The Beauty Bloggers Tag

Hello Lovelies,

A few days ago I saw that the very lovely Sophia from Tattoed Tealady had created a tag just for us beauty bloggers. It's nice to finally have a tag that is blogger appropriate, as opposed to those YouTube Tags that are always flying about.

So without further ado, here are my answers to the tag questions...

Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for?

I actually started a blog a few years ago and I never stuck to it, then this year I decided that I would get back into it again, it was part of my new years resolution to take up a new hobby. I had no idea I would love it as much as I do. I've been blogging for a few months now, and whilst it has been a slow process of trial and error, I really feel like I've found my niche and I couldn't imaging not doing it now.

Whose blog did you fall in love with first?

Like most other bloggers, I started reading very popular blogs at first. i think it started by wanting a review of a product and after googling it, I found some amazing blogs written by some amazing ladies. I think the very first one I read religiously was Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter and after that I was finding more and more that I loved and still love to this day.

What was the first blogosphere hyped about product you bought and was it worth the hype?

I think the very first product I bought after reading all the hype was the Revlon Lip Butters, I thought they were amazing and couldnt wait to have one. I'm not sure I still feel the same way about them now. I also bought a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, I think they were quite highly blogged about.

What are your favourite five things about blogging and being a beauty blogger?

Firstly, I love that I can finally have somewhere/someone to talk about my obsession with. Whenever I went shopping with friends, they just didn't understand why I had to have that lipstick, or why I really wanted to try that bronzer. So having this little area of the internet has been a sort of release for me.

I love the whole blogging community. I've met some lovely people, and made some wonderful friends through blogging. Its great to have another circle of friends who share the same interest as you.

It's amazing how many new brands I've been introduced to since starting blogging. Some brands, I would never have thought of when browsing online or shopping in town, but now, some of them have become my go to.

One of my most favourite things about beauty blogging it that I've really learnt that everyone is different. Obviously, I've always known that. but when it comes to beauty, just because someone has raved about one thing, doesn't mean that I'm going to love it too. The same goes for brands, just because one brand does something differently from another doesn't mean that its going to be any better than others. It's just a name after all.

Finally, I love how easy blogging is. I thought I would really struggle with things to write, but I've come to learn that if I write like I would talk to my friends, then I can't really go wrong. Just be yourself.

What have you learnt from being a beauty blogger?

I've learnt the most about brands. I was always a bit of a drugstore/highstreet girl at heart, always lusting after high end brands. Now I know that it's ok to have cheaper products, and every now and then treat myself to a high end product.

Have you changed anything since being a beauty blogger?

My skincare routine has probably changed the most. I never used to bother really, but now I do take a lot of care when looking after my skin. My makeup application has changed too, I actually know what I'm doing now!

What advice would you give to a beauty blogger just starting out?

Go for it! Just be yourself, and don't worry about what other bloggers are writing. If you love a product, write that in your review/post, but don't be afraid to say you don't like something if you didn't. Also, try and interact with fellow bloggers, you'll make some friends for life, and learn some amazing things.

Name your top five brands!

MAC, Soap and Glory, Urban Decay, Rimmel and Essie have become big favourites of mine since beauty blogging. I haven't a bad product or experience from any of these brands yet.

Recommend your top five favourite beauty products!

I'm in love with my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural for that perfect finish. The Kate Moss for Rimmel lipstcks are such good value for a great product. Urban Decays Naked palettes are beautiful and well worth the money so are definitely on my recommend list. Niveas original moisturiser is a god send on cold winter days. Finally, Lush Bath Bombs and Bubble bars are all thats needed for an exciting and stress relief bath time.

Tag other beauty bloggers to do this tag!

I tag all my lovely followers, and anyone else who wants to do this tag, its been so much fun to do!

