My Life As Marina: August 2016

Nutella Macarons Recipe

Lifestyle 11:42:00 AM

You can't buy happiness, but you can buy Nutella and that's pretty much the same thing, isn't it? I am pretty sure most people are big fans of Nutella, myself included, so when I found this recipe I just had to share it with you. It is Nutella and macarons together, doesn't get more delicious than that! Also, if you'd like another recipe, I did a Funfetti cupcakes recipe a while back, and it went down a treat! So let's begin with this one.

Ingredients:

3 egg whites (room temperature)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 bourbon vanilla bean (sliced in half and scraped)

1 2/3 cup confectioner sugar

1 cup finely ground almonds (or almond meal)

Once you have got all the ingredients, it's time to start baking! Firstly, line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

Beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until whites are foamy. Then beat in white sugar and scraped beans from bourbon vanilla bean, continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fluffy and hold soft peaks. Sift sugar and ground almonds in a separate bowl and quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites, about 30 strokes.

Spoon a small amount of batter into a plastic bag with a small corner cut off and pipe a test disk of batter, onto prepared baking sheet. When batter is mixed, spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between the disks. Let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature until they form a hard skin on top, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 140 degrees C (285 degrees F). Bake cookies until set but not browned, about 10 minutes; let cookies cool completely before filling.

And now onto how to make the delicious Nutella filling! All you will need for it is 1 jar of Nutella. Whip Nutella with a whisk until smooth and creamy. Spread about 1 teaspoon of filling onto one macaron (be gentle, the macaron is delicate and will crumble) and sandwich another macaron on top. And that's it! Now it's time to enjoy your delicious Nutella macarons!

Let me know if you try out this recipe and if you like it! Lots of love, M xx

Share |

Best Friend Questions

Lifestyle 1:08:00 PM

Share |

Tips For Studying + School Life Hacks

Advice 2:58:00 PM

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Can you actually believe how quickly time has gone? I feel like it was only yesterday I was writing my how to have a perfect summer post and now it is all about back to school season. Whether you've already gone back into school or you're going back in September, try to soak up these couple of sunny days we have left and make the most of them! Today I want to share with you some of my favorite and most useful tips for studying and acing all your exams and a few fun back to school life hacks.

I know that once we go back to school after a long, hot summer when we've had all the fun, it is easy to fall back into the laziness and think that you have a lot of time left till the exams, so you simply stop caring about studying. But that shouldn't be the case, because exams start before you know and it is not easy to cram all the lessons and subjects you have to study for in a few sleepless nights. You'll just feel cranky and bad about yourself later and you'll feel like you haven't given your 100 percent and that you could have done a lot more. So here are my top tips on how to study easily and get through all the school work without a headache. Also there are some fun and useful life hacks as well!

My number one tip which I have mentioned in the How To Survive High School post is to not procrastinate! It is easy to just sit around and watch netflix all day, but if you want to Ace your exams you should take school work a bit more seriously. If you study regularly, once the exams come you will not have to study everything all at once, just to revise a bit what you've already learned and everything will be a lot easier.

Also, a good tip is to prepare in advance for new lessons. Simply reading through the chapter the night before a new class can be helpful! Personally, I do not do this quite often, but I noticed that whenever I do it, I pay lots more attention in class and understand even more what the professor is saying.

What I always like to do is to ''soak in'' new information in class. Just listen and pay close attention to what the teacher is saying and you will remember so much by only listening in class and you will not have to read through the textbooks for a long time.

Another thing that goes along with the previous tip is to make notes! Always make notes in class because the things that teachers and professor say in class will most likely be on the test. So don't just sit scrolling through your phone, and just write down whatever sounds important to you.

Ask questions! Don't be shy to ask the teachers for help, they will actually appreciate it and they will surely try to help you in any way that they can. And if you do not feel like asking the teacher, just reach out to one of your classmates for help. It is important to just ask someone, because you can't just do everything on your own.

Revise in short 30 min bursts then take a 5 minute break. That is actually scientifically proven to be effective!

A few of my tips for when you actually sit down and start studying are:

Put on comfortable clothing
Turn off all distractions (phones, computers, tablets, everything). It is just you, your notes and textbooks now!
Get a healthy snack and water bottle
Organize notes and text books and throw out unnecessary papers
Take breaks
Gather colorful post it notes and pens and use highlighters. That way your notes will be prettier to look at and you will find it easier to study from them.

