Learning a New Language: My Experience

I'm shaking things up today on Curious Alisa! I thought I'd write about something quite big that I've been doing for almost a year now: learning a new language!

Now, to quickly give you a backdrop: I am a twenty year old girl from Canada. My first language is English (duh), but I am also fluent in Russian thanks to my parents, which essentially allows me to label myself as "bilingual". And I was totally content having those two languages. I took French at high school, and was pretty darn good at the grammar bits. However, I haven't used any French ever since I graduated High School and therefore hardly remember any of it. It became a passive knowledge, rather than active.

But then for several personal reasons, I ended up moving to Germany last year. And in order for me to be able to study at the local university here, I had to learn German. Don't get me wrong, I didn't exactly start with zero knowledge when I got here. I had taken a couple german courses at my university back home, but it just gave me some basic knowledge. I mean, you can't exactly learn a whole language from just two classes a week, 45 minutes each...

Now you're probably wondering, did I actually want to learn German? Well, my answer is yes and no. I didn't want to seriously learn it, maybe just a phew basic phrases and words. The reason behind that was that I honestly didn't think it was possible to actually learn a whole new language after childhood. After all, the brains of children are like sponges when it comes to languages. And even if it was possible, it would take several years.

Boooy, was I wrong! I started seriously learning the language and taking intensive courses in January, and I went from being an A2 to a B2 in 5 months. That's insane if you think about it. Here's a table that explains exactly what each level stands for. For reference, I have just passed an exam for B2 and am now currently doing a C1 course. I am getting closer to fluency day by day and it's an overwhelming feeling, having succeeded something that I thought was completely undoable. Words simply cannot express my joy and surprise.

So essentially I learned two things: not only is it actually possible to learn a new language, regardless of your age, but it is also possible to learn it quickly! The main key to success is doing it intensively rather than moderately. High School and Uni courses are moderate and barely scrape the surface, whereas 3 hour  lessons per day is intense and leads to incredibly fast progress! Of course, living in the actual country does help a lot because you hear the language all the time. Therefore, immersing yourself as best as you can is definitely an essential.

However, my weakness in the language is ironically talking. This might sound strange, especially since I now live in Germany, but hear me out. Just because you may live in the country where the language is spoken, does not actually mean you have to use it a lot. You hardly talk when you go out, whether it be to a store or something of the sort. All you normally would say is: "hi, yes or no, thank you, bye". Unless you have friends that only speak in the language you are learning, you will essentially never really have an opportunity to practice speaking.

Another reason why talking is a challenge for me is because I'm a perfectionist. I can't stand the idea of making a mistake *cringes at thought*. It sounds silly, but it really does stop and hinder me from saying a sentence sometimes. Talking is naturally a very spontaneous thing, and therefore we don't exactly have the time to "auto-correct" what we say. And that scares me. I'd rather say something 100% perfectly or say nothing at all. Which of course, is totally the wrong approach! You learn by making mistakes, so you have to risk making them. I try to push myself outside my comfort zone and I do see results from it.

This post is getting quite long, so I think I'll save my thoughts on how I find the German language itself for a different post :). But my main message is this: anyone can learn a language, as long as you put the hours into it! :) Let me know if you'd like to see more posts like these in the future. It's become quite a big part of my life and I would love to share it with you all!

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Where are the Layers?

I know I've had a long hiatus, but I can assure you that it is somewhat justified. My reasoning is not your average writer's block. It sadly went much further than that... I essentially got stuck in a rut. Every time I wanted to write something, for example a review, I just thought to myself: what's the point? there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of the exact same thing already out on the internet. Did the world really need another virtually identical post?

Yes, of course, there are many different aspects to a beauty product that one can look at: does it work well, packaging, pricing, longevity, etc etc. But is that actual depth? Or is there really only one layer to it? Don't get me wrong, I am still utterly obsessed with all things beauty related! I can never just "go" a drugstore and not stop at the makeup aisle and swatch things for 20 minutes. Heck, I went to the store yesterday to just buy detergent and I came out with two new moisturizers (don't judge, we've all been there...). It's just that it's quite difficult to pour your heart and soul into something that is - dare I say it - a bit superficial *waits to receive a smite from the gods of beauty as punishment*. Apologies aside, it is in fact hard to bring your personality into something that can only go so far in terms of meaningfulness.

I guess it only makes sense as to why beauty bloggers always eventually start to branch out into writing lifestyle posts as well. To me, writing is a form of art, in which the author can beautifully portray his or her personal thoughts and emotions. But how many thoughts and emotions can a lipstick really hold?

