The Liebster Award

Over the past week or so I have been nominated for a few different tags and awards by my fellow bloggers and I am always incredibly grateful for any nominations I receive. Over the next two weeks I will get round to accepting all of them. I have been nominated for a few Liebster Awards in the past (1), (2), (3), (4) and I have linked them all if you’d like to have a read. Thank you so much to Dannii for nominating me for this one!

Dannii’s Questions:

1. What city or town do you currently live in?

I’m pretty sure I’ve never answered this question before because I don’t think any of you would have heard of it. I live in a city called Rotorua in New Zealand.

2. How old are you?

I turned 21 in January.

3. What is currently your favourite makeup or beauty item?

Either The Body Shop’s Shea Body Whip which I apply before I get dressed, Asia lipstick by Rimmel or Max Factor’s Excess Shimmer in Copper.

4. What has been your highlight of 2016 so far?

Probably my birthday! It was such a special day and my mum really surprised me by covering the table and lounge with presents and balloons.

5. What is your favourite holiday destination and why?

I have never been out of New Zealand before so I don’t have one. I want to go to The UK but apart from that I don’t really have anywhere else on my list at the moment.

6. Name 5 things on your bucket list?

1. Visit The UK (I’m obsessed)
2. See Kylie Minogue in concert
3. Get my license
4. Be a contestant on The Chase
5. Record an album

7. What would be your dream job?

Easy, singer! I’ve wanted to be a singer since I was 10 years old. I know so many people say that when they’re young but I genuinely have this love and passion for music that I don’t have for anything else. It’s silly, but I get emotional thinking about it. Getting to sing for a living would be a dream come true! I used to want to be an accountant, a hairdresser and even a makeup artist at one point.

8. Name your 3 favourite songs at the moment?

1. Zayn – Pillowtalk
2. Jessica Agombar – Cookie Cutter
3. Delta Goodrem – Wings (it’s still a tune!)

9. What is your favourite food?

Chips… fries or potato chips I don’t mind. I don’t like them as much as I used to though but I don’t have any other favourites.

10. If you won a large amount of money, what would you spend it on?

I’d be very sensible and save most of it. In saying that I would hop straight on a plane to England and start exploring. A lot of it would probably be spent on concerts and gigs and makeup too. Oops.

I really enjoyed answering these questions and I hope you learnt something new about me. I’m going to nominate three people and I’d like to see them answer the same questions I did.

I nominate:

• Ladies and Lace
• Drifting Lexi
• Earth To Emma

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag

Happy Friday lovelies! In the two years I’ve been blogging I’ve seen this tag around a lot and I’ve never done it so I thought it was about time I changed that! I saw this tag on Claire’s blog recently and loved the concept and the sound of the questions. Let’s get started!

GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item?

I think it must be a white/purple iridescent nail polish I bought a few years back for $2. For the price, it’s a decent polish – not the worst I own by a long shot.

WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with?

• Partly foundation because I’m so pale. Every brand needs to come out with a Fair Ivory shade à la Rimmel’s Match Perfection.
• My Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shade Inked In Pink (also known as Pink Gold in The UK). Don’t get me wrong, the colour is beautiful in the pot but I feel it doesn’t translate the same way on my eyelids. The formula isn’t as creamy as everyone talks about, I don’t know whether I got a bad one that has dried up but I don’t reach for it as often as I would like.

GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?

The hand cream I’m using at the moment smells like bubblegum. (It’s the Pomegranate Hand & Nail Cream by Olive in case you’re wondering). *LINK*

SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect due to laziness?

Easy – eyeliner! Times are a changing though, I purchased a dark brown eyeliner from Rimmel a few weeks ago and I’m determined to master how to use it. I’ve used it once so far… It did turn out pretty well though.

PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most confidence?

Lipstick fo’ sure! In my opinion you can never go wrong with a bold lip! I joke frequently that I should be a lip model because I seem to suit every colour and lipstick always lasts forever on my lips. A close second would be mascara, my bottom lashes are particularly light (almost blonde) and mascara really opens up my eyes.

LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

Arms/hands, to me they signify strength and protection which signifies masculinity. My hands are small and I love the thought of someone holding my hand, I’m kind of cute and soppy like that. Thoughtfulness also goes a long way.

ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

I’d like to try the Urban Decay palettes to see if they’re as good as everyone makes out because I don’t think you can buy them in New Zealand.

