The ABC's of Hostel Booking: Part 1, A - F (featuring The Crib Hostel in Plovdiv, Bulgaria)

A,B:  A BED, A BUDGET

So, ya wanna travel the world and you kinda don't wanna sleep outside EVERYday, you wanna sleep in a bed - and you're on a tight budget.  What to do, what to do?  A bed in a hostel helps you balance and stay on your budget  :)  At The Crib Hostel in Plovdiv, Bulgaria you can stay in a nice, comfortable, clean bed in a 6-bed dorm for only 7 euro.  If you choose to reserve a room in a 5-bed dorm you only need to add 2 euro more per night.

(Each room in the hostel comes with large windows, lockers, air-conditioner/heater, and this 5-bed room is directly connected to a terrace.)

 

(Just me, chillin' outside on the terrace leading from the 5-bed room at The Crib Hostel in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.)

 

If something more private suits your fancy, The Crib Hostel also offers a private room for 11 euro/per person/per night.  Whichever room you choose, the prices are reasonable enough to offer you a bed without beating up your budget.

 

 

C,D,E,F:  CRIB'S Delicious Edible Food

 

Any traveller can tell you that one of the main culprits of a budget beatdown is food - meals, how NOT to starve.  The Crib has the answer.  If you stay at the hostel for more than 2 nights, on your 3rd night and every night thereafter until the end of your stay, you get - wait for it -  FREE DINNER!  Just imagine booking your room, taking a pleasantly warm shower in one of the 2 bathrooms, sitting down on one of the 5 bean bags and enjoying a well-cooked meal surrounded by people who are willing to share experiences with you.

 

A quick dinner at The Crib Hostel, but, wait there's more...

 

Hot, homemade soup in January with friends at The Crib Hostel

Oh, and in case you were wondering...

 

Stuffed Omlette

 

Breakfast is free for each of the guest at The Crib Hostel from 8 a.m. - 11 a.m

(From 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. breakfast is only 3 leva/1.5 euro)

 

 

Have I wet your appetite yet?  Stayed plugged in for the remaining ABC's as the weeks progress.  Next up,  GHI (Graciously Helping Indiviuals) and JKL (Just Keep Light/Jam Kiril's Lockers)...

 

 

Ciao 4 Now, Y'ALL!

 

 

 



Painted Skin, Coloured Lips: The Black Lipstory TAG

So, the start of Black History Month is only a few days away and I'm feeling inspired - by lipstick!  HUH?!  Yup, lipstick.  Being here in Eastern Europe, Plovdiv to be exact, I have an almost unlimited access to a variety of lippies.  What I don't have access to is a load of information on black history - to be expected.  But, at the end of the day, I am of colour and so are many of my friends (they range from vanilla to chocolate).  What I have learned being here in Eastern Europe is that most of our differences are external and a part of our history; painted (coloured) skin is just that, skin, and paints get blended all the time. Ya feel me?  :)  Soooooooooo, on to da tag  :)

THE BLACK LIPSTORY TAG

 

1. Pick a lipstick, any lipstick, go ahead don' be afraid
2. Pick a person (any shade of paint or colour) that somehow contributed to black history
3. Explain the connection
4. Showcase the lipstick
5. Tag someone whose skin is painted a different shade to do the tag
6. Post pics and videos of your version of THE BLACK LIPSTORY TAG with the following tag:  #theblacklipstorytag
7. Now, hold ya head up, you've just educated someone  :)

 

 

#theblacklipstorytag

1. Maybelline's Pleasure Me Red
2. Red Skelton, an American entertainer and comedian in the 1930's through 1971
3. In 1941, Red Skelton started his own radio show entitled, The Raleigh Cigarettes Program.  In 1948, this same program featured The Four Knights, a deeply painted skin a.k.a. all-black pop and doo wop band.
4. 
   
   
   Maybelline's Pleasure Me Red
5. I tag:  MassyssyCouli, Carlibel55, mrsraachxo, Young Wild and Polished, Honeybee Philosophy, JordysBeautySpot, Sienna Spaulding tv, C Key, BeautyBuzzHub, Msbrownsugarondeck, RobynluvsBeautyxo, MsJadoreGlamour, Kristina UA, TheHappyHairShow, TheTukkyTuk11, Electric Glamour, MakeupMesha, Emma Pickles, Maria Styles, lolalondon, yaschan, holmique, JamaicanMakeUpArtist
6. 
   
