Rain is My Kind of Weather

Right now as I am writing this, my window is open, my christmas lights are plugged in, I have a cup of tea by my side, and it is pouring rain. This is my favorite kind of day. There are few things I love more than the sound of raindrops on pavement and the smell of everything being washed away.

This is the first rain of the season and it could not have come at a better time. My life has been a jumble of stress since the start of my junior year in high school. My week has consisted of many tears and thoughts of "Where am I going in life? What am I doing?" But the rain reminds me that the sky cries sometimes too, and everyone is struggling to answer similar questions.

But I still don't have any answers. Being a teenager is difficult beyond words. There are so many things to worry about. Grades, extracurriculars, friendships, relationships, parents, SAT's, college. Thats what is mostly causing me to be so down: college.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I moved to California with my parents at a young age. I'm still here, and my mom and I are doing the best we can to build a life for ourselves. But it has come to the time where I have to start thinking about my educational future. The fact of the matter is that I am the first person in my family to be receiving an American education. This also means that I am entirely on my own. My mother does not understand how getting into college works in the states, so her help only goes to a certain extent. I have to figure it out all on my own, and this is exactly why I am so stressed.

How do I get into a good university? What kind will work for me? What do I have to do to get in? Where do I start? Are my grades good enough? What if I don't play any sports? What kind of SAT scores do I need? How do I pay for college?

I don't know the answers to any of these and a million more questions. The answer may seem simple to others: get a college counselor, they will help you. But I can't afford a private college counselor. So what now? What do I do? This is what is circling in my mind these days.

Maybe you're thinking, "Okay, so where are you going with this post?" Honestly, nowhere. I just needed to write it all out. Maybe another junior will come across this post who feels as lost as I do. Maybe someone who knows answers to these questions will be able to answer them for me. In the end, I suppose I will figure it all out. But for now, the future really scares me.

25 Things About Me

Being a big fan of youtubers and bloggers on the internet, I always want to know more about the people that I am supporting. I find it important to be able to connect with readers on a personal level. Otherwise, why should people listen to anything you've got to say? So sticking to that belief, here are 25 facts about me!

1) My legal name is Anna (Ah-nah), yet everyone calls me Anya

2) I was born in Ukraine and moved to California at 5 years of age

3) I am left handed

4) My birthday is on the 14th of January

5) I speak Ukrainian, Russian, and English

6) I hope to move to England one day

7) Yes, I am a Directioner (no shame, the boys are fantastcic)

8) Currently, I spend my days in High School

9) I become easily obsessed, wether its a band, a book, or a fashion trend

10) I am a huge fan of Harry Potter and I see myself as a Ravenclaw

11) I have a 2 year old half sister named Liza who lives in Ukraine

12) My favorite season is winter

13) Whenever I am home, I have candles lit in my bedroom

14) I am a natural blonde

15) I am often described as sassy

16) My favorite animal is an owl

17) My favorite color is turquoise, yet currently I am loving pastel purple, mint green, and coral

18) My favorite tv show is Castle

19) My height is 5' 5"

20) I collect quotes

21) I breathe fashion

22) I am an introvert

23) One day I would like to live in New York

24) I love giving people advice

25) I am an absolute book worm

I hope that those gave you a little bit more insight into my life and my personality. Is there anything else you would like to know? Also, where do you live? How old are you? What are you passionate about?

iDrated App

Are you the kind of person that hardly drinks any water? Instead, your go to beverages are tea, coffee, juice, soda, and other sugary drinks. If the answer is yes, its okay because its not too late to fix that! If the answer is no, this post might still interest you.

Today I want to share a really helpful app that I recently discovered. Personally, I am always telling myself that I will drink more water. For a couple of days I do really well, but then I go back to obsessively drinking tea. Well, now I am actually motivated to change my ways.

The app is called iDrated. It is really simple, all it does is keep track of your daily intake of water. It tells you how much you should be drinking a day and if you wish, reminds you to take a sip. Check it out!

Crest 3D Whitestrips | Review

Hello to all those reading! I know I haven't posted anything in ages, but I would never want to fill my blog with irritating ramblings about things that don't matter. Instead, I am trying my very best to plan content that readers will enjoy and find useful.

For the past few years I've had a goal to become the best possible version of myself that I can be. I realized that there are physical things about myself that I am capable of changing. For example, I hated wearing glasses so I learned to use contacts. One thing I have always disliked about myself is my teeth. After years of drinking tea and eating foods that damage, they have turned yellow. Now, we all know that yellow teeth are not an attractive trait. It got to the point where I was feeling very self conscious and would try my hardest not to open my mouth.

I knew that whitening strips where an option. Yet those are expensive and I was unsure that they would be worth the money. But after watching a video by Tanya Burr, I was finally convinced to go through with it. In the video, Tanya talked about Crest strips she used and raved about their excellent results. So I went to my local Target and chose the following box for about $40.

The instructions are simple, I was to put the two strips (one bottom, one top) on my teeth for 30 minutes each day for twenty days. Simple enough! I found the strips really easy to put on. I simply stuck them on and surfed the web while I waited. The instructions warn that you may experience some sensitivity, and I did, but that was only for a few minutes the first day. For the rest of the process I felt fine! When I took the strips off, I found that each time my teeth where slightly whiter and I was immediately impressed with the results. 

I highly recommend purchasing Crest 3D Whitestrips if you feel that you are in need of a whiter smile! I hope this post was helpful and I will continue reviewing products that I have been using. Thanks for reading and have a lovely rest of your day! 

Who Am I? | An Introduction

A fresh place, clean and sparkly, full of possibility. A public journal in a way, to customize as you please. Accessible online to anyone who is open to finding it. Otherwise known as a blog. Welcome to mine.

My name is Anya and I am a student living in California. I breathe fashion and believe that a face is a perfect canvas. I spend a lot of my time online, often way more than I should. Here, you may find some beauty and lifestyle posts.

This is life through my eyes.