Gloomy But Great

Exam season has officially begun. After a very quick passing season it is time to prove that I've actually learnt something this term. My first exam, in physics, is today and I hope I'll do good! I've had two days off to study and it was quite nice just staying home revising. Yesterday the weather was really misty and gloomy and you could hear ravens croaking in the distance. I took my dachshund for a short walk into the forest close to my home and it was so wonderfully mysterius, I felt a bit like I was stuck in a Harry Potter movie.
         With my extra free time this month I am plannig to post quite a lot, all sorts of christmassy stuff to get me and others into the Christmas mood!
       
Hope you liked this short update and will continue to read throughout this December!

Stella xx

It's That Time Again

Leaves falling, wind blowing and crisp smelling air. It's the time of hot drinks, candles and fairy lights. This can only mean one thing, it's autumn again!

Lately I've been in such an autumn-y mood,  admiring the colours around me, reds and yellows everywhere, having coffee on crisp cold days, and roaming through book stores. One of my favourite bookstores had a sale this week and I even managed to buy a christmas present! However I've been extremely stressed and anxious lately which is partly why I haven't blogged as much as I've wanted to. I think I really need to do something about my anxiety now that it's gotten so bad. When I was younger I went to therapy and to courses that helped me a lot and I started to be able to manage it but now it has gotten a lot different. Other things trigger me now than before so I don't quite know how to control it. Anyhow autumn is peaking and I love it. There is just something about all these colours that brings me joy so here are my favourite autumn photos I've taken these past weeks. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Thanks for reading, have a great autumn!

Stella xx

School Playlist + GIVEAWAY WINNER

Hey lovelies, how are you? xx
It's been so long, and I'm so sorry! I was going to announce the giveaway winner 10 days ago but my camera is not working ( :( ) and I wanted to upload pictures to the post. Then, another problem occured with the winner picking. Originally I was going to choose a winner that commented on the first series post and follows me by email however I decided to change that so anyone who commented in any post in the series and follows would be eligible to enter.
So without further ado, the winner is Lailabee! Which is so fun since I've been foolowing her for a while and I loveee her blog xx

For this last school related post in the small series I decided to make a School/Autumn playlist. It's very 'chill' if you can put it that way. You can listen to it while studying, driving or just when you're hanging around. It's not very big so if you have any suggestions feel free to comment them below! I find it perfect for studying and having a bit of cosy time.



Thanks so much for taking part in the giveaway and reading these posts.

Love,
Stella xx

What I Love/Dislike About School

Going back to school has its perks and flaws and it's then you realise how good you had it on your holiday but also that you had slightly missed school. Some people might have needed a slightly longer holiday but all the same. For today's post I will be discussing the pros and cons of being in
school.

Love:

• Seeing everybody again. Most people more tanned, more happy and more relaxed after their   holiday. 
• Meeting new people. You might have new classes and committees where you get to know new people and even get some new crushes as well.
• Shopping for stationery and school things. It's just such a nice feeling to have new clothes and school supplies. You feel like you get a new start. 
• Meeting new teachers. Teachers all have their unique style of teaching so getting new ones can be stressful if you don't like them but most often they turn out great.
• Learning new things/new subjects. Like this year I have a few practical subjects (biology, chemistry and physics) instead of just lectures and I love it, so fun.
• Events/Socialising. Dances, competitions, parties, committees etc. I feel like if I wouldn't have these things school would be a lot less fun. This year I'm in the school paper and the photography club so I hope this will be a great year!

Dislike:

• Stress. The school I'm in is quite challenging and it can make me really anxious at times. It's just important to remember that it's ok not being perfect and that it's not the end of the world to fail an exam/subject.
• Homework. Homework is ok in itself but when you have homework for all 7 subjects due tomorrow and have to study for an exam it can be a bit much.
• Awkwardness. Somehow things tend to get a bit awkward even though they shouldn't really be and people in school are just a bit awkward in general. I suppose it might just be that people haven't yet found out who they really are so sommunication can get a bit funny.
• Gossip/Being judged. Things fly around and you hear a lot of gossip. I find it quite uncomfortable knowing that people will know everything that happens and I sometimes feel like I can't fully be myself.

Also check out my giveaway if you haven't already,  I'll announce the winner next Thursday! Good luck!

That's all for this post. What do you like/dislike about school? Tell me in the comments down below.