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That’s all the questions, hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading! If you decide to do this tag, leave a link to your post in the comments so I can check it out!

Holly Jolly Holiday Tag

Happy Monday lovelies! Today’s the day things start getting festive on Chanelle Hayley. I’ve seen a few bloggers attempt this tag over the past week and after reading Katie from Plus+ Beauty‘s answers I knew I wanted in on the action! Katie has recently returned to the blogging scene after some time away so make sure you pop over to her blog and give her some love and spread the Christmas cheer!

1. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until last minute?

Black Friday is quite a recent thing in New Zealand. I hate leaving things until the last minute so I always try to make sure I finish Christmas shopping as early as I can. If I’m out in August or September and see something I think someone will like then, I’ll probably pick it up.

2. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?

Love Actually. Being set in London and the story line with all the different couples would be a dream!

3. Which do you like better: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

I think Christmas Eve is more exciting as there’s more hype knowing the next day it’s Christmas. Once you open presents and eat, the excitement is pretty much over for another year.

4. When does your family put up their Christmas tree and who decorates it?

It changes every year, I only put my Christmas tree up yesterday 😛 The past few years I’ve made it a regular thing to put it up and I’ve really enjoyed decorating it and making it look pretty.

5. White lights or coloured lights?

Both – it all depends on your tree decor. If you want a classic look with silver and gold baubles, white lights or if you like your tree to be sparkly and full of colour, go for coloured lights.

6. Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like to be surprised?

No, never! I like to be surprised. Sometimes I will get asked if there’s anything in particular I’d like so I may know what I’m getting before Christmas day.

7. Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or Santa’s workshop?

Santa’s workshop. The gingerbread house would be tempting to eat and make you feel constantly hungry. In Santa’s workshop you’d get to play with all the toys and help the elves, maybe even wear those adorable elf shoes with bells on the toes.

8. Tell us your Christmas Eve traditions.

When my brother and I were kids we’d write our names on pieces of paper and stick them at opposite ends of the couch so Santa knew where to put our presents. We’d also leave a drink and some biscuits out for Santa.

9. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone, who would it be?

I could say my celebrity crush but the age gap would be a little weird. I’ll say my Mr. Right who I’ve yet to meet ❤

10. What tops your tree?

Currently nothing. We used to have a sparkly, golden star but it’s either lost or packed away.

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I had SO much fun answering these questions and doing this tag, I’m sure you will too! Leave a link to your post if you’ve done this tag already or if you decide to do this tag, I’d love to read your answers!

The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag

A huge part of blogging involves accepting awards and nominating your fellow bloggers for super fun tags. It’s a nice way to show recognition and feel recognised for all the hard work you put into your blog. Award posts and tags are great ways to get to know each other better and are useful if you have a case of bloggers block and don’t know what to post. I haven’t done a tag in a while and despite not actually being nominated for this one, I saw Billie do it and thought I’d give it a go too.

Questions:

1. Name a beauty regimen that you rarely do?

Style my hair and get my hair cut. I have completely no idea what most hair products do/what I need for my hair. I either tie my hair up or leave it down.

2. Is washing your make-up brushes something that you do regularly?

No, I don’t own any. 😛 (That’s about to change very shortly though, last weekend I ordered four Real Techniques brushes and I can’t wait for them to arrive!)

3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish?

Depends on the polish. I have a glitter one that when it starts chipping away it doesn’t look that bad. With all my other polishes though,  I remove them pretty much as soon as they start to chip.

4. How long will you put off buying/replacing a beauty product, even if you need it?

If I really NEED it I will replace it as soon as possible but if it’s something like mascara, I normally always have more than one.

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

I used to bite my nails but I’m glad I grew out of that one! Now, I’d say my worst beauty habit would be late nights. Sleep is important for your skin and your body but I’m more of a night owl than a morning person. I don’t go to bed that late and I always have a solid sleep but I should get into the habit of switching off and even hopping into bed half an hour earlier.

6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time?

Learning how to drive. Everyone else seems to make a much bigger deal of it than I do.

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready to the last minute?

No, I hate feeling like I’m running late and like to have everything perfectly organised. I really enjoy getting ready and doing my makeup so I like to make sure I have plenty of time in case I feel like trying something a bit different or something goes wrong.

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

I’ve never put myself on one but I think I could. When it comes to money I’m very careful with it and weigh up the pros and cons of whatever I buy. I prefer to save my money and buy things if they’re on sale or when I need them.

