Liebster Blog Awards

I was recently tagged by Katy from Makeup By Katy G and  Ellis from Ellis Rose. Their blogs are right up my street, I'm sure they'll appreciate it if you gave their blogs a visit! I've done this tag before, back in the days when I myself was a fairly new blogger. However, as I've grown I've started doing tags less and less, but I figured since I'd been reelected and there are lots of new blogs, I'd give this one a whirl again!

The aim of the Libester blog award as I'm sure you'll know is to get you're favourite new or less well-known blogs names out their.

The rules:

1. Each blogger should answer the questions the tagger has set for you.

2. Choose 11 new bloggers to pass the award onto and link them in your post.

3. Create 11 new questions for the chosen bloggers.

4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

5. Each blogger should post 11 Random facts about themselves.

6. No tag-backs!

I went for Ellis' questions purely because I'd be here all day doing 22!
1. What was the first ever make up product you bought?

The orange-iest No7 bronzer you've ever seen.

2. Have you attended any blogger events? What was your favourite?

I haven't! I live in probably the most unfashionable, country town in the middle of nowhere so it's pretty difficult to go to Blogger events. That and the fact I'm 16!

3. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

I'd say talking to lots of different people. I've met so many amazing friends through blogging and I love talking to you all on Twitter and reading comments

4. Do you like to make any DIY products? If so, what's your favourite?

Face masks definitely. There are so many combinations you can do, they're especially good for matching to your own skin. I have bad skin allergies ect. so its good to know exactly what I'm putting on my face too.

5. What is your favourite blush?

I love the Sleek Blush By 3 palette in 'Lace', the middle shade is my favourite!

6. Why did you start blogging?

2nd June 2011!

7. What products are worth the hype that you use on a daily basis?

I'd say Smashbox Photoflawless Light Primer, Nars Laguna Bronzer and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer.

8. What are you favourite blogs?

Ahhhh this is such a hard one! You can find all my favourite blogs by clicking on the 'past featured bloggers' in my sidebar and 'Inspiration' tab above.

9. How do you juggle blogging with daily life?

School all day and blog all night. No, I'm kidding. A lot of the time I'll take more than 1 posts worth of photos at a time as it can be super time consuming. Another day I'll file, select and edit the photos and another day I'll write up the post. It's definitely a three+ day process for me.

10. What are your favourite spring summer essentials?

I'd say a good moisturiser to keep skin hydrated and a primer or setting spray to keep your makeup on all day!

11. What is your blog URL named after?

A book! (of sorts)

 

11. Random Facts:

I found a beauty blog by accident when I was 13

I want to go to university in the US

I love water sports

I have one eye massively bigger than the other

I sleep for only 6 hours a night maximum

Thai and Mexican food are my faveeeees

I have a slight crush on Ryan Lochte
I love foreign language and that's definitely the career route I want!

I have a phobia of 'wet' food eurghhhh

I have probably double the amount of male friends as I do female

My favourite tv shows are Awkward, PLL & MIC, anything girly and gossipy hahah!

My nominations:
http://www.adayinmywheels.com/
http://www.lifelooksperfect.com/
http://simplyjustnatalie.blogspot.co.uk/
http://jadesmoke04.blogspot.com
http://anabelkate.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.iamemmawilde.com/
http://fairylightsandrosesblog.blogspot.co.uk/
http://lostinlaceblog.blogspot.co.uk/
http://tiffany-talks.blogspot.co.uk/
and anybody else interesting in doing the tag!

My Questions

Who's your biggest style inspiration?

If you could repurchase only 3 beauty products, what would they be?

Whats your favourite mascara?

Drugstore or High End?

What camera do you use?

Bronzer or blush?

Skincare or makeup?

How did you first get in to blogging?

What are your favourite blogs?

Highlight of blogging?

Favourite Summer trend?

GP: High End Beauty Wishlist

Hi, I'm Shauna from Floraldisaster where I blog about anything fashion/beauty related. I was very kindly offered the chance to guest blog here which I have done before so I would just like to say thank you for the opportunity once again.

Lately there have been a lot of beauty products that I have been lusting over, and most are a little bit more expensive than what I would usually pay, but I have decided that I will treat myself every month or so by buying a product that is a little out of my usual price range rather than buying lots of lower priced items. Here are a few that I will hopefully be getting sometime soon!


Illamasqua Blush / Benefit They're Real Mascara / MAC lipstick in Rebel

Shauna is also running a giveaway at the moment, click here to have a look!