So that's it! I really enjoyed doing this tag, it was a great way to think back over my blogging life. Big thanks to Sophia for creating this tag :)

If you've done this tag, please link it in the comments, I'd love to read yours :)

Small Lush Haul

After seeing the new christmas items that Lush have in stock, I've been meaning to go in there, have a good sniff, and pick up a few products. Today when I was in town I did just that.

The shop was so busy that I didnt really get a chance to have a proper look round, but there is a few more things I would like to by so keep an eye out for a part 2. Here's what I bought and a description from Lush...

Cinders Bath Bomb:

This one really stood out to me as its so bright! I've also read great things about this bath bomb on the bloggersphere.

What Lush Say:

A real Christmas time ballistic that fights the chill and brings peace and comfort. Lie back, letting the water support your body, and listen to the fire as the smell of warm fruit punch fills the room.

Party Popper Bath Bomb:

How could I not pick this up?! This just looks like so much fun I really can't wait to try this out!

What Lush Say:

This fruity, fizzy party piece is a movable feast of delights. Contains everything you need for a celebration in your own bathtub. Drop a Party Popper cone in your bath and watch it spin into action, as it goes on a spree across your bath spreading colours, fragrance, popping candy and soap confetti.  Softening your bathwater, fragrancing your skin and washing you clean.

Twilight Bath Bomb:

I used this once a long time ago, and revisited my old favourite today. I remember this was great for stress relief, and with my uni assignments looming over my head, this is exactly what I need.

What Lush Say:

If you are struggling to sleep, then this is perfect for using in the evenings. With lavender oil for when you need a bit of extra help to wind down.

The Enchanter Bath Bomb:

I haven't really read much about this and picked it up on a whim. This smells amazing so definitely looking forward to trying this.

What Lush Say:

To cast a magical spell of colour and fragrance over your bathroom, simply drop The Enchanter in the tub. This layered ballistic changes colour as it fizzes, swirling in haze of orange and pink and releasing its sunny lime and neroli fragrance.

Bubblegum Lip Scrub:

Everyone and their nan has heard of or tried this, this is my second pot of this and im still as in love with it as the first day I tried it.

What Lush Say:

The pink all things girly, bubblegum flavour lip scrub. Clears dead skin and flakiness from lips, leaving them moisturised and smooth.

All descriptions from Lush

I'm Loving:Purple Lips ♥

One trend that I've noticed a lot of lately is purple lips. It's something I never thought I would buy into, but after trying the look on myself a months ago, I'm really loving it.

I think this look is amazing because it suits any skin tone, is perfect for any occasion, and even though its not the most conventional lip colour there are plenty of products out there that can be used to achieve this look.

Here are the purple lips that I've been wearing recently and a little bit about the products I used...

 L-R

Stargazer: Metallic Lilac - This isn't my first choice, but it is great for those who like a frost finish. It also looks great layered over other colours.

Rimmel Kate 04 - Sorry this is a very dodgy picture but the lighting wasn't that great. This is a little out there, but it is a really lovely alternative colour. I've also been patting this on the lips and layering a red over the top for a vampy look.

Sleek Pout Paint in Mauve Over - Very similar to the OCC Liptars, this is a more wearable version of the purple lip. It leans slightly towards a pink shade but is none the less still a very pretty colour and pretty cheap so is perfect if your wanting to experiment with this trend.

Mac Up The Amp - This is my favourite lipstick at the minute, its a beautiful shade of purple that doesn't look too full on, but is a lovely way to update your look from the everyday colours that you might wear.

I definitely think that I'll be wearing this trend for a very long time. Have you tried this trend? Do you think purple is something you would like to wear on your lips?

London is a pretty city...

This weekend, my Boyfriend and I travelled from Manchester to Kent to stay with his family for some birthday celebrations, so I decided that I would take full advantage and use one of the free days to spend the day in London.

London is by far my favourite city, I just love everything about it, and this time of year being a favourite of mine also, the two of them together made for a perfect day.  