9. How organized are your make-up and nail polish collections?

Semi-organised. I keep my makeup in two makeup bags, although it has started to take over my dresser lately. For my nail polishes I have a clear, plastic cube I keep them in so they’re all together. I am actually looking at clearing out a drawer and organising everything better. (Post idea right there!)

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post! I’d like to nominate a few of my lovely blogging friends to do this tag if they’d like to/haven’t already:

• Adele
• Claire
• Kaily
• Karen

The Beauty Blogger Award

Hi everyone! The gorgeous Claire nominated me for The Beauty Blogger Award last week and today I will be answering the questions she set for me. I was nominated for this award a few months ago – click here if you’d like to read that post as well, after you’ve read this one of course!

The Rules:

1. State the name of the blogger that nominated you.
2. Answer the questions you were given.
3. Nominate 10 people whose blog is about beauty or fashion.
4. Make 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Let the bloggers know that you nominated them.

My Questions:

1. What’s your number one holy grail high street or ‘drugstore’ product?

Starting off difficult haha. I will say my MAC lipstick in Syrup – I use this on days when I don’t know what to put on my lips and it never fails to disappoint. It has had so much use compared to other lipsticks I’ve had for longer. I can definitely see myself repurchasing this when it runs out.

2. Which product is currently on the top of your wishlist?

Maybelline’s The Nudes eyeshadow palette or some of the Real Techniques makeup brushes.

3. How long have you been blogging for?

1 year and 4 months, I started blogging in June 2014.

4. What’s your favourite item of clothing for the cooler months?

A scarf: helps keep you warm and is light enough and easy enough to pop in your bag.

5. What inspired you to start your blog?

I had finished my Communications course 6 months earlier and was looking for a job. I started my blog as a way to fill up my free time.

6. The favourite part of your makeup routine?

Lips!

7. What’s your favourite brand of makeup?

I’ll go with Rimmel. I’ve used quite a number of Rimmel products as well as owning quite a few and I’ve never been disappointed. The prices are reasonable and not too expensive like other drugstore brands in New Zealand can be.

8. What’s one product you think everyone should own?

A good moisturiser. It’s important to find one that works for your skin type.

9. What is your favourite skin care product that you feel has made the most difference in your skin?

Recently I purchased a face mask from Natio and it is working wonders. It helps to tighten pores and make them less visible as well as combating redness and making skin soft and smooth. Since I’ve had the face mask, I don’t think I’ve had a spot.

10. If you could have any celebrities hair, whose would it be?

Call this arrogant but I don’t think I’d swap my hair for a celebrity’s. The colour of my hair doesn’t come out of a bottle and is one of my favourite things about myself.

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I won’t be nominating 10 particular bloggers to accept the award but I nominate everyone who hasn’t done it and wants to give it a go. If you decide to accept, I’d love to see you answer the same questions I did.

Thanks again Claire! ❤

25 Things I’d Like To Do

Hi loves!

A couple of weeks ago the beautiful Claire over at EclairsCares nominated me to do her ’25 Things I’d Like To Do’ Tag which is sort of like a mini bucket list. I instantly saw her post and loved it and knew I wanted to give it a go! Who doesn’t love a good list?!

Here goes…

1. Visit/move to The UK.

2. Get married.

3. Be a contestant on The Chase.

4. Meet one of my idols – I have quite a few!

5. Make music for a living.

6. Stop feeling so anxious about learning to drive.

7. Live in my dream house.

8. Lose weight 😛

9. Get better at cooking.

10. Have a surprise party thrown for me.

11. Inspire someone and know I helped them.

12. Be the best version of myself (cheesy I know!)

13. See Kylie Minogue in concert.

14. Stop worrying so much.

15. Make a speech at my wedding. It’s not traditional and I hate public speaking but I’ve always wanted to do it.

16. Have a personalised number plate.

17. Own an Apple iMac, front and centre on a desk.

18. Go to a spa and get pampered.

19. Ride on the tube/go on a train.

20. Go to a dance class.

21. Design a fashion line and makeup range.

22. Go clubbing in Ibiza and dance the night away ❤

23. Get back into a regular exercise routine, I actually miss it!

24. Have a dressing table in my bedroom to do my makeup (ideally in #7’s dream house).

25. Experience a white Christmas.

So, that’s my list! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post. I’d love to know what’s at the top of your bucket list!