Essentially, what I'm trying to convey here, is that I'd like my blog to grow and sprout new branches. I'd like my audience to be able to get to know me through my writing. And I know that people are more interested in reading about whether a new palette is worth the hype, rather than something a bit more philosophical like the idea of beauty (which I did write about here), but I am going to try and ignore the obvious difference in page views and push forward regardlessly.

Honestly, I still don't have a single notion of what I'll be writing about in the future. There will still be reviews and things of the sort, but it will no longer be the main content of this blog. It'll just be a feature. I will certainly need time to figure out in which direction I want to go, but I am excited (mixed in with a bit of fear and panicking) to begin this soul-searching journey. I can only hope that you'll stick around for it.

Much love,

- Alisa

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Hair Myths 101: Hair Oils

Long time no see everyone! I thought I'd get back into the swing of blogging with a second edition of Hair Myths 101 :). We're going to be discussing a very much loved topic in the beauty world: Oils. Hopefully this post will clear up a few misconceptions, which unfortunately I have seen floating around the beauty community.

Before we get on with the myths, I just want to quickly explain what hair oils are meant to do. Sounds like a silly thing to explain to most people, but there have been a few misconceptions about them lately. Hair oils are to be used to nourish and hydrate and repair your hair. Now I know some of you are thinking: "but doesn't my conditioner do that?". Nope. Conditioners are designed to coat your hair to prevent tangles and keep moisture in, so in other words they help prevent your hair from drying out, but don't actually put moisture into your hair. For further details, check out my last Hair Myth 101 post here. So let's move on to the actual myths!

Myth #1: "Just leave it in your hair for 15-30 minutes". You hear this phrase in almost every youtube hair mask tutorial unfortunately. But luckily I'm here to tell you that this is absolutely pointless! Oils do not soak into hair immediately. It occurs gradually, ranging from a few hours to up to 24 hours or more! Therefore, leaving a hair oil in for half an hour will do pretty much nothing for your hair. My best advice is to apply your oil before going to bed and leave it in overnight. That'll give you a good 7-10 hours to properly penetrate and hydrate your hair. Also, more is more when it comes to how much to apply.

Myth #2: "All oils hydrate your hair". Nope! Only a few types of oils actually penetrate your hair, the top few being Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Castor Oil. Coconut Oil is the most effective. These oils are the only ones that deeply hydrate the hair, to the very cortex of a hair strand.

Now, the rest of the oils kinda, sorta hydrate/penetrate the hair, but only the very outer layer/cuticle of the hair strand. Examples of this type of oil include: olive oil, argan oil (which always made me wonder why people call it the holy grail oil for hair...), avacado oil, shea butter, etc. These type of oils are ok to use to prevent split ends and knots, but don't do a good job at injecting moisture into your hair.

And there are two oils that don't do anything to your hair: Mineral Oil and Jojoba Oil (too big to penetrate the hair).

As always, this Hair Myths series is meant to educate the world about proper hair care so please spread the word by sharing this post and letting your fellow girlfriends know! :). If you wish to read more on this particular topic (as well as have the full list of oils) or just do some general research on haircare, check out this blog (link here). It's written by an awesome female scientist who examines haircare with scientific experiments and shows you the results through an actual microscope!

Next week's Hair Myths 101 will be on Sulfates :).

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Review: Sally Hershberger - Super Hydrating Super Keratin Spray

Ladies, have you ever asked a man in your life, whether it be your boyfriend or father, to get you something at the store, and they come back with something totally different? *nods understandingly*. Well, the same happened to me a while back. I had asked my dad to pick up my beloved Sally Hershberger Supreme Lift since he was flying to the States and Sally Hershberger products aren't sold here in Europe. Oh ladies, what I can tell you.... When you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself or send in a fellow female to the job.

So to sum up the story, I ended up receiving the Super Hydrating Super Keratin spray instead. I was disappointed of course, but I was also curious to try another product by Sally Hershberger. Sadly, it did not impress.

I'm always keen to try out hydrating sprays, mainly because I have yet to find one I genuinely really like. Unfortunately, this spray did the opposite of what it had promised. It made my hair feel dry and just unpleasant to touch, not too mention also harder to brush through. And as if that wasn't enough, it also made my hair get greasy quite quickly. Needless to say, a huge disappointment. I have a feeling it might be due to the keratin, but I can't say for certain.

So do I have anything good to say about this spray? Well... it smells nice and has a very nice fine spray that sprays evenly. Yup, that's pretty much. Nice fragrance and good packaging & spray, but with horrible effects. I do have a feeling though, that it might just be my hair. It might be the case that since my hair is so fine, it can't handle that much protein in a spray. So I can't be certain if everyone will have bad results with this product. But definitely something to consider if you're debating on trying it out.

