AFFORDABLE MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE

Welcome to my affordable morning skincare routine! It is an updated version from my previous article, day time skincare routine. I have experimented with other products in the meantime, and now I can proudly say that I have found what works best for my skin type.

MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE

The three main steps of my morning skincare routine have remained the same: cleanser, serum and moisturizer. But the products have changed.

All the skincare items mentioned in this video are from BebeTei. It is my favorite place for health and beauty shopping. They have a wide variety of products, and the prices are super affordable. One visit once every 2-3 months and I have everything I need for my morning and evening routine.

I have a normal skin type, slightly oily on my nose. I do not have any sensitivity, acne problems or scarring, so I have rarely experienced issues with skincare products.

Continue reading →

Fashion, YouTube

MY JEWELRY COLLECTION AND ORGANIZING

My jewelry collection

My jewelry collection has started growing when I was ten. Until then, I only had one pair of earrings and some beaded bracelets that I kept losing. And then I have discovered a pair of silver butterfly earrings that my mom owned. She gladly gave them to me, as she never wore them. It was the first time I ever changed my earrings, from small golden hoops to dainty, silver butterflies. I still have those earrings, but one of them broke, so I have to get it fixed before I wear them again (or show them in a YouTube video).

Behind the scenes

Organizing gets me so excited! I’ve always loved cleaning, organizing and getting rid of things that I do not need. I believe material clutter causes mental clutter, which is why I’m always trying to keep my space – and my wardrobe – as neat as possible.

My top 5 favorite items in my jewelry collection, which you will see in the video, are the following:

The CIVION pearl earrings
The PERDITI bracelet
The “millionaire” necklace
My silver Fossil watch
The Zultanite set

I had so much fun filming this video! It has also been an opportunity for me to rearrange my jewelry and put away those items that I no longer wanted to wear. As you will see in the video, I have a moderate amount of jewelry items. But I do feel like this is just enough for me. However, each time I buy or receive another jewelry item, I try to give away some of those that I no longer wear.

The video

Continue reading →

Fashion, YouTube

A CHILL SATURDAY VLOG

Recently I’ve been trying to become more social – I know, perfect timing.
I used to be the ultimate introvert. My weekends were all about reading and relaxing at home. It was so annoying when people asked me out, because going out would mean less time for my books and hobbies.

But after completing the course The Science of Wellbeing on Coursera, I have discovered the benefits of socializing. I have started to actively search for people to talk to, and it has noticeably improved my wellbeing.
At the moment I am building the habit of going out with at least one person every weekend.

A chill Saturday

Last weekend, all of my close friends have purposefully and mercilessly abandoned me. Nobody was available to go out with me.

After a little bit of complaining for two hours on Friday night, I took the decision to have a “me day” the next day. And this is how a chill Saturday was born.

Continue reading →

Cuisine, YouTube

BRUNCH IDEA: SALMON TOAST

This is my favorite brunch idea! It is super delicious, healthy, quick and easy to make – under 10 minutes, or 5 if you’re a pro like me.

All the ingredients are from Lidl, which is my favorite supermarket, as they have such a wide variety of products. I do not mind the fact that they do not have the most popular food brands that you can find everywhere, on the contrary. Every time I go to Lidl I love exploring their foods and brands, and I am almost never disappointed. Their products are really cheap and high quality, so I really recommend you give them a try if you haven’t already.

You will find a short description of the ingredients and the full recipe in the video. In the meantime, I will leave the prices for each ingredient below (at the time I bought the products, in May 2020):

Continue reading →

Day time skincare routine

DAY TIME SKINCARE ROUTINE

My morning skincare routine is really quick and easy, the steps are the same: cleansing, serum and moisturizer. I hope you will find some valuable information in this article, so let’s jump straight into it.

Step 1: cleansing the skin (1 min)

Most of the time I use only water to clean my face in the morning. I do this because I feel like using cleansing lotions every morning puts extra chemicals on the skin and strips it off its natural oils. Moreover, this works just fine for me so I don’t see a point in changing something that already works well. Sometimes, about 2-3 mornings out of 7, I will use a face cleanser, when I feel like my skin is too oily.

Continue reading →

THE INFORMATION DIET

*Disclaimer: This is just me presenting a concept that I have read about and resonated with. I am not trying to “convert” anyone or make anyone do anything. Smiley face.*

This is a concept that has been introduced to me in the book The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. The chapter is called “The Low-Information Diet – Cultivating selective ignorance“. I took the liberty to name it “The Information Diet” in this article, as I have tried to somehow expand the concept and adapt it to my lifestyle needs.

What does it mean?

In short, the original concept presented by Tim Ferriss is about consuming less social media and news in order to be more productive, as too much random information distracts you from what is actually important to you.