500 Followers + Blogger Recognition Award

Hello lovelies! Happy Friday!

This post is a very special one for me as I am celebrating a blogging milestone – reaching 500 Followers! Only a few weeks ago I mentioned how much I’d love to reach 500 when I accepted The Fashionista Award. It’s crazy to think that many people follow my blog and I know there are blogs out there with a lot more followers but when I started I never had a set number in mind and I genuinely appreciate every single one of you that has clicked the Follow button.

It’s very humbling to know that people enjoy what I’m writing and take time out of their day to read, like or comment on my posts. I try to reply to every single comment and comment on your posts to repay the favour. Although I may not be the best at showing it, I’m a very grateful person and cannot stress enough how special you as readers are to my blog. The support and encouragement I’ve witnessed not just towards me but among bloggers in general is amazing! It’s an honour to be part of this little community!

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I also wanted to use this post as a chance to accept ‘The ‘Blogger Recognition Award.’ I was kindly nominated for this award by the lovely Kimmy from Kimmy Keep Real.

The Rules:

• Nominate 5 other people (put a link to their blog!) and write a post to show off your award!
• Give a brief story about how you started blogging or two pieces of advice for other bloggers.

Advice For Other Bloggers:

1. Don’t be confined by ‘blogging norms’. Post whatever you wish. You want to write a beauty/fashion/food/travel blog (insert and delete as appropriate) but have no idea where to start or you’re intimidated by others out there, don’t be. We don’t all see things the same and have differing opinions so chances are there’s something new you can bring to the table. The beauty of blogging is its versatility, you can make a post out of just about anything. Use creativity to your advantage.
2. Research is your friend! If you want to learn about a product or can’t quite grasp the technical side of blogging (themes, coding etc.) chances are you can find out about it online. I always look for reviews and swatches before I buy a product, I want to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth! There are so many tutorials and helpful hints that you can adapt to work for you.

I’d like to nominate: Amber, Claire, Cos, Fiona & Lauren.

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Thank you all once again! I am trying to think of some way to show my appreciation properly, I am not sure if it will be a giveaway or what. I don’t even know how to run a giveaway so I’ll have a think and keep you informed.

The Fashionista Award

Hi there! Last week I was nominated for The Fashionista Award by the lovely Kimberley from Kimmy Keep Real. Kimberley is an advocate for Mental Health and is all about promoting positivity. Make sure you check out her blog and small business Keep Real as well. I recently did an interview with Kimmy on her blog as part of her ‘Inspirational Bloggers’ series so if you haven’t already take a look here!

Onto the questions:

What motivated you to start blogging? I’ve touched on this a few times before but I was initially inspired by Filofax users and their beautiful blogs and YouTube channels. I had quite a bit of free time and was looking for a job and it kind of went from there. I think I decided to mainly blog about beauty because I like reading about it and it’s a topic I genuinely enjoy.

Favourite Movies? Don’t get me wrong I enjoy sitting down and watching a good movie but I’m not the sort of person who always goes to the cinema (I haven’t been in years!) and is a total movie buff. I can barely think of a list of movies I like but Grease and Titanic are films I’ve seen a lot so I’ll go with them. I do remember being obsessed with the first Charlie’s Angels movie when that came out.

What is your dream career? I’ve talked about this quite a bit too but incase you’re a new reader or have stumbled upon my blog for the first time my dream is to be a singer. I don’t necessarily want all the fame and everyone to know my name but being able to make a living from my biggest love, music, would be amazing!

Top wish list items at the moment? I really really want to find a nice facemask that I can do once a week or so and pamper myself a bit. I’d also really like some new clothes, kind of a problem when you don’t like shopping that much and it’s hard to find clothes that fit properly. #shortgirlproblems

Favourite TV shows? I’m much more of a TV show girl than a movie girl; F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Gimme Gimme Gimme, The Mentalist and Pretty Little Liars are some of my absolute favourites. I also like quiz shows and murder mystery shows, Midsomer Murders, Lewis, Poirot, Marple, Silent Witness etc.

What stores do you find yourself shopping at the most? This year I’ve really gotten into The Body Shop and I love popping in and having a browse. I’m always looking online for what I could potentially try next

Favourite fashion designers? Does Dannii Minogue’s Petite range for Target count? I want it all!

Describe your dream vacation! Moving to and living in England would feel like a vacation everyday! I’d love to explore all over.