GP: DIY Tuxedo Nail Art Tutorial

Today we have a lovely guest post from Jadirah on nail art, something that isn't usually featured on my blog too often, a treat for you all!

Looking at all the international fashion at the moment, the hype these days is all about "monochrome", which according to fashionistas will be a hit this spring. Keeping that in mind, today I am showing you guys how to do a Tuxedo Nail Art in which the only colours used are black and white.

Step 1: Apply a base coat. I skipped this step as I didn't feel like layering my nails with polishes.

Step 2: Paint the tip of your nails with a white nail polish just like you do in French Manicure. You can use nail guides or tape for this step if your hand isn't steady. Let it dry.

Step 3. With the help of a toothpick trace a black line under the white one on your tip.

Step 4: Again use your toothpick to draw two small triangles, starting at the centre of the of the black line to make a bow as shown in the picture.

Step 5: If you wish, you can put three little dots as buttons under the bow as shown in the picture.

Step 6: Seal in your design with a top coat.

There you go!

You can visit Jadirahs blog for lots more posts like this by clicking here!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils Review & Swatch

Hello everyone! My name is Brittney! I am a blogger over at Brittneyannexoxo. I am here today to Review and Swatch some NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils! Let’s get started!

Left to right: Milk, Cottage Cheese, Baby Blue, Slate.

All of these pencils are quite creamy and smooth.

This color is Milk, it is a Matte white, I believe it is Matte though I could be wrong. At least when I use it is matte. This is a pencil that you can use to enhance the natural color of a shadow. It tends to enhance the vibrancy of  the eyeshadow.

This next shade is Cottage Cheese. This shade is very much like milk but with shimmer and shine! I originally purchased this due to the fact that the store was out of Milk, but then realized I needed Milk. That sounds very cliche. This color can look beautiful as a inner corner highlight.

Next up, Baby Blue. The name really describes the color it is.  I haven’t played much with this color. This can be used as a base or as a liner, just as all of the Jumbo Pencils can!

Lastly, I have Slate. Slate is a gray with some shine to its color. This color can be used as a base  for the perfect smoky eye, but also replace you black or gray liner!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! 

Thank you Rachael for allowing me to write this post!

 

XOXO,
Brittney-Anne

GP: Top 10 Drugstore / High Street Beauty Products

Hello Beauties!

My name is Erinn and I run the blog: Erinn's Beauty Blog which you can find at www.ErinnsBeauty.com I blog all about makeup, skincare, haircare and more. You will also find tons of LUSH Hauls & Reviews since I am very obsessed with LUSH!

Anyways, today I have a post all about my top 10 drugstore/high street  beauty products. This list includes face, eye and lip products. These are also not in any sort of order, I love all these products equally! 

1. Revlon Photoready Airbrush Foundation: Shade 060 Golden Biege

This foundation is unlike any foundation I have ever tried since it is a mousse. You just shake the can and squirt out barely any product since a lot goes along way with this foundation. I love this foundation because it has a very natural looking finish, has medium-full coverage and lasts all day. It also feels very light on my skin and looks like I am not wearing foundation since it blends flawlessly into my skin. If you are looking for a great summer foundation I highly recommend try out the Revlon Photoready Airbrush foundation.

2. Revlon Colorstay Pressed Powder: Shade Light/Medium

Since it is going into summer, everyone needs a good powder that sets our foundation, soaks up oil/sweat and doesn't make our makeup look cakey after reapplying throughout the day. And this powder does all that! It is a very light, finely-milled powder that does an amazing job at setting my foundation. It doesn't make me look cakey and I never seem to get oily throughout the day when I use this powder. I have been using the powder for over a year now and I have been loving it!

3. Wet n Wild Coloricon Bronzer: Shade 739 Ticket to Brazil

If I had to count how many bronzers I have in my collection it would take me all day. However, this bronzer isn't just my favorite drugstore/high street bronzer, it's my favorite of all time! This bronzer is the perfect shade, not too orange and not to muddy. I use this to add a bronzed glow to my skin and it really makes my skin look dewy and gorgeous! It has a subtle amount of shimmer but doesn't make me look like a glitter ball. I absolutely love this bronzer and I will definitely be using this all summer!

4. Loreal Magic Perfecting Base

This face primer from Loreal is very comparable to higher end brands because of how well it smooths and preps the skin for foundation. It blurs any pores so your foundation doesn't stick in them and really makes my skin feel silky smooth after I apply this base. You also only need just a little bit of product so don't worry, this tiny jar will last you longer than you think!

