting your moves to anyone - no one would worry about you. If you really enjoy your freedom - you'd really enjoy that~

Sometimes even the most free-willed person could feel lonely. Here are some ideas on how to not feel alone in the world at those vulnerable times at night.

1. Have a really good/big/cute stuffed animal/toy.
I find it helped me stay calm when I felt really alone. Just cuddling with my huge stuffed fox animal and doing things I have to do (answer e-mails) while being able to wrap my arms around that fluffy pillow-y toy made me able to go through it without being distracted by my feelings.

2. Watching TV-series/films.
It really distract you from thinking too much. It also gives you the feeling that human interactions are happening right now. Same is it with radio shows. Just having a voice talking to you makes your mind think that there are human in the room with you.

3. Chatting with friends via social media or over the phone.
This one is obvious but just call a friend and talk about your day and old times makes you feel better right away.

Enjoy your living by yourself as much as possible - you don't want to go back to living with your parents once you experienced it once