Continue reading →

Night time skincare routine

NIGHT TIME SKINCARE ROUTINE

I love taking great care of my skin! But I also can’t wait to get in bed after a long and exhausting day. Which is why I try to make my night time skincare routine as fast as possible – usually around 10 minutes.

This is by no means an unusual night time beauty routine, the basic steps are the same. My skin looks pretty damn good (food and water also play an important role here), so I thought I’d share with you the (great) products that I have discovered and that work for me.

Continue reading →

delicious oatmeal recipe

EASY AND DELICIOUS OATMEAL RECIPE

This delicious and super easy to make oatmeal recipe has become my absolute favorite breakfast. And it is very Instagrammable also. 😉

I would separate this recipe into three parts: the oatmeal, the homemade (no added sugar) berries jam and the topping.

THE OATMEAL

Here are the ingredients for the oatmeal (2 servings):

Continue reading →

pina colada smoothie recipe

Cuisine, Health, Living Green

PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE RECIPE

BACK WITH A DELICIOUS PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE RECIPE!

Since so many of you guys appreciated my delicious Mojito smoothie recipe, I have decided to also share with you my new pina colada smoothie recipe!

I have always been a huge fan of pineapple. 😁 I love adding it to fruit salads or even eating it straight out of the can. Therefore, in order to keep things interesting, I have decided to also add it to my smoothies. This is how this recipe was born, and believe me guys, I was simply mind blown by how delicious it is!

Without further ado, here is the recipe for two (big) servings:

Continue reading →

Alexandra Bulac photo shooting in Bucharest

SILVERLIGHT – PHOTO SHOOTING IN BUCHAREST

The University Square (Piața Universității) has become one of my favorite places for a photo shooting in Bucharest. Maddie and I took these pictures in October, and I am super excited to finally share them with you!

Photos: Mădălina Spoială Continue reading →

best sushi in bucharest

Cuisine, Places

WHO MAKES THE BEST SUSHI IN BUCHAREST?

ARGENTINE STEAK & SUSHI – THE BEST SUSHI IN BUCHAREST

This is one of the best places that I have ever been to, so I just have to review it here on the blog.
If you are following me on Instagram, then you probably already know that I have visited the restaurant on Friday. And the first thing that I can tell you is that they have the best sushi in Bucharest, at least from what I have tasted so far.

I have had sushi from two other locations in Bucharest: Sushi Terra and ZenSushi. These two are similar in price and quality of the products. Both of them are really nice and cozy places, with high-quality food and services. But I would say that Argentine has the absolute best sushi in Bucharest, noticeably better than the two locations mentioned above.

argentine steak & sushi herastrau

Continue reading →

quinoa with veggies recipe

Cuisine, Living Green

BEST QUINOA WITH VEGGIES RECIPE

I am back with this DELICIOUS quinoa with veggies recipe!

Yesterday was the first time I tried it, and I was amazed at how delicious it is. All I did was: open my fridge, see what’s in there, and start cooking! Some tomatoes, zucchini, lots of onions, some quinoa… Let’s see what we can make out of these. 🙂

Continue reading →

Mojito Smoothie

Cuisine, Health, Living Green

DELICIOUS MOJITO SMOOTHIE RECIPE

Yesterday I have created / tested something new: a delicious Mojito Smoothie recipe!

I was inspired by this article about immune boosting smoothies. I have never used lemon in a smoothie, and I was really intrigued by the idea, so I decided to give it a try! And this is how I ended up with my new favorite Mojito Smoothie!

Here is the recipe: Continue reading →

Alexandra Bulac

FADED – PHOTO SHOOTING AT AFI COTROCENI

This is the second part of our photo shooting at Afi Cotroceni, from the first day of the 5 DAYS OF FASHION challenge. I have already published the first part of the project a while ago, under 5 DAYS OF FASHION – DAY 4: SHOPPING DAY. I have received incredible feedback on those pictures, both on my blog and Instagram. Thank you guys so much for your support, your insights really help us a lot! 😃

Photos: Mădălina Spoială

Continue reading →

social media icons

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac

5 DAYS WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA – STARTING NOW!

5 DAYS WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA

NO FACEBOOK, NO WHATSAPP, NO MESSENGER, NO LINKEDIN, NO MAIL, NO INSTAGRAM.

FOR 5 DAYS. STARTING TODAY AT 12:00.

Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Cuisine, Health

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR – DAY 5

Here we are, at the end of another 5 DAYS CHALLENGE!

You may be surprised to find out that this one was actually easier than the 5 DAYS OF FASHION CHALLENGE, a lot less exhausting. Obviously, that is because I got to live my normal life and not struggle to go out every evening after work. 😅

I wanted 5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR to be a chiller challenge, with less vlogging and more straightforward information, no fancy pictures and daily updates about how to eat healthy. (But don’t worry, vlogging will be back really soon.)