5. Physicians Formula Highlighter: Shade Light Bronze Pearl

If you are looking for a good highlighter that has an even better price tag then I highly recommend this one from Physicians Formula. They have a few other shades of this highlighter but this one looks the best with my skin tone. It's not overly shimmery but has enough shimmer that adds a gorgeous glow to my cheek bones. This also works great as an inner tear duct highlight or brow bone highlight. This shimmer is also so finely milled that it won't make you look like a glitter ball which is my problem with most highlighters! 

6. Elf Studio Blush: Shade Mellow Mauve

I absolutely love Elf blushes and it was hard choosing a shade that was my favorite! The Elf Studio blushes are super pigmented, not chalky and soft , they are also very long wearing! I chose this very subtle and natural shade because it's a great everyday blush that you can put on just to give your cheeks a naturally flushed look. You can also build this blush up to make it more dramatic but I prefer it more subtle. It you want other blushes from Elf I also highly recommend their baked blushes since they would work great this summer!

7. Elf Baked Eye Shadow: Shade Toasted

When it came to picking my favorite single eye shadow it was no doubt this one from Elf! These baked eye shadows are crazy pigmented and super soft. I actually prefer them to any MAC eye shadow I have ever owned! This shade toasted is a great everyday shade {I actually have been wearing this everyday since I bought it!} and is such a great color for summer. If you want a darker baked eye shadow from Elf I also love the shade Bark. Bark also looks amazing paired with this shade toasted if you use toasted all over the lid and blend Bark into your crease {AMAZING neutral smokey eye!}

8. MUA Eye Shadow Palette: Heaven and Earth

It was also easy choosing my favorite palette since I literally use this one from MUA almost every single day! It has such a variety of shades that are all the type of shades I love wearing since I absolutely love bronzed and neutral shades. These shadows are also super pigmented and soft, this palette is such high quality for the cheap price tag. 

9. Elf Precision Liquid Eyeliner

If you are looking for a super black, easy to use, long-lasting, and crazy cheap liquid eyeliner then you have to try this one from Elf! I use this liner everyday I wear makeup and you can make a thin line all the way to a thick dramatic line. This liner also makes it easy to wing out the eyeliner which seems to always be hard for me! The one issue I do have with this liner is how long it takes to dry, so after I apply this I do something else for a few minutes then curl my lashes and apply mascara.

10. Elf Mineral Lipstick: Shade Party Pink

Lastly, I have my favorite lipstick ever which is also from Elf {sorry for the overload of Elf products!} This shade is a perfect everyday lip color that looks great with any makeup look. These Elf mineral lipsticks are very pigmented and not over-drying since they have a slightly glossy finish. I also love the sleek packaging since it's very sturdy and surprisingly high quality! These mineral lipsticks are also pretty long-wearing especially if you apply then blot and apply again {this method made this lip color last through dinner!} I highly recommend these mineral lipsticks from Elf especially this shade since they are very high quality for the cheap price tag!


Well that concludes my top 10 drugstore/ high street makeup picks! I hope everyone enjoyed this post and if you are interested in anymore of these types of drugstore/ high end posts I have a series coming up on my blog!

So keep your eye out for {or one of these posts might already be up} my Favorite Lip Products from the Drugstore and The Best & Worst Drugstore Foundations. These both can be found on my blog: Erinn's Beauty Blog


Thank you so much for reading! :)

Life Update | School, Work, America, Blogging

Hellooooo! I probably sound like I have multiple personalities the way I write on this blog, I'm so casual whenever I do update or personal posts. But anyway, I just fancied having a chat (...to myself?) and I haven't kept you too much up to date recently so I figured I'd do you all an update.

School wise I'm sure your all aware the big exam season is on the way. I won't lie, I've done very little preparation but will probably start next week. My first exam is on the 13th May and my last on the 17th of June. At the moment I have 22 exams on my record, but I think I'll only sit 17. It seems 17 is a pretty key number this year, I'm thinking of changing my lucky number, it might do me some good!

I also got my results back from last exam season (March) even though I only sat 2 exams, I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I got an A in my Biology 1 and an A* in my Physics 1 resit. I know a lot of other bloggers I talk to on Twitter sat the maths, I didn't sit it but I hope you all got the results you wanted, in maths or in anything else!

I recently applied for my first formal part time job at a store, previously I did a bit of casual waiting on whenever they needed me. I decided I needed a bit more of on ongoing income, rather than a random £80 every now and then. Part of that was influenced by the fact this month we booked a holiday to America! wooo! Its not for ages yet but were going for a shopping holiday so its only right to start saving up earlier.

