Whats In My Makeup Bag?

Hey world, I'm Noor from Noor's Place  -A lifestyle blog with bits from my life as student and as most talkative person on earth. I am happy dappy to be guest posting on this blog today, I met Rachael on Twitter chat and it's been great fun. If you don't join chats, oh c'mon you deffo should.

I'm not a make up guru but I am totally a lover. All things pink and sparkly just catch me. So my make up stuff is usually full of pink or shiny, shimmery eye shadows. Today, I am sharing some of my favourite items of my "pro" make up bag. Well, when I say pro, it means the stuff I use while going to totally fancy events like school functions, parties or wedding. Truth ended!

1- Maybelline mascara : If I say I can't live without mascara, you must believe me. Maybelline mascaras are thick in texture, the lashes created with them are long lasting. Though I feel their brushes could be more better. All the tubes I own are either twisted or got loose. In anyway, they're best .

2- Lip shades : Again comes the Maybelline but with MAC. Baby lips and MAC lip sticks shades are the easiest and stylish thing.

3- Daisy from Marc Jacobs : I don't know if somebody else keeps a perfume in a make up bag and then proudly states that? Tell me if you're with me. I think first smell is the last smell (revamped the first impression is the last impression). Daisy from Marc Jacobs is probably the best scent of 2013.  I had been using Chanel 5 but that's too serious for a sweet sixteen.

4- Brushes : I mainly use a blusher and a standard sized brush for eye shadows. So I hardly have good brushes. Okay, that happens when you know nothing about brushes. I am still learning brushing tips so perhaps in future, I might be able to show off some good brushes. PS. But I like brushes with cute patterns, ha!

5- Black pencil : I have big eyes that ask so much pampering. I use a dark, black pencil to enhance them.

6- Nail polishes : My favourite shades are from Essie and Top Shop. I only wear pastels or shimmer colours but some times, red & orange rocks everything .

7- Eye shadows : Victoria Secret and L'Oreal's are my favourite eye shadow brands. I go for natural colours as base and shimmer up to it. Sounds much old buuuttt it works best all the time .

8- Hair brush : Oh god, who doesn't put a brush in a make up bag? You know hair matters.

9-  Mirror : Though I usually use front camera while doing make up ( high five to technology) but having a mirror packed with me is never a bad idea . You can lend it to someone, be nice .

10 - Bobby pins : How could I go without them? I have almost frizzy hair so I need tons of them.

So what does your make up bag contain? I could have included a photo but it's all a mess right now #BloggerProblems. You can read my blog here, I am also a blog designer so gimme a call if you need one . Meanwhile, let's hang out on twitter!

Remember you can follow AIFA on Bloglovin' and Twitter!

Blog Layout Tips & Tricks #5: How To Save Your Layout Design Template

In the last post I spoke about how important exporting your blog is. Saving or 'backing up' your blog template layout design is equally as important. If you make a big mistake when attempting to edit your blog layout yourself that you later regret, you can undo it by uploading your old blog design. It's even more simple than exporting your blog so there's no excuse! Go to Template > Backup/Restore > Download Full Template > Save.  Like exporting your posts and comments, the template will save to your hard drive so you can access it whenever. You can then upload or 'restore' your template in the same way to reverse any new changes. As I mentioned in the last post, I use backing up and restoring my layout designs to make my test blogs more accurate. They can help you get a clearer image of what changes to your template will look like on your 'real' blog, without disturbing readers or making dangerous, hard to reverse changes. Remember you can follow AIFA on Bloglovin' and Twitter!

Guest Posters Wanted!

This is just a quick post to ask for guest posters. I've been neglecting my blog a little bit and you all know I'm keen to featured other peoples blogs here on AIFA. The topic of the post would be completely up to you, I don't like to be too controlling with this sort of thing. Preferably the posts would be published within October/November as I will be with limited Internet access for at least 2 weeks towards the end of the month. If you're interested in guest posting don't hesitate to tweet me @aisforaylablog or email me at aisforayla@hotmail.co.uk 
Rachael xx

Featured Blogger #13: September

A million apologies for the lateness of this post, we're already 13 days in to the next month! As you know I've been super super busy over the last month adjusting to a new routine. I've got lost of amazing opportunities and information coming up which I'll share with you in the coming weeks. I'm hoping to get right back in to the swing of things with lots of new posts. What better way than to start with a happy post celebrating the blogs I love! It's been 1 YEAR! since I started doing the Featured Blogger series (can you believe it?!) how time has flown! For the month of September I've chosen a teenage blogger, of course an area of blogging that's very dear to me. I was 13 when I started blogging so I'm really excited to share Jessica's blog with you, it really reminds me of the earlier days of A Is For Ayla. Her photography is incredible and I love the clean(?), pretty, girliness of her blog, it's so uplifting and a joy to read!As always, I've pestered (hehe) Jessica to answer some questions so we can all learn a little bit more about her!