   
    Pleasure Me Red Skelton  #theblacklipstorytag
7. My head is up  :)

 



Lipstick Review: FIERCE MAGENTA (bold and natural lipstcks)

5 Lipsticks in lip balm tubes - GENIUS IDEA!

(Mystical Forest, Medusa, Hot Choco, Permafrost, Quicksilver - from left to right)

Spanish Olive lipgloss in the forefront, Flamenco Girl lipstick in the background

 

 

May I just say thank you to Fierce Magenta.  Thank you for bubble wrapping my lippies so carefully.  Thank you for the quick shipping from the U.S. to Bulgaria:

 

I received a notice of my package from the post office 4 days before the expected delivery date.

And, last but CERTAINLY not least, thank you for making such natural, creamy, pigmented and

bold lipsticks!

 

PERMAFROST

QUICKSILVER

MEDUSA

My lips right after MEDUSA - no staining  :)

FLAMENCO GIRL

 

 

Well, Fierce Magenta, you did it!  You have created a natural piece of lip art that somehow manages to leave the connoisseur with a blank lip canvas due to minimal to no staining.  Like I said earlier, GENIUS! 

 

Of note:  The lipsticks have a slight menthol/minty scent to them, it doesn't linger.  Between each lipstick application, I applied a raindrop size of baby oil to my lips.  As these lipsticks are natural, during the summer months, melting may occur (I noticed a slight melting if I left them next to my computer for an extended period of time).

 

Cia 4 Now Y'All!  Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee!  :)

 



Dry, Chapped Winter Lips, Time to Rejoice!: BLISTEX is HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

Wintertime, Christmas season, holidays - and dry lips.  Yup, all these things go together.  But, alas, I believe I have found the remedy to make the last one just as merry as the other three.

 

YES, YES, Y'All - Blistex Protect Plus

 

 

What I do is to apply the Blistex on with a generous hand:

 



I know, I know, Crusty Central

 

 

 

Already you can see and feel the dry skin flaking off the lips.  Yes, it feels funny and you may want to begin to pick away the flakes at this point, but DON'T, please  :)  Wait an hour (45 minutes at the least).  And, yes, this may involve chillin' at home for an hour, but I guarantee you, it'll be worth it.  Just keep scrolling  :)

 

Removing the Blistex with a makeup wipe

 

 

See how the dry flakes just wipe away. I allow the dry skin tell me where to wipe, never picking the flakes with my hands.  My lips feel SO soft and fresh after this treatment and...

 

 

...it's obvious how effective this treatment is by the amount of dead skin on the wipe.  And, ...

 

 

VOILA!  Smooth, soft, and um, kissable lips are back on the scene!

 

 

If need be, this process can be repeated.  Just allow the lips to rest for about 10 minutes, (the dry skin and wiping may cause the lips to be a bit sensitive).  Usually, one treatment every few days is enough.

 

Ciao 4 Now, Y'All!  :)  Byyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!



 

 





What Enters Your Lips Can Be Just As Influential As What You Put On Your Lips

So, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I LOVE LIPSTICK, coloured lips, so good.  Yet, I have been blessed to realize and come to the understanding that I must be just as concerned with passes by that lipstick - food...and drink  :) 

Living the kinda lifestyle I do, monitoring food intake can be a bit tedious and sometimes damn near impossible but doable (is that ish a word, one second while I go check - yup, it is).  As I was writing, watching what I eat while travelling the world is not only D-O-A-B-L-E but necessary.  Being a world traveller, maintaining my health and my daughter's health is of the utmost importance.  We have insurance but it can still be expensive to visit a doctor or a dentist, trust me, I write from experience.  So lately, I've been pausing to make sure that what I let pass my lips is just as beautiful and glamorous and what I put on my lips.  Little moments, big influence.

That's all  :)

First Post: So, the New Year is Here, What To Do, What To Do?

Yup, so, I have another blog, which I absolutely love to post to, www.godmadeamistakeordidhe.com; but, soooooooomething in me wants to change it up a bit.  There ya have it - that's what I want to do, and I'm doing it.  This blogosphere, blogsite, webpage, whatev, will be dedicated to the, ummm, "girly" side of me.  That's right I said it, I HAVE A GIRLY SIDE  :)  and she wants to be heard.  So, sit back, relax, and watch me more than likely make a fool of myself with this new adventure...or maybe not, we'll see  :)