Beauty Bloggers Tag!

I've seen a few bloggers doing this 'Beauty Bloggers Tag' and always find reading them very interesting, so I thought I'd do it myself! I hope you enjoy this sort of post.

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

I started blogging about a year ago, but started putting posts up regularly about 5 months ago. I started blogging for a few reasons - I had been reading beauty blogs for a while and was inspired by other bloggers to start, I was really starting to get into makeup, skincare, etc and wanted a way of sharing my experiences with everyone and getting to know other bloggers who had the same interests as me!

Who's blog did you fall in love with first?

Honestly? I can't remember. I'd say Zoella's was probably the first I found and read every single post, but Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup and Hannah from A Little Beauty Spot (who's new blog is here) were two of the others I remember reading at the beginning of discovering the beauty blogging world!

What was the first blogosphere hyped about product that you bought?

Was it worth the hype?

That would be Nars Luguna bronzer! Every blogger these is seems to adore this product, and I was so intrigued so I bought it and yes, it's definitely worth the hype. I love it and use it all the time! 

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

1. Having my own little space on the internet to share my thoughts and views on different products.

2. Other bloggers! I love discovering new blogs, reading reviews, favourites, wish lists, etc (I could spend hours going through Bloglovin' looking at the new posts from that day), and getting to know people. I've actually made a good few friends from doing this!

3. Discovering products. I find that unless you read beauty blogs really amazing products can pass you by! I'm also someone who does research before I buy anything, so finding out how people got on with things is great before I go out and buy it myself.

4. The creative side. I feel like since I left school I don't do anything creative, but having this blog enables me to take photographs, decide how to lay things out and also experiment with different products, which I find a great way be creative. 

5. Comments! I love getting comments on my blog posts from all of you, it really makes my day.

What have you learnt from being a beauty blogger?

When I first started blogging I didn't realise that writing blog posts can be quite hard work, a lot of thought goes into every part of a post and also design and layout of the website itself. I learnt never to compare yourself to other bloggers…if I did that I'd feel like a failure, because I don't have the largest amount of followers, but that doesn't matter! It's all about enjoying what you do.

What have you changed since becoming a beauty blogger?

Makeup storage…I've got a lot more makeup now, so I had to invest in some proper storage. I've also changed the way I do my makeup - I've picked up a lot of tips and tricks along the way.

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

Don't do this just to get free products! That won't happen straight away, if ever, and you need to put a lot of work in before so. Also, if you don't have a passion for what you're doing it will come across in the posts. Don't write unless you really want to - again, it comes across in the posts, I've read a lot of blogposts that lack so much because the blogger obviously 'couldn't be bothered' on that day. Make good use of social media - twitter, Facebook, instagram, etc - it will really help your blog to grow.

What are your top 5 makeup brands?

This is no particular order!  MAC - I think I had to say that, it's surely in every beauty bloggers top 5, I just wish they were a tad cheaper. Rimmel - I think they're the best high street makeup brand, they do great and affordable foundations, lipsticks (especially the Kate Moss range), blushes, eyeshadows, eyeliners (the best), concealer, etc. Revlon - mainly for their lip products. Nars - ohhh their packaging and pigmentation makes me adore them. Soap & Glory - I haven't tried many things from their makeup range yet, but what I have tried, swatched and looked at has been amazing quality.

Recommend your top 5 beauty products

(reviews linked)

Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipsticks - I think these are the best highstreet/drugstore lipsticks out there, the price is so affordable, the colour range is fantastic, the lasting power is long, the packaging is great and the feel and finish is up there with the high end brands.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate - A night time oil that you apply post toner and pre moisturiser, it adds moisture to the skin, doesn't break me out, and helps fight against imperfections.

Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer - beauty blogger favourite and lives up to the hype - high coverage, non-drying, cheap and lasts all day.

MAC Mineralize Skinfish in Soft & Gentle - the most beautiful highlighter there is. 

Sleek Contour/Face Form Palette -  the contour palette consists of bronzer and highlighter, and the face form has a blush included as well. All highly pigmented, well packaged, and very affordable. A really great product if you're just getting into makeup. 

A Pretty Pink Pairing

I've never really delved into the world of lip product pairing, I always just stick to one product on my lips at one time, but recently I tried pairing a lipstick and a lipgloss together and to my surprise I really liked it!

Whilst looking through my draw of lipsticks recently I came across one of the first lipsticks I got that had been shoved to the back of the draw and forgotten about, it's a lipstick by Avon called Pout.
Pout is a really pretty cool toned pale pink, it's a gorgeous creamy texture and I really love the packaging. Although I do like the lipstick I have found that I much prefer the look of it paired with a lipgloss, and my lipgloss of choice is from the Revlon Colorburst range, the shade is Pink Ice. 