Blogging wise my 2nd blog birthday is coming up in the summer, unfortunately its bang right in the middle of my exams so I probably won't go all out giveaways and stuff purely because theres a 95% chance I wont leave my bedroom for the week unless its for school. Of course I'll post to let you all know when it happens, I'm so hoping and praying to reach another GFC milestone before then.

What have you been up to recently?



My Favourite Songs For Summer Featuring Marc Jacobs Earphones

With Summer approaching and recent track releases changing to accommodate, I thought I'd do something a little different in the history of A is for Ayla, a music post! I think music is one of those things everybody can't live with out, whether they admit to being a crazy music fan or not. I'm sure most of us wish we were going to festivals this summer and for the ones who are, well you're lucky! After a rummage around my iPod, iPhone 5 and iTunes (iLike Apple, okay?!) I've picked out my top 10 songs for Summer 2013. You'll probably notice that for a 16 year old I have pretty retro tastes however nobody can deny genuinely good music, regardless of age!

*Cue mental image of me sunbathing lakeside with my friends around me and earphones in*

Daft Punk - Get Lucky

Iggy Azalea - Work

Pegasus Bridge - Like Dogs

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax

The Vaccines - All In White

Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle

Bastille - Requiem For Blue Jeans

Darius - Maliblue

Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know

Passion Pit - Take A Walk

Young Kato - Drink, Dance, Play

To go with every music post are a pair of tear jerkingly beautiful lovely Marc By Marc Jacobs earphones. I mean honestly, when your surround yourself by beautiful makeup everyday it sometimes infiltrates in to the rest of your life, including earphones. Now with most 'novelty' earphones the quality tends to be tragic, but honestly these are some of the best earphones I've tried, on par with Apple I'd say. They fit in to all sorts of jacks including iPods, iPhones (including iPhone 5), laptops and pretty much everything I've tried (unlike other earphones). What's more, they're an on trend for Summer, neon orange shade. Now even your earphones can be an accessory! (C/O Three)*

What are your favourite Summer tracks?

A Beauty Bloggers Worst Nightmare

I can't quite believe its come to this. I don't even have a job (as of yet, sent off my first application a couple of days ago, WOO!), makes me wonder what I'd be capable of doing if I did have a job with constant income and dozens of new products to try each month. Part of this was brought on by the fact we've booked a shopping tip to Florida for 2014, WOO! Second 'woo' of the post, we're doing alright! And so being the crazy shopper I am I'm looking to save up £1,000 minimum in 18 months, which for a 16 year old with no income is pretty difficult. This is part of what has spurred me on to do the good old 'Beauty Bloggers Spending Ban'.

Its pretty worrying that it's 100 days as breaking it down that's almost a third of the year. I'm completely out of education for 2 months as of the 17th June and so I'll probably want to go out and do lots of fun (and therefore expensive) stuff. That and the fact I'm addicted to retail will make this challenge particularly difficult. I've set myself a few rules to follow during the ban:

- No carrying cash around anymore

- No magazines, clothes, toiletries makeup*

- *Unless its prom related

- I can pay £30 for a Jack Whitehall ticket, purely because its an IOU!;)

- No bus tickets, I have to walk or get lifts, EVERYWHERE!

- Stop doing midnight trips to the supermarket to stock up on Teasers bars *sadness*

- I can use store credit (boots card)

- I have to find a job during the 100 days, and spend no wages

It's in pretty good timing as my spending ban will end on the 1st of September (bare in mind that this post will go up after I've started the spending ban) firstly because its the start of a new month and the start of a new academic year. I hope it'll will bring about some new spending habits too!

Have you ever done a spending ban? How did you get on?

My Favourite Jewellery Pieces For Spring!

Floral Necklace - M&S / Ring - Local Boutique / Panja - River Island / Hair Pins - Accessorize / Versace insp. cuff - New Look / Wood Bracelet - Boutique / Rosegold Embellished Bracelet - Primark

I think you'll all understand the reasons behind choosing most of these pieces. Florals, blues and sparkly things - Spring in a nutshell, right? I'd say my favourite pieces are the Panja (been searching for them for the longest time!) and the wooden bracelet. I picked the bracelet up about 4 years ago while I was in Cornwall. It's made out of recycled surf boards, it's hard to see the detail in the photo but it has multiple layers of splinters. I love having jewellery with some sort of meaning or purpose behind it instead of your generic highstreet pieces.

What jewellery pieces will you be wearing this Spring?

Spring 13 Fashion Trend Forecast With Matches!