And now, who doesn't need a couple of life hacks to make studying a bit easier? I am here to deliver to you some of the most handy and useful ones which will make your next exam a piece of cake.

1.This one is for all of you lazy ones who just can't be bothered to proof read your essays: after writing a paper or an essay, copy and paste it on to Google translate and listen to it to find mistakes.

2. It is actually scientifically proven that eating chocolate while help the brain retain information more easily! So help yourself to your favorite chocolate bar and enjoy.

3. You're more likely to remember something that you wrote in blue ink than in black ink! I found this on pinterest and thought it was really interesting so I wanted to share it with you. I prefer using a blue ink pen anyway :)

4. Peppermint tea stimulates the brain and helps with concentration. If you are having trouble focusing on the work, just drink a bit of peppermint tea and you'll be set to go!

5. Stuck on a test question? Try reading it in your teacher's voice. The brain has a natural receptor for retrieving information based on familiar language.

6. To make sure you leave the house on time in the morning, create a playlist exactly as long as you have to get ready. When the last song plays, you'll already be ready to go!

7. If you accidentally close a tab, ctrl+shift+t reopens it. So the next time you won't have to be annoyed when you close an important tab!

8. You're 50% more likely to remember something if you speak it out loud instead of reading it over and over again!

9. Always feel tired even after getting a good, long sleep? You're probably dehydrated, drink some water right when you wake up.

10. Listen to classical music to help yourself concentrate.

Those were my tips for going back to school! I hope you have enjoyed this post and I hope you have a wonderful year ahead! Lots of love, M xx

Share |

How To Survive High School

Advice 12:25:00 PM

Raise your hand if you've ever felt personally victimized by Regina George! Just kidding, though I do love a good Mean Girls reference. This one is totally appropriate for this post aka surviving high school where you will surely encounter a Regina George in many shapes or forms, believe me. Since it is almost back to school time I thought it was only right to put out this post now and share with you some advice I have learned throughout my high school years. Also, I am now officially a senior in high school so I wanted to look back on all the good (and bad) times I had, and share them with you. I think most of you have probably already finished high school, but maybe it could be fun for you to read as well, and for any of you who are just starting it or having a hard time with it, I hope you find this helpful. So let's begin the '' Marina's high school survival guide ''!

Also can we firstly note how beautiful this planner is, I absolutely love it!

Firstly, don't have high expectations! If you are a freshman in high school and you have watched High School musical a million times and know every single line of it by heart (like I did back in the day, though I still know most of the songs) and you expect that your high school years will be so peachy and perfect like theirs were, then you will so miserably be let down. I don't even know why I am writing this because I am pretty sure most of you know that already by now and are rolling your eyes reading this, but just a little reminder, in case you don't - high school can't be that fun and amazing as it is in movies, but it can still be great !

High school is what you make of it. I feel like this is applicable to any age, whether it be high school, college or work even, everything will be how you see it and make of it. If you choose to be gloomy and uninterested all the time, if you choose not to sociliaze or do work and study, than your time in high school will be boring and you will have a horrible time as harsh as that sounds. So you should always have a positive outlook on everything and try to make the best out of any situation.

Appreciate your friends and spend as much time with them. Trust me, these four years have literally flown by and I honestly don't know where time went, so that is why I advise you to spend as much quality time with your friends as they are your chosen family and you see them almost every day for those 4 years. Also, one day you will have those special memories to look back on and cherish.

Another important advice I will give you is to study! As plain and stupid as that sounds, studying really is very important. I know social media and everyone nowadays wants to make it seem like school and your grades are unimportant and you do not need to care about them, you really do! Take out at least one hour out of your day to focus on your work and that way you will not stress about exams one or two days before they actually happen, and everything will be a bit easier.

Speaking of studying, try to make a schedule. There is quite a big chance you will get caught up in social media or other activities and you will leave studying behind. What I like to do is write to do list and organize everything in planners. If I see it all written down on paper it is easier for me to focus on it and actually get it done!

Also, one crucial thing is to not procrastinate! I know, easier said than done, but procrastination is an excellent student's worst enemy. You think you have enough time and you will get everything done and before you know it, it's three days before the exams and you don't know anything. So, as I've said previously, the best thing to do is to make a schedule and try to stick to it, and study at least one hour everyday and the results will be great.