Impressions

In the first day of the 5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR challenge I wrote that I am not sure if I am going to be able to complete it. Today, I can only say that it was unbelievably easy!

I may be a sugar addict. I was. Maybe I still am. Many of us definitely are, without even noticing it. I have tried to quit sugar for good several times, and only succeeded to do it for 3 consecutive days at most. But after that I would start to feel an actual, physical need for something sweet. Smokers may relate to this.

I am still surprised at how easy it was for me to stay away from sugar for 5 days. It was so easy that I can’t even feel proud of myself, haha. 😆 Now I dare you to take on this challenge! And even try to surpass me, if you can. Keep me posted on your progress and I’m always here to help and provide tips and support!

Today’s menu:

Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Cuisine, Health

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR, DAY 4

I’ll admit, I felt a bit of a sugar craving during DAY 4, but I got myself an orange juice and fixed it. Let me share with you some secrets on how to avoid snacking on unhealthy stuff:

Eat enough on your main meals, so that you don’t feel the need to snack later.
Always have healthy snacks with you (fruits, nuts, delicious homemade chocolate oatmeal) so that you don’t turn to the vending machine whenever the cravings strike.
Research delicious healthy snacks (oatmeal, smoothies, fruit salads) – be creative! Knowing that, after the lunch break at work, I get to eat my oatmeal, makes me super, super excited! Find healthy alternatives that get you excited, and you won’t even have the time for other unhealthy stuff!

Here’s what I ate during DAY 4:

Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Cuisine, Health

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR, DAY 3

Who would have thought that it can be so easy to avoid sugar, and that there are so many food options out there? I am really having a lot of fun experimenting with so many delicious, processed sugar free meals and snacks, and I totally recommend you to also try this out, at least for 2-3 days! 😃

If you want more food inspo, make sure to check out what I ate during DAY 1 and DAY 2 of the 5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR CHALLENGE!

Here’s my DAY 3 menu:

Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Cuisine, Health

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR, DAY 2

Wow, this is going a lot better than I expected! It’s already the third day of the challenge and I don’t have any noticeable sugar cravings so far – which is pretty unusual for me, I have to admit.

I have found out that one of the secrets is to eat a lot on your main meals, so that you feel full and don’t feel the need to snack on unhealthy stuff later.

Here’s what I ate during DAY 2: Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Cuisine, Health

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR, DAY 1

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR, Day 1 went incredibly well, without noticeable sugar cravings, and delicious sugar-free meals and snacks. Here’s a short recap of yesterday’s menu:

*I do intermittent fasting, so I don’t eat anything before 12:00 at noon. That is why you won’t find any “BREAKFAST” section below.

Continue reading →

no-sugar

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Cuisine, Health

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR CHALLENGE

5 DAYS WITHOUT SUGAR, STARTING TODAY!

This makes me pretty nervous, because it is the first challenge where I’m not actually sure if I’m gonna succeed or not. But I do have high expectations.

I’m gonna make it.

As you have probably seen if you are following me on Instagram, this weekend I went on a short trip and I have broken many of my culinary rules (~~no sugar~~, ~~no pasta~~ ARRIBA bring it all).

So I have decided I need a detox. And by “detox” I don’t mean drinking fancy expensive juices which promise to turn me into a vegetable. I mean eating healthy and giving up on things which affect me in a negative way (sugar, refined carbs, unhealthy snacks). Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Fashion

5 DAYS OF FASHION – CONCLUSIONS

Living the life of a fashionista

I remember writing the article announcing the beginning of this series, and I can’t really believe it’s already over. It feels like so little time has passed, yet so many things have happened. Lots of videos, pictures and fashionable activities.

The purpose of this whole experiment was, I repeat, self-discovery. I wanted to live the life of a fashionista, and I did! 😀 I chose not to wait until “I have the money” or until “I’ll have more time”, I chose to do it now. Because that’s how things happen – in the now. Not in the future nor in the past. If you want to do something, do it now. Because tomorrow will be just like today and just like the day after and the day after and the day after. Nothing will change. You must change things.

I have learned several things by pushing myself to go through this challenge, and I would like to share them with you now: Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Fashion

5 DAYS OF FASHION – DAY 4: SHOPPING DAY

Almost there…

This whole fashion week has been a lot more intense than I’ve expected, a lot of things have happened, I have learned so many lessons and I have pushed myself outside my comfort zone every single day. Which is why, again, I recommend all of you to also join me in this challenge, or any challenge of your choice.

The thing that made it so intense for me was also the fact that I have made it public, so I had an extra reason to stick to it. Maybe if I would have kept this experiment for myself, I wouldn’t have gotten to the fourth day and I wouldn’t have done so many things related to it. I am really glad that I have taken this decision, thank you so much everybody for being with me! I have received so much support from you guys, and I am extremely grateful for that! 😀

Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Fashion

5 DAYS OF FASHION – DAY 3: MOVIE NIGHT

Wow, we’re halfway there!