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Greens

One of the biggest trends not necessarily reserved just for Spring is the colour green. Pantone recentley released the colour of the year for 2013, 'emerald' has already been seen on the likes of Kate Middleton. My favourite hues for the season are emerald, jade and turquoise. Above are three examples by J.W Anderson, DVF and Alexander McQueen of the different shades to be wearing next season!

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Neon Yellow

A trend you guys know I've been obsessed with for quite a while, neons are just begining to make their way on to the highstreet in time for the new season. Yellow is the most popular as unlike oranges or pinks they can be worn in lots of ways without looking tacky. If youre not brave enough to try a yellow outfit, wear the trend through your accessories like this Maxmara bag with yellow accents.

 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Bold Florals

Usually around Spring we tend to see a lot of ditsy prints however this year florals are not for the faint hearted. The louder, brighter and more vibrate the print the better! This Stella McCartney two piece rolls two trends in to one! The Chistopher Kane graphic floral dress has become the object of my affection. The Alexander McQueen shoes would be if only they werent mens! *cry*

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Oversized Clutches

As gadgets like iPads and tablets become more integrated in to our everyday lives our fashion statements adapt to suit our needs. Oversized clutches and designer laptop were a huge hit at LFW in September. Above are my three favourites at matches, the Christian Louboutin one is amazing, dont you agree?

All of the items above are sourced from Matches Fashion, an online designer fashion retailer stocking every designer you could think of. Isabel Marant, Mary Katrantzou, Michael Kors and Lanvin are just a few of my favourites sold on the site.

NSpa Revitalising Vitamin Toning Mist

Can I get a yay for more skincare posts? Can I get two yays for a post on a possible Caudalie dupe for all my budget beauties out there? Ever since Victoria Beckham announced Caudalie's beauty elixir was part of her skincare regime the entire Blogger community went crazy for it. Now I really can't judge as I, as a 15 year old at the time refused to pay so much for a 'refreshing toning mist'. When I found this spray for a minute £2.50 at Asda (who doesn't trawl up and down the skincare isle from time to time?) I picked it up right away. Now in terms of being a 'mist' probably not, it's a little heavier, more like a spritz. It's scent is subtle and the finish is semi-matte. It's definitely refreshing and is sure to wake me up in the morning, not 100% on it's toning claims however, I don't think any mist will ever cleanse as well as a good ol' cotton pad and heavy duty toner.

Lush Rockstar Soap (Snow Fairy Scent!)

Now this is a post for all you Snow Fairy fans that missed out on this years limited sale period. For those of you who aren't Lush freaks 'Snow Fairy' (pictured above) is a Limited Edition scent available only at the Christmas period that sells out incredibly quickly. It's a candy, sweet sort of scent. My friend seemed to think it was like strawberry and banana milkshake mixed together, but each to their own, eh? Well basically Lush like to cash in on peoples love for the scent and so have sneaked the scent in to a few other products, unbeknownst to many fans. 'Rockstar' soap is one of these products! If you were interested in trying the Snow Fairy scent but couldn't get your hands on a bottle, don't like liquid soaps or don't fancy spending more money the soap is definitely a great alternative. The smallest bottle of Snow Fairy (which let me tell you is TINY!) retails at just over £3, for the same price I managed to get this huge block of soap, which is about 1/3 bigger than your standard bar of soap, not bad eh? Like most of Lush's stuff the quality is amazing and it lathers really well and the gorgeous scent does linger on the skin for a couple of hours. I love using both products together!

Apologies for the sheer amount of times I just said 'Snow Fairy'

Natural Collection Lipstick in 'Crimson'

I promised myself as a part of my '50 Day Project Pan' that I wouldn't buy any more lip products, purely because of the amount I have in my collection already. However, I was stood at the Natural Collection with my friend who was picking up a few bits and I managed to convince myself within 5 seconds that I needed "this, this aaaaaand this!". I'll keep it short and sweet but this is possibly the nicest red lipstick if tried. Youre typical matt red tends to dry the lips, bleed everywhere and leave a nasty patchy stain. This lipstick does none of this! It's part of the 'Moisture Shine' line, my only other experience of this line was 'Apple Blossom' (review below) which I hated, 'Crimson' is definitely very very different. The photos above were not worn with a lip liner as honestly I feel like it really doesnt need it. It does have a slight sheen to it but you can easily blot this away. It last surprisingly longer than youre average lipstick and I can't explain the finish it wears off with, its a stain but its really really rich and pigmented, so it remains looking like a lipstick. I understand how weird this sounds but its hard to explain, I just love it, okay!

My love for Natural Collection lipsticks has once again been reignited, I'd love links to any of your NC lipstick reviews!