As much as I talk about studying another important thing to remember is to have a social life and do after school activities. If all you do after school is lay in bed and go on social media then you will surely not have such a memorable time and your high school experience will be even worse. Try to find a new activity or class to go to and enjoy, it can be whatever you like. Also make time for it and you will not get caught in the web of only studying, sleeping and social-mediaing (I am pretty sure that's not a word, but you know what I mean) ;)

Go for a walk and clear your head. This is especially vital in the exam season when all you think about is studying, but you shouldn't forget to take a moment and clear your headspace a bit. You could go on a run, a walk by the beach or just get your head out of the book for a while and that will make a huge difference. After that, you will feel more motivated and you will get work finished much faster.

Look your best. Make an impression, find your own style and be original. We all know that there are a lot mean people in schools, and you do not want to give them the right to tease you about what you are wearing or how you look. Find something you love and just go with it, it will be amazing, I assure you!

Stand tall and always have a smile on your face. Remember not to slouch and not to look like you have a dark cloud around your head. It is totally okay not to have a good day or feel your best, but just don't let that show on your face and always try to be as happy and positive as you can.

Being popular isn't and will never be something that seriously defines who you are!

Tell the teachers who mean something to you just that. Good teachers want nothing more than to know they've made a difference in their student's lives. If a teacher has made a difference in yours let them know. They will truly appreciate it and who knows, maybe your nice comment will make a difference in their life as well.

Another important thing to note is to always have a good relationship with all your teachers. Some teachers may be strict or for some reason you don't like them or they don't like you, but that doesn't really matter as long as you maintain a good, respectful relationship.

Get enough sleep! So, so, so vital! You should never allow yourself to lose sleep or rest for a school project. If you didn't complete it in time, just ask your teacher if you could do it another time or something. Also, if you get enough sleep, you will obviously be more rested and ready to tackle the day.

Plan your outfit and pack your notebooks and books the night before. That is something I always do, because I am scared I will be late and forget something important. Also, it is a lot easier to have your school bag packed as you will not have to worry about forgetting your assignments!

Be helpful and try to make friends with all your classmates. If one of your classmates needs help with anything, never hesitate to help them, if you are able to of course! They will be appreciative and you will also feel better because you have helped someone, even if it was the littlest thing. Also, try to get along with all of your classmates, because one day you will miss them.

Skipping class once with your best friends won't do you any harm. Of course I am not saying you do that all the time and be rebellious with your friends, but at least once you could miss a class. That will make a best memory you will cherish forever.

Take regular breaks and rest. School is really stressful, so taking regular breaks and relaxing for awhile is very important! If you want to take a few days off studying, totally do it, because after once you start again, you will feel more refreshed and do a lot more.

Don't stress! Another thing that is a lot easier said than done, but stressing out too much about school just is not good. It is important to care about your grades and work, but if you feel it is getting too much for you, just stop for awhile. School doesn't last forever and it is not worth getting way to stressed out about it, because it will be over before you know it!

Put in your best effort. Always try your hardest and give as much effort as you are able to. You can watch Netflix later and your youtube videos won't go anywhere, but exams and grades won't be easily changed. So, always put your best foot forward and even if you do not succeed or get the grade you wanted, it won't matter because you'll know you tried!

Stay positive! I've already mentioned this, but it is so important so I need to mention it again. Even when things get too much and you think you cannot handle it, just give it one more day and keep a positive outlook on life, because there is something good in each day, you just need to look for it.

Keep going. As cliche as this sounds, if you just do not like school and can't make the most of it, just keep going and soon it will be over and you will be able to choose a university you want and do what you actually like.

Aaaand that's it, these would be my pieces of advice on how to survive high school! I really hope you enjoyed this post and found it a bit helpful. Are you still in high school or have you already finished it? What's the thing you learned from it and what advice would you give to someone who is a freshman?