Today was a beautiful day, super productive and fashionable. I have managed to do everything that I had in plan (which you will see in the checklist below), and I am really enjoying every moment of it, this experiment is an amazing way to discover what I like and what I don’t like. 🙂

Of course, I can’t go to fashion shows or restaurants every day, especially because I have a full-time job, but I am doing my best to do as many “fashionable” things I can during one day – wear makeup, style my hair, plan my outfits, go out, take a lot of pictures, be super active on social media and so on. I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I do, and thank you s much for joining me in this experiment, for watching and for voting on my Instagram stories!

Below you’ll find the daily recap, if you have any comments, please leave them in the comments section or on Facebook and Instagram!

Time for some Gossip Girl! 😀

Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Fashion

5 DAYS OF FASHION – DAY 2: WORKING DAY

Day 2 was a bit milder than the first one, because it was not only about fashion, but work also. I have checked a lot of items on my list, you’ll see it below, and it was an overall productive and fashionable day. 😀

After the daily recap from below, you will find some pictures that Maddie and I shot last summer. I never got the chance to share them with you, and I am super excited because I have started to see such a huge improvement, both for Maddie as a photographer and for me as a model, after looking at old pictures versus new ones.

I leave you with the 5 DAYS OF FASHION – DAY 2 RECAP and the photo shooting, and see you tomorrow for day 3 of the challenge! 🙂

Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Fashion

5 DAYS OF FASHION – DAY 1: SHOOTING DAY

Wow, this day was intense.

First of all, if you haven’t seen my Instagram stories, make sure to check them out daily. I am going to post all the live updates there.

Before sharing with you the recap, I would like to write a few words about this whole challenge.

Five days like a fashion girl

The purpose of this experiment is self-discovery, that is why, on my Instagram story, I have also encouraged you to do it. I have decided to live five days like a fashion girl in order for me to find out what it actually feels like, and whether I like it, or not.

So far, I can say that I’m really enjoying it. But there are 4 more days to come, so who knows what’s gonna happen next.

My main problem regarding sharing this personal experiment with you was the part where I had to film myself talking about it. At first I have hesitated a lot, because I was so worried about what people would say about me if I do this. And then I realized that, if everybody cared about what others think about them, then we would all be the same, doing the same things and obeying all the rules, whether we like them or not. Continue reading →

5 Days Experiment by Alexandra Bulac, Fashion

5 DAYS OF FASHION! – STARTING TOMORROW

Drumrolls

Allow me to introduce to you: “5 DAYS OF FASHION”, a series / personal experiment that I have been wanting to do for a super long time.

Long story short: in the following five days I am going to live like a fashionista. What do I mean by that? Well: pretty outfits every day, lots of makeup, shopping sessions, Starbucks, taking lots of pictures to show everybody how pretty I am… all that jazz.

And I am going to document everything for you, on my Instagram and blog, of course.

Continue reading →

Health, Living Green, YOU 2.0

SAVE THE PLANET: REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES

GLASS REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES

I always use glass reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles. I bought mine from a supermarket for around 10 RON (2,46 USD), and I have been using it for months! 🙂

Why should you use a glass water bottle?

Continue reading →

Living Green, YOU 2.0

SAVE THE PLANET: RECYCLE PLASTIC BOTTLES!

PLASTIC BOTTLES

It is preferable not to use them at all, but if you really don’t have a choice, you can at least make sure that you recycle plastic bottles after use.

Why? Because if you don’t, one of two things will happen:

That piece of plastic that you just threw away may get into the ocean and be swallowed by a poor marine animal, who thus will suffer a painful and unnecessary death.
You may unwillingly swallow pieces of it, possibly coming from the same source mentioned above.

Continue reading →

LASH BOTOX AT MARY’S TRICKS

EN / RO:

Lash Botox

Lash botox, lash extensions, hair dyeing, gel nails. I have never been a fan of these beauty procedures. They never clicked with me.
I have seen great results at my friends over the years, indeed. But I never took the time to try any of them.

Am auzit de Lash Botox din pură întâmplare.
Nu sunt fană a procedurilor de beauty. Manichiura cu gel, părul vopsit și extensiile de gene nu mă atrag. Nu le-am testat, în ciuda rezultatelor frumoase văzute la prietenele mele.

But I have to admit that I was excited when Mariana from Mary’s Tricks contacted me. Because she invited me to her beauty salon for the Lash Botox and Henna Brows procedures. So I said, why not? After all, it is the perfect chance to see what it is all about.

Însă am fost foarte entuziasmată când Mary m-a contactat. M-a invitat la salonul ei, Mary’s Tricks, pentru procedura Lash Botox. Am spus: de ce nu? Este momentul să aflu despre ce este vorba.

Continue reading →