3 Tips For A Happier You

happy heart, happy mind, happy being.

A Makeup Artists Perspective on Beauty

you are enough, 

without apology, without reason, and without justification,

you are beautifully you.

keep moving on in love,

until next time.

x kirst

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The Biggest Secret of College

I disappeared for a little bit.

That's not exactly a good look for a new blogger, but sometimes when you're as sporadic a person as I am , these things can seem unavoidable. I was (maybe I still am) stuck in this weird spot, where even though I'm exactly where I've always dreamed I would be, something is missing.

I'm not satisfied with....well, to be completely honest I can't even put my finger on the thing that I'm not satisfied with.

I'm stuck in a middle ground and I became stagnant. I'm only doing what I need to do to get by, and nothing more. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've left the dorm to adventure on my own.

Here's the sneaky thing nobody tells you about your Freshman year of college,

it's lonely.

You're in a new place with, new people, and none of your old vices. It can be hard and disconcerting at times to be having all these wonderful new experiences and feel like there's no one there to care or to listen, or even to go through these experiences with.

I'm still trying to figure all of this out myself, so I cannot offer you an grandiose solution. What I can give to you is my individual promise that I will try to push past it.

♡I promise not to find myself sitting in on my 6th consecutive episode of whatever I'm binge watching on Netflix at the moment.

♡I promise to make an attempt to get out of my comfort zone and leave the dorm, just to explore, just to get outside.

♡But most of all, I promise not to stop moving forward.

It's so easy to fall into a pattern of comfort and avoid any potential for new experiences. But that's a dangerous trap to fall in. No matter what you have to promise yourself that you will constantly be trying to find ways to grow into your best you. 

To anyone that has found themselves in this situation, keep moving forward.

until next time,

x kirst

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Veganism || Why I'm Going Back

I'm a little hesitant to post this, just because of the stigma that goes along with this topic, so before I dive into things I just want to make a quick disclaimer.

I try my best have complete respect and understanding for the choices anyone makes. I would never push my beliefs on someone else, or make someone feel inadequate because of their choices. We all have to make the choices that we think are best suited for us, so before you make any decisions or judgements, please do your own research and form your own opinions.

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Now on to the post,

After a lot of thought (and maybe one too many documentaries), I've decided to at least attempt to make my return to veganism.

For years I've bounced back and forth between being a vegetarian, a vegan, and a full on lover of chicken nuggets. I even ventured into the Raw til 4 lifestyle for some time.

Usually my reasoning behind returning to eating meat is the convenience factor. I've never liked being the girl with the high maintenance order, or the one not eating anything at the family gathering, and sometimes those situations can feel unavoidable as a vegan.

These past two months have definitely been very strenuous for my body, both mentally and physically. From the stress of classes and living in a new environment, to being responsible for making all my own meals.

For the first time in my life I find myself struggling with acne.

My energy levels have been low, my skin is rebelling against me, and my emotions are all out of whack. So I've decided to listen to my body in the best way that I know how and go vegan for a trial period and see if any of these issues are relieved.

I'm not making any long term commitments just yet. I think it's important to listen to your body and really pay attention to what it needs. I'm starting with an achievable goal of being vegan for one month, after that I'll make assessments, and adjustments if necessary.

Although my return to veganism is motivated by my own health benefits, the more universal benefits are not lost to me.

♡Sustainability

♡Animal Welfare

♡Global Climate Change

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The list goes on. I can do a series of blog posts about the ethics of becoming vegan if there are requests to see things of that nature on Simple & Spice.

listen to your body, mind, and soul,

until next time.

x, kirst

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When in Doubt Zen it Out

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Hello beautiful people of the internet.

Since I've gotten to college I've been feeling a little bit unbalanced. Today especially I'm feeling as though I needed to ground myself, to find and return to my center (cue lots of deep breathing exercises and soothing music).

Stay in touch with your body, mind, and spirit.

It is endlessly important to stay connected with yourself. Take a break and listen to what your body is telling you, then respond. 

♡ Make sure you're getting enough sleep.

♡ Are you eating a well balanced diet?

♡ Have you challenged your brain to think in an interesting way lately?

♡ Are you giving yourself enough positive love and attention? (self love is so crucial to happiness)

♡ Move your body, go for a walk, a hike, a run, dance alone in your room, anything to get you on your feet.

♡ Put your phone down and be alone with your thoughts.

♡ Have a good laugh.

♡ Maybe, you need to have a good cry.
♡ Take a bath.

♡ Just do something to remind yourself of all the love, light, and happiness surrounding you.

Just take some time out of your day to do something positive for yourself.

In the city that never sleeps, I've found neither does my mind. I have to make a conscious effort to relax my racing thoughts. I take time out of everyday to be alone with myself and try to ease my swirling thoughts into a calm stream of consciousness. It keeps me grounded in all this craziness.

What do you do to stay centered during times of chaos?

let the light into your life,

until next time.

x, kirst

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