Lots of love, M xx

Share |

What's in my backpack / Stationery Haul

Fashion 11:30:00 AM

Share |

How To Turn a Bad Day Into a Good Day

Advice 3:59:00 PM

Bad days build better days. I am pretty sure we've all experienced a day when you just felt nothing was going right and the world has turned its back on you. Maybe you've had that happen to you multiple times and that is totally okay as long as you do not focus on it and do not do anything to make it a bit better. Someone once told me: '' Was it a bad day? Or was it bad 5 minutes that you milked all day? '' and I always think about that when I feel down. We often do that to ourselves and we focus on the one bad thing that has happened and let it overpower everything good that has been going on. I guess that's just how we have to feel at times, because when we get through bad days we often learn something valuable and how to overcome those worries the next time. I really believe life is what you make of it and how you decide to live it. And walking around with a frown on your face all the time isn't good for you or anyone else. So, today I would like to share with you a few things I've learned that help me feel a bit better when I am feeling down.

First of all, what I like to do when something is getting me down is try my best and get out of that situation to clear my head. I always overthink too much, so that's why I try to get out of it and firstly think about how and if I could change that. If not, then I always try my hardest to focus on something good that has happened that day. There must have been something amazing that has happened which has put even a little smile on your face. Also, if you've been going through something for a while, try making a list of all the good, happy and positive things in your life. Write down everything that makes you smile. Family, your best friend, your favorite TV show, a new pair of shoes, your favorite youtube videos, pizza and movie nights, whatever it may be, just write it down on a piece of paper and it is sure to make you feel better. Just focus on those things and all the negative stuff will slowly drift away from your mind.

Another thing that always helps me is to start laughing. That sounds so stupid and unrealistic, because when you are feeling bad the last thing you want to do is to smile, but if you just try it, it is guaranteed to help you. Laughter, even if you have to work at it at first, truly is the best medicine. Just put on some silly youtube videos or put on your favorite comedy movie and after awhile you will forget about everything that has been getting you down.

Share your feelings with someone you trust. It may be tempting to keep your bad mood to yourself, especially if you do not want to make someone worry when nothing that serious is going on, but venting just for a little bit to someone will make you forget your worries. They will give you some advice and even if you decide not to listen to it, you will feel lots better!

Drink tea and read a book or a magazine. Tea for me is the best medicine and it always relaxes me and makes me feel more calm. Also, reading helps me every time because learning about other people's lives and getting into their own stories lets me focus on something else and not the things making me feel bad. Reading,for me, lets me escape into another world. Also, if you are not a bookworm, you could read a nice magazine. I love magazines because I get lots of inspiration and ideas from them, and they are always so light-hearted and easy to read.

Blast out your favorite song and sing along. What better thing to do when you're not feeling your best than to put on your favorite song and just sing along to it till your hearts content. You can even make a ''Feel better'' playlist and just go with the flow. It could even turn out to be an impromptu dance party which are literally the best! You just got to shake it off, you know? ;)

Sign out of social media. Social media has done wonders to the world, and I honestly don't know what I would do without it now, but sometimes it can have a dark side. We often get caught up in comparing ourselves to others and wonder why our lives aren't as shiny and perfect as theirs. But that shouldn't be the case, because everyone has their bad moments. However not everyone wants to share them, so when you're feeling a bit bad about yourself, just log out for a bit, put your phone away and clear your head.

Also, what I always love to do is go on a walk. Whenever I want to be cheered up, I go on a walk with my best friend or with my family. That always makes me happy and makes me embrace all the great things that are going on. Being outside is always so refreshing.Also, if you don't feel like going out with someone, you can even go by yourself. That way you'll appreciate your surroundings and maybe find something new in your town you haven't seen before.

Do some light exercises. I am not the biggest fan of exercising, but sometimes going on a run or just a fast paced walk can be so beneficial and good for you! You do not have to do anything special or hard, just try for a little bit and it will slowly make a huge difference. Or there is an other option, if you are more like me, just curl up on the sofa and watch Netflix. TV shows and movies are the best healers for any hardship and as silly as this sounfs,they are always there for you to comfort you!

And if all else fails, just accept that today may not be your day. If every day was great, then it just couldn't be realistic and we would easily get bored of it. Being in a bad mood while trying to force yourself to cheer up can just make you more upset. So rather than fighting your bad day, acknowledge you're having a hard time and accept it.Sometimes the best thing to do is to just let it go for that day, and try your best tomorrow.

These were some of my ideas that genuinely help me, although they are pretty basic. I hope you have enjoyed this post and just remember that bad times don't last. Things are always going to work out and just remember that everyone has bad days and we've got to keep going! Because who's to say tomorrow won't be the best day of your life? Lots of love, M xx

Share |

What's On My Iphone and Summer Playlist

Lifestyle 1:08:00 PM

Hello everyone, how is your day going? Today's post is going to be a bit of an old school one, but I thought it would be fun, so I decided to show you what's on my iphone and share with you some of my favorite songs which I have been listening to all throughout summer. I really believe, as ridiculous as it may sound, that iphones are the best invention and I don't know what I would do without mine So, let's get started.