Love,
Stella xx

School Must-Haves

If there's one thing I love about going back to school it's picking out stationery. Notebooks and pens are always favourites of mine and I feel like there's just something about having nice notebooks and a good selection of pens that make studying more fun. It can also keep you organised. For some reason most of my stationery this year is from a shop called Søstrene Grene which has the cutest stationery you can imagine. Their notebook and binder selection is great this year so if you live in Europe or Japan you should definitely check out their shops. (This post is not in any way sponsored by them I just love that shop).

Some other must-haves for school for me would include:

Headbands, because you seem to never have enough and you always seem to need one.
Extra pen and pencil, because I have forgotten my pencil case a few times and you don't want to be the person who always needs to borrow a pen.
Snacks, because sometimes you're just really hungry or you need to stay longer.
Gum or mints, for that day you forget to brush or there was some garlic in your lunch. My favourite type of gum is by PUR which doesn't have any Aspartame.
Tide Pod Pen, I saw this in a youtube video sometime ago and I thought it was genius so when I went to America in May I bought two. Comes in handy when you spill all over yourself.

That pretty much sums it up for me but everyone has their preferences so comment below what your necessities are.

Also just want to remind you of my giveaway, link to that here. All you have to do is follow my blog by email and comment on the post what your favourite item of the giveaway is.
Ps. I also have snapchat now so go ahead and add me :) @onegirlblogger

Thanks for reading this post hope you liked it,
Stella xx

Back To School Series | Giveaway

I go back to school in one week, how on earth did this summer pass so quickly? I've been working quite a lot and not had much of a holiday, it was however a nice summer.
Since most people go back to school soon I decided I'd do a little series of back to school related posts and a small giveaway! I always get a bit more positive attitude towards school after looking at back to school videos and blog posts and I wanted to do something like that for others. All you have to do to have a chance at winning the giveaway is comment what your favourite item of the giveaway is and subscribe to my blog by email. I will announce the winner on the 31st of August.
UPDATE: The giveaway's international!

The giveaway contains:

• Notebooks (one hardcover, one paperback) - Søstrene Grene 
• Deer Head Pen - Wild & Wolf
• Beeswax Lip Balm - Burt's Bees

Thanks for reading, hope you'll have a great school year.

Stella xx

ps. I have a snapchat for my blog now so you can add me it's - onegirlblogger

Summer Favourites

This summer has gone by so fast and I can hardly believe I go back to school in two weeks.

Over the summer I've tried a few new things and worked quite a lot. In this post I'm going to show you some of the things I've been enjoying this summer.

Burt's Bees - Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm

I've mentioned Burt's Bees before and I simply love their products. When I went to Massachusetts in May I found a new lip balm scent from them that isn't available in Iceland. This is now my favourite along with the peppermint one.

Urban Outfitters - Gourmand Hair + Body Mist

This scent is just lovely. It's not too heavy and it literally smells like the beach and coconuts, love it!

Batiste - Dry Shampoo Tropical

I've had a few bottles of Batiste's dry shampoos and I've quite liked them all but not always the scent. This one however is very nice and it's not too strong either.

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

I've finally started reading Harry Potter and holy these books are so good I can't stop reading. I started this summer and I'm about to finish The Order Of The Phoenix now. I loved the films when I watched them a few years ago but the books were never available at the library so I kept postponing it. Now, however, I decided just to buy them all in paperback. I've also become such a nerd, like I often do when I really like a book series, I've taken all the Pottermore quizzes and it's just so much fun!

Lush - Mask Of Magnaminty

I've tried a few face masks and none of them have been absolutely right for my skin but this mask is simply wonderful!

Vans- Old Skool Shoes

Have nearly not worn any other shoes since I got these. They're so comfortable and I really like the way they look as well.

Aerie and PINK underwear

This is quite a funny thing to put in a favourites but when I went to The USA I bought a lot of underwear since it's a lot cheaper there and both Aerie and PINK have great deals. All the underwear I bought is so comfortable and looks good!

Iced Lattes

I normally just drink water or smoothies all the time this was a big deal for me this summer. Last year I started working at coffee place and started tasting coffee now and then and now I quite like it.  I think Iced lattes are soooo good and refreshing in the summer heat.

Francesca's - Earrings

I had been looking all over for cute little earrings and Francesca's had everything I needed. I couldn't find the hoops online but I found the diamond shaped ones. ;)

I hope you liked this post and will like the same things as me.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Stella xx

Beach Day '17

Well at least we got to see the sun... 

This year's summer has honestly been dreadful haha. We have gotten 4 sunny days here in Reykjavik, 4! It has literally rained all summer. Last Monday though (a week ago) the weather was wonderful, so naturally we went to the beach. Icelandic beaches are almost all pitch black and aren't really beachy-beaches if you know what I mean. However, we went to a beach I had never been to before and there was a cafe by it as well. I had an iced latte, which wasn't actually on the menu but the girl at the counter kindly offered to make it for me since it was so hot! Iced lattes have been my all-time favourite drink this summer since I normally just drink water. 