Ah well, t'is the life of a beauty blogger. Also, if anyone knows a website that sells Sally Hershberger hair products internationally, please let me know! :)

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Review: Kiko Sun Lovers Blush in 'Ipanema Peach'

Sorry for the long hiatus everyone! One of those "life got in the way" moments, but I plan on making it up with a week of blog posts, every single day :). I thought I'd get back into the swing of things by showing you one of my absolute favourite products that I've been loving recently. 

One of the perks of now living in Europe is definitely trying out products by the Italian brand "Kiko". They have tons of amazing stuff, all for very affordable prices. I'd been kind of stuck in a rut with my current blushes and really wanted to find something new. I went into Kiko with the intention of buying a blush that costed no more than 5 euros (which they do stock plenty of), but of course, I ended up falling in love with the most expensive one there (13.90 euros), that is limited edition. Luckily, I have no regrets whatsoever.

The shade is called Ipanema Peach and it is just beaauutiful. It's essentially a blush, highlighter, and bronzer all in one. You have one side with a very beautiful warm pinky colour with a gold shimmer to it, and the other side with a warm bronzer with a hint of hot pink blush running through it. It's just stunning. And to add to it's glorious baked-blush self, it's also extremely pigmented, so a light hand is definitely needed with this product.

I'm all about the blushes with highlight at the moment. However, I'm not a fan of anything glittery. Thankfully, the shimmer is really fine in this blush so it just gives you a natural glow on the cheeks. I'm quite pale, but this blush still somehow works for me. Though I can see why the line is called "Sun Lovers" because this would look especially gorgeous with a tan. 

Also, can we have just a moment to awe at the beautiful packaging? A sturdy rose gold compact that somehow manages to look high end. And a huge mirror to go with it. What more could you want?

This blush will definitely be a staple of mine during the summer. So I'd like to know, what are your favourite products from Kiko? Any recommendations of what to try next would be much appreciated :)

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Review: Kiehl's - Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

Fellow beauty lovers: have you ever bought a product that seemingly everyone seems to love, but it just didn't quite work for you? Yup, I'm having one of those moments.

Behold, the loved Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado by Kiehl's. Everyone claims it as their holy grail eye cream, saying that it fixes any kind of dryness around the eye area. My under eye area had been feeling slightly tight during the past few weeks and so I finally bit the bullet and purchased the not so cheap eye cream (25 euros/15ml).

What can I say? It's just not that moisturizing. I kind of even wonder if I just got a bad batch or something because everyone raves about it being a very heavy eye cream, whereas for me it barely did the job. The texture of this cream is quite thick and even a bit rubbery, which makes it slightly difficult to apply without tugging your skin. It made my eyes feel a bit softer to the touch, though still a bit tight to be honest, and the effects would only last a few hours. My eyes are also usually quite sensitive to creams, so I was happy at least to see that I had zero irritation or reaction from this particular eye cream.

Honestly, I have affordable night creams that work better than this stuff. I honesty don't know why this is the case since everyone else seems to love it so much. My under eye area isn't even that dry, just a bit dehydrated. I even checked to see if the formula had been changed but that doesn't seem to be the case.

If anyone can solve this mystery, please let me know! Until then, the conclusion of this review will remain as a disappointment. What are your experiences with the Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado by Kiehl's? 

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Review: Herbal Essences - Bee Strong Conditioner

If you've been a long-time reader of my blog, you will then already know that I've been on the quest for a holy grail conditioner. Well folks... the search is over! Say hello to Herbal Essences's Bee Strong Conditioner. It's cheap (2.99 euros) and works like no other conditioner that I have ever tried.

Now, I'm sure that everyone has a different definition of what a conditioner should do, but for me the main points to be hit are the following: significantly prevents tangles, doesn't make my hair oily, and of course makes my hair feel soft. Oddly enough these points are easier said than done, especially with very thin knotty hair. I've tried countless amounts of conditioners, from low end to high end, and none of them made a difference to my hair.

But this conditioner just hits all the points. It smells delicious (sweet and fruity), actually reduces the amount of tangles I get, and makes my hair feel softer than usual. And the best part is that it does all that without making my hair super greasy. Total win, right?

Now I know you're all thinking the following question: "But does it moisturize your hair?" and to answer that naive question, no it does not and that's because no single conditioner will actually put moisture into your hair. However, it will keep whatever moisture your hair strands have in and prevent the strands from drying out so quickly. Only hair oils, such as Coconut Oil can put moisture into your hair. If you want further details on this explanation, check out my post here. It's all about the myths of Silicones and other haircare-like details.

Short and simple review, conclusion being: I love it! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who suffers from knotty hair. It works and doesn't break the bank!

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