What are your goals for your blog? I’d love to just keep writing and continue to improve my writing skills and beauty knowledge. When I started I had no idea what would happen but I’m so thankful to all the lovely people I’ve gotten to know and have yet to get to know. I’d also love to reach 500 followers, I’m not far off and it would mean a lot to get there! ❤

My Nominations:

The Girl In Glasses – Adele is incredibly beautiful and I always look forward to reading her blog. She also leaves the kindest comments!

Claire – My Life In Words – Her blog is gorgeous and you should definitely check out her YouTube videos, they’re really useful and informative.

Rachel Ellis Fashion & Beauty – Rachel is one of the sweetest bloggers and I enjoy having a peek at all her lovely haul posts.

And of course, I nominate anyone else that would like to do this tag to give it a go!

The Love/Hate Tag

Hey everyone! Aren’t you lucky getting an extra post thrown in this week!

The lovely Claire Elsley has nominated me for ‘The Love/Hate Tag’. I’ve loved reading this tag on other blogs and I’m excited to share my own list of some of the things I love and (unfortunately) hate. Be sure to check out Claire’s post (linked in her name) and blog as well!

Rules:

• List ten things you love and ten things you hate.
• Nominate ten people to do the same.

Love:

1. Sleep ins – especially even more since starting my job.
2. My cat Tango – she’s the cutest and so loving.
3. Makeup – it helps me feel more confident when I wear it.
4. Thoughtfulness – who doesn’t enjoy being thought of and looked after?
5. Music – when I’m singing or listening to music I feel like everything is okay.
6. Tweets from Dannii Minogue – I always smile whenever she replies to me.
7. Laughing – one of my favourite things to do is laugh/make other people laugh.
8. Feijoas – the best winter fruit.
9. Pink – my favourite colour.
10. Receiving mail – a present from you to yourself!

Hate:

1. Having no internet – I feel so disconnected from the world.
2. Liars – honesty is the best policy.
3. Being sick – 😦
4. Worrying/stressing – doesn’t help the situation and just makes you more anxious.
5. Finishing a good book – you won’t get to read it with fresh eyes again.
6. Not being able to cool down in summer – cooler weather any day.
7. Bullies – people can be so cruel.
8. Failure – I’m a perfectionist and like everything to be done just right.
9. The smell of vinegar – makes me gag.
10. Running late – ties in with the whole perfectionist thing.

The rules state you have to nominate ten people. This tag has been around for a while and I’m not sure who has done it and who hasn’t so if anyone sees this and wants to give it a go, feel free!

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading!

The Starlight Blogger Award

Last week the lovely Lizzi from Thoughts and Things 1 nominated me for ‘The Starlight Blogger Award’. Be sure to check out her post and her blog and give her a wee follow if you haven’t already! It always makes me smile to be thought of and nominated for any award so thanks Lizzi!

Rules:

• Thank the person that nominated you and link back to their blog.
• Answer the 3 questions that are given to you.
• Pass the award on to 6 or more other bloggers of your choice and let them know that they have been nominated.
• Include the logo of the award on your blog, please never alter the logo and never change the rules.

Lizzi’s Questions:

1. What’s your favourite personality trait of yours and why?

Without a doubt my kindness. I’m the kind of person who puts other people’s needs and feelings before my own because I like to make people smile and make them happy. I’m incredibly thoughtful and pride myself on being lovely to as many people as I can.

2. If you had to give a thank you speech, who would be top of your list to thank?

Most people would say their parents but I don’t see my dad and without sounding harsh I’m more thankful he’s not in my life.

I would thank all of the people who inspire me and make me happy; particularly my favourite musicians – even if meant they didn’t get to listen. I know I rabbit on about music and singing all the time but it’s genuinely my life and what I love more than anything else.

3. What are you most looking forward to about your future?

Part of me is nervous about the future, but I think we all are. There’s something beautiful yet scary about the unknown. I’m most looking forward to the day I stop worrying and can be happy and embrace life as it comes. I’m also looking forward to finding someone I can spend my life with and who makes me feel special.

My Questions:

1. What keeps you inspired?

2. What’s your favourite personality trait of yours and why?

3. What’s something about you that we might not know?

Nominees:

Kimmy Keep Real

Beautiful Breakable

Stephie Estie

Vogue Infatuation

Weird Girl Official

The World of Cos

There’s no pressure to accept but if you do leave a link to your post below and I’ll check it out! As always, thanks for reading! ❤