In less than 50 words tell us a little about yourself and your blog

My name is Jessica and I'm 15 years old, my blog is my girly haven, based predominately around beauty, where I love to write about all products I'm loving or lusting after as well as sharing all other pretty, girly things I adore!

When and why did you initially start blogging

I actually created my first blog in Winter of 2011 I believe however after many name changes and having a few different blogs and temporarily being blog-less etc I created my current blog in March 2013 and actually took it seriously and started a fresh. I wanted to begin writing a blog as I got into beauty products and began watching Youtube beauty videos and then went on to reading blogs. I loved reading beauty blogs so decided to create my own as I really enjoy writing too.

Do you have any tips or ideas for someone wishing to start a blog?

My number one tip is to stick with it, something I definitely didn't do but should have! When you first start it definitely seems like no one is reading and can sometimes feel a bit like 'what's the point?" but over time readers will come and your blog will grow if you do put effort in and it's all about patience! Don't be afraid not to 'follow the crowd' with what you blog about and also make sure you know your camera well to get the best out of it and take the nicest pictures you can! 

Do you feel you've taken anything out of being part of the blogger community?

Yes, I think it's great to talk to like minded people who you can relate to. I have learnt lots from other bloggers and taken inspiration from them for my own blog. I also think my writing skills etc have improved. I definitely hope my blog will be something that can help me improve my confidence and meet new people too.

What are your 5 favourite products right now?

Blistex relief cream - totally unexciting and my least prettiest lip balm but I recently had a cold and had really dry lips and this literally sorted them out straight away.

MAC Sweetie lipstick - I love the formula of this and it's a perfect summer to winter transition colour (and one I will be wearing lots over A/W!)

Origins GinZing moisturiser - I use this every single day and it has become my holy grail moisturiser! I love everything about it but the gel formula is why it's perfect for me, it sinks in so quickly and makes my face so soft.

OPI 'Silent stars go by' nail polish - I recently bought two polishes (the other being 'my favourite ornament') from the new OPI Mariah Carey Christmas collection and love them! I love the whole collection and will definitely get a couple more.

Soap and Glory Smoothie Star - This body 'milk' smells amazing! It reminds me of cosy nights in with maple syrup and almond notes and sinks in really quickly and makes me soo soft!

Who are your 5 favourite bloggers right now?

1) Sophia Meola

2) DippyWrites

3) Ellie's Ramblings

4) Belle Mode

5) Becca's Fashion and Life

Where can we find you?

- Twitter @jessicasjblog

- Bloglovin' - http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4713343/jessicas-journal

- Instagram @petaldreamsboutique

Any final words of wisdom?

Stay true to yourself, blog about what you want to blog about and remember blogging is a brilliant experience so make the most out of it and remember your blog will grow with time and effort! :)

You can visit Jessica's blog by clicking here!
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My First Experience With Makeup? Games For Fashionable Teenage Girls!

Technically (you'll appreciate the pun later) my first experience with makeup and the whole application process was through those girly online games where you can dress dolls up and give them their own identities. Now, its been a good 6 or so years since I last visited one of these sites, up until I was introduced to Games For Girls! Games for Girls features hundreds of virtual games perfect for young people with an interest in everything to do with fashion and style!  The one thing I really love about Games For Girls is that every genre of game (whether it be hair, makeup, fashion, decorating, cooking ect.) are all in one place. The manicure section is a personal favourite, you know how I love my nail art! A lot has changes since I used this sort of site and one thing I was really impressed to see was the Forum and Blog for Games For Girls. I've never seen this sort of feature on a games site before and it's what, in my opinion, sets Games For Girls apart from the rest! So not only can you spend time playing the games, you can also read posts (just like Blogger!) on similar topics, and share your views on the forum with other young people!

I really wanted to post about Games For Girls as I know the majority of my readers (and in fact most of my followers) are all young people. I was obsessed with this sort of site at the age of the many of my readers. It's such a good way of practicing makeup technique by trying out new looks and applications. It's perfect for developing your own personal style too! I know I went through every 'phase' possible in my early teens, lilac glittery lipgloss, thankyou, but no thankyou! With a bit of virtual experimentation, it's easy to find just what you like and what suits you best!  I really enjoyed re-living my preteen years exploring the site, even as a 16 year old. Let me know if you were introduced to the makeup/fashion blogging world through online beauty games, I love reminiscing with people! Also let me know what you think of Games For Girls*, I'd love to know if you appreciate the One Direction and