Lipstick only

Lipstick and gloss together

 SWATCHES TOP TO BOTTOM -
Avon lipstick in Pout
Revlon lipgloss in Pink Ice
Both products together

Pink Ice is a a very pale pink with silver shimmer particles running through it, I find it makes the lipstick look a bit lighter but also adds dimension and more shine. I'm glad I've found a lipstick to wear with this lipgloss because on it's on I'm not too fond of it, purely because on pale skin like mine it can make me look a bit washed out.

Both products feel nice on the lips, the Revlon lipgloss isn't sticky and isn't gloopy like some glosses can be, they're not the longest wearing products in the world, I'd say a 2-3 hours, but I can overlook that.
The two products work together really well and I really love this combination for a pretty and subtle lip look.

Tanya Burr - Lips and Nails

Tanya Burr - beauty blogger and YouTube star has just released a line of lip glosses and nail varnishes with eye CANDY. I for one am very excited about this!

As Tanya trained to be a makeup artist, specialises in the beauty business and knows all there is to know about makeup products I have faith that her products, in particular the lip glosses, will be amazing. I know Tanya has been working on this line for ages and I'm certain she wouldn't have released the products unless she was more than happy with them, so I'm expecting high quality glosses and varnishes from her line!

Let's start with the glosses - there are 12 in the line, with a beautiful selection of colours from bright red to pink to more natural shades. Six have shimmer in them and six do not, which I'm thankful for as I'm not a fan of shimmery glosses. They're being priced at £6.99 - a very reasonable price. I can't wait to try some out, Afternoon Tea, Chic and Lets Travel The World are top of my wish list (I know, I know, the names are too cute).

(photo via @TanyaBurr on twitter)

There are 10 shades in the nail varnish range, there are some gorgeous pastel colours in there that would be perfect for spring and some darker shades too. These are priced at £5.99.

The colours that catch my eye are Little Duck - a gorgeous pastel green, Riding Hood - a dark vampey red and New York Night - a dark brown. Again, how amazing are the names? I love how Tanya has given them proper names, I think it really adds to the product.

The packaging for both the lip glosses and the nail varnishes are gorgeous, simple but classy and pretty. I normally don't like it when there's a signature written across a product packaging butt Tanya's is super pretty, with a little heart, I adore it.
Tanya Burr's products are available to buy NOW at Feel Unique and they'll be available from other beauty websites and on the highstreet soon!

I can' wait to try Tanya's new products, especially the lip glosses!

What product have you got your eye on?

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Clinique Chubby Stick Instense in Grandest Grape | REVIEW

If there's one makeup product I could buy endless amounts of it's definitely lipsticks or any lip product to be honest - I'm obsessed. From lipsticks, to lip glosses, to lip stains, to lip balms, I love them all…but one of my favourite type of lip product is definitely the crayon style ones. It seems more or less every makeup brand has jumped on Clinique's bandwagon and made their own (and some are damn good) but for Christmas I got a chubby stick by the lip crayon trendsetter - Clinique.

The colour I got was one that featured in one of my wish lists a few months back, it's called Grandest Grape. I'm quite big on bolder lip colours for Autumn and Winter, so the beautiful dark purple/dark pink/berry colour is right up my street!

swatch

The texture of this chubby stick is amazing, if you're someone who doesn't like lipstick to feel too heavy then this is for you! It glides on smoothly, and is so creamy it can be applied to the lips without any tugging, but at the same time it isn't so creamy that it'll slide around.
The finish is gorgeously glossy, and the product feels lovely and hydrating which is the biggest bonus when the weather isn't at its best.
The wear time for the chubby stick is good, I'd say about four hours if you're not eating or drinking, and it leaves behind a slight stain.

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense is priced at £17, which is more expensive than the alternatives out there, but having tried a few of them I'd say the original is the best. Chubby sticks feel more luxurious, they make my lips feel softer, and the colour payoff is better.
I'd definitely recommend this product, it'd make a lovely treat for yourself!

Have you tried this product?

Or do you want to?

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My Fragrance - LOUD By Tommy Hilfiger

I'm not someone who owns loads of fragrances, nor am I someone who would spend £60 on a bottle of perfume, however I love fragrance, smelling nice and trying out different scents.

My favourite, and one that's been my perfume for about 2 years, is Loud by Tommy Hilfiger.

I'm useless when it comes to describing scents, so sorry in advance, but I think this perfume is quite a warm scent and it definitely has floral notes in it. When you first spray it I think it smells quite sweet, but then it smells warm, and the spicy floral scent kicks in. There's hints of rose in there, lychee and spices. It's not at all overpowering, nor is it sickly which I often find perfumes to be.

Something I adore about this fragrance is how long it lasts! I find so many perfumes fade within a couple of hours, or sometimes less, but this is different. I sprayed this onto a scarf and I could still smell it months later, which is amazing, I hate having to carry around a perfume bottle!

The Loud perfume was designed to be 'Rock and Roll' and actually I do agree that it is. You'll have to go and smell it to see what I mean!

I also love the bottle, it's simple but really cute. Oh, and the best part is it's inexpensive at £10 from Escentual!
Overal this is a definite winner for me!
 Buy it here!

What's your current fragrance?

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