I own an Iphone 5s and it is my old trustworthy one, and I really think I couldn't go anywhere without it, I would just feel incomplete haha. As it is summertime, I picked out this fun silicone light violet mask from Victoria's secret. I love it because it is so fun and basically screams summer. I mean it is a pineapple with sunglasses, doesn't get more summer than that, does it? So, let's get onto what I have on my phone.

The first page is the regular old one, I don't keep anything special on it, apart from photos. Also, my background is the gorgeous photo of Santorini which I found on pinterest. I really hope I get to go there some day :)

As for the second page, it is a little bit more interesting, and I like to keep all my apps in special folders to keep them organized, so I'll go through each one now. I only keep gmail and podcasts separated. Lately I have really enjoyed listening to podcasts in my spare time, and I love Psychobabble by Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl, it is so hilarious.

The extras folder is also quite boring, as I keep all the stuff I do not use in it, apart from my Dreamdays countdown which tells you how many days there are left until a certain event which you put in the calendar. Basically, there are 139 days left till Christmas, and I already couldn't be more excited haha.

The social media folder is my favorite, because that is where I keep all of my apps that I use daily. I don't really use facebook and messenger that often anymore, but all of the others are my favorites. I would love it if we could keep up on twitter, instagram, pinterest and bloglovin',so I will leave my links and I would love it if you could tell me yours as well.

Twitter - mylifeasmarinaa. Twitter has become one of my recent obsessions and I really enjoy using it.

Instagram - mylifeasmarinaaa. I enjoy instagram so much, I think it is one of my most used and favorite apps. I just love looking through other people's beautiful photos and feeds!

Pinterest - mylifeasmarina. My most definite biggest obsession and where I find most of my inspiration from. Pinterest really is the best!

Bloglovin'- mylifeasmarina. Bloglovin' is such a great app for bloggers and I really enjoy using it. I would love it if you could follow me on there, as I always follow back and love finding new blogs!

Also, there is an amazing app called Crowdfire where you can keep up with your instagram and twitter followers, I use it daily to follow back my new followers and unfollow inactive accounts. It is really great because it gives you all the information you need about your twitter and instagram profiles. As for snapchat and youtube, I don't really post that often on snapchat and the youtube app is my favorite, because I use it to keep up with all my favorite videos!

I don't really play games that often anymore, but I am really obsessed with these three ones. I have not played Subway surfers in so long, but I don't want to delete it, because I used to be so obsessed with it and I played it regularly. As for Best Fiends, I have all the youtubers to blame for making me addicted to it. I downloaded it because I heard everyone raving about it and it really is the best. It is so fun, it has so many levels and they get updated all the time and it is incredibly addicting. Once you start playing it, you won't be able to stop, at least I didn't haha. To tell you just how much I am obsessed with it, I am currently on level 75 and I don't plan to stop playing it and crushing those slugs! Polish Blast is a game by a lovely youtuber Sandy or cutepolish and it is similar to candy crush. The aim is to connect nail polishes of the same colour, it is quite similar to candy crush but even more addicting and fun! And stack is great, for long car rides and train journeys, because it keeps you occupied and it is also insanely fun!

And finally my photography folder. These are the apps I love using and they really are amazing! The first one is Snapseed, an app I use all the time to edit all of my photos, as it really does its job. You can adjust brightness, contrast. saturation, add effects and everything, it basically turns your usual photo, to a work of art haha. Moldiv and Photogrid are two awesome apps for making collages or mirrored photos, and you can add effects to it too. Basically after you've used all three of them, your photo will be instagram ready! And YouCam makeup is such a fun app which you can use to put makeup on you. The amazing thing is that it doesn't look fake and you can try out so many makeup looks and see what works best for you. It is kind of like Snapchat for makeup, and it is amazing!

And here is my summertime playlist. These are the songs I have enjoyed the most throughout the summer, because they are so fun and upbeat and they will forever remind me of the fun times I've had this summer! What is the song you've listened to the most this summer and also let me know if you've liked any of these ones? :)