I had a great time on the beach in the sun and it was probably one of my favourite days so far this summer. My mum, brother and puppy also had a blast! 

What I'm wearing:

Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Shoes: Vans

Thanks for reading this post I hope you liked it.
Stella xx

Wonderful Wanderlust

Have you ever been on your way to another country or place and you have that special feeling inside of you? It's somehow more than excitement and that is definitely one of my favourite feelings.

Lately I have longed for that feeling and exploring new places. Although I recently came back from the USA I still have more wanderlust than ever. I'm itching to see new things and people. When you come from a country as small as Iceland where you feel like everyone is the same I hope it's only natural for me to have this lust. I feel like it should be required for everyone to travel at least once in your life because I've met people that have never travel led out of the country, or even out of their town and they're just missing out on so much. It's also very growing to see new places and other cultures.

I have also decided that I definitely going to college/university in some other country. I'm currently thinking about England, the US or even Australia. I'm not sure what I want to study but I'll use this year to decide. I'm open to all ideas so if you know of any good schools or want to suggest a random study field, you are more than welcome to leave it in the comments haha.

The Prudential Building - Boston '17

Hayling Island- England '16

Munich '14

Lido Beach - Florida '15

Thanks for reading this post and I hope you can fulfil your wanderlust.

Love,
Stella xx

Summer Drinks

Hello lovelies! With summer finally arriving and the heat actually rising above 12°C you need to stay hydrated. Sometimes plain water can get a bit boring so I made three drinks I want to share with you. All my recipes so I hope you like them.
All three of these need a bit of preparation but making one drink took about a half hour. For the rhubarb and ginger ones you will need to make a syrup as a base and then add water.

Virgin Strawberry Mojito  Serves 2

You will need:
5 strawberries
1/2 lime, 5 wedges
10 mint leaves
2 tbsp sugar
sparkling water
ice (optional)

Start by crushing the mint and 1 lime wedge with a muddler. Later add 2 more wedges, the sugar and 2 strawberries and crush (I use frozen berries but you can use fresh ones). Spoon the mixture into two glasses, put the last wedges and remaining strawberries in the glasses. Finally, add ice and then fill with sparkling water.

Lemon-Ginger RefreshersServes 4

Syrup:
Small ginger root
300 ml water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

Drink:
Juice of one lemon
1/2 l water
Syrup
Lemon wedges for decoration (optional)

Cut the ginger into pieces and put into a saucepan. Then add about 300 ml of water. Boil for about 40 minutes with the lid on, stirring once in a while. In 40 minutes remove from heat and sieve the water from the ginger bits. Add the sugar and the lemon juice and boil again until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool for half an hour. Pour the mixture into a jug and then add the rest of the lemon juice and 1/2 l of water. Serve!

Rhubarb and Raspberry Fizzer  Serves 2

Syrup:
Two rhubarb stalks
10 raspberries
300 ml water
2 mint leaves, cut up (optional)
2 tbsp sugar

Drink:
Sparkling water
Syrup
Raspberries (optional)

Cut rhubarb and mint into pieces. In a saucepan add together rhubarb, raspberries, mint and water. Simmer until the rhubarb has gone soft. (If you feel like the water disappears quickly you can add some.) Sieve the mixture so the mixture is clear. You can save the compote and use it for baking, on yoghurt or in smoothies. Pour the liquid into the saucepan and add sugar. Simmer until the syrup is a bit thicker and/or sugar has dissolved. Let cool for a bit. Pour into two glasses and then add sparkling water and raspberries. You can also add more water if you want it less strong.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you like these drinks and they can hydrate you during hot days this summer.

Stella xx

Massachusetts 2017

Travelling is one of my favourite things to do. I love almost every part of it even though it can be stressful at times. There's just something about seeing something new at every corner that makes me very happy.

I recently came back from a great trip with my dad to Massachusetts. He showed my his old college in Salem, Salem State, and we met a lot of his school friends which was fun. One of my highlights was when we went to The Top Of The Hub, a restaurant in Boston which is on the 52nd floor, for brunch. The view was spectacular. We also went to Harvard which was pretty memorable and I have to say the campus was so nice and now I want to go to Harvard haha. 

Here are pictures from my favourite moments on the trip.

Thank you for reading this post, I hope you liked it. <3

Stella xx