First stop was Harrods. A trip to London would not be complete without a little nosey in here. As always the decorations in Harrods are just amazing. This years theme for Christmas was Disney Princess (something every girl has wanted to be at some point in their life), with a window display for some of the icons. Each princess had their own original designer dress with names such as Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Ellie Saab and Versace. The windows are just beautiful, and although it was difficult to get pictures because of crowds an reflections, but here are the ones that I did manage to get.

As always, I took a trip to Hamleys, the best toy shop in the world. Due to it being the run up to Christmas it was a little manic in there (kids running round everywhere) so I didn't get many pictures in there. The one I did get though was of the most genius lego creation ever. Someone had put together a lego William and Kate. It was amazing.

After a ridiculously busy day, it was all topped off with a night at the theatre. We all went to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria theatre and it was AMAZING!! If you love a musical, then you will love this. I'd definitely recommend going to see this.

Sorry for a really long, picture heavy post, but I thought I would share with you my most favourite city in the world and the amazing day that I had their this weekend.

Hope you have all had an amazing weekend :)

Last Minute Halloween Makeup

So as its the day before Halloween I thought I would post a few last minute makeup looks that can be done easily at home. I'm not by any means a professional and don't claim to be, but I just did these looks with a few Sleek Palettes that I already had. The point of it been last minute, is that you can use products that you already have, and don't have to go out and buy anything special. 

This Look was done using a few eyeliners and the Sleek sunset palette.

This one was created with kohl eyeliner and the Sleek Matte Darks V2 Palette.

The final eye look was done using the Sleek Glory palette and a unbranded red lip liner.

Finally, the lips were just a red lipliner and a black eyeshadow, then a matte red eyeshadow over the top.

So if you've been invited to a very last minute halloween party then you dont need to rush around looking for novelty things to wear, just dress up your face. The great thing about halloween makeup is that you dont have to be precise and neat, the messier the better. 

Hope you enjoy these looks, sorry the photo quality is a little poor, they were taken on my iPhone whilst my camera is poorly :(

Adopt some samples: GIVEAWAY!!! CLOSED

Like every beauty blogger, samples have started to pile up in my collection. I've already used samples of these or have the full size products so I simply do not need to use them again. So I thought rather than throw away and waste them, I would host a small giveaway, then one of you lovelies will get to try something new.

The Rules:

• You MUST follow my blog via gfc
• Any accounts set up just to enter giveaways will be void. Play fair people.
• Have Fun :)

Just Fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter :)

The Prizes:

Kiss Exotic eyelashes

No7 Intense Volume mascara

Bodyshop Rainforest Body Butter

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Chanel Foundation

Thierry Mugler Womanity

Body Shop Tea Tree Oil

(All sample size, with the exception of the eyelashes)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Liners

Rimmel really have been on top of heir game recently, with the release of new Kate Moss lipsticks and the new kohl eyeliners, beauty bloggers everywhere have been getting our hands on them.

After taking full advantage of Boots 3 for 2 offer, I bought two of the eyeliners that were on offer, although I'm definitely going back to get more! 

The colours I purchased were Nude and Purple, both something that are welcome additions to my ollection as I dont really have any liners in these shades.

Nude has been the most sought after, being a very close dupe to the chromagraphic pencil that MAC did. I've been popping this on the waterline and just building up the black mascara, for a clean, bright eyed look. I've been wearing my makeup this way pretty much everyday since purchase.

Purple is a little strange for me as I do just love a nude or smokey eye, so colours aren't something that I wear a lot of, but I have been branching out recently. I wore this on my lower lashline and outer corner of my eye, also along the waterline. Then I've smudged this out and applied a few coats of black mascara for the easiest smokey eye ever!

The consistency of these liners is beautiful. They're so creamy and apply like a dream. Being a kohl liner they are easy to smudge to create a softer look, but they also apply nicely on the waterline. Most kohl liners wear off after a few hours, but these last all day and didn't need reapplying which is great.

I would really recommend these to everyone as they really have become a lovely edition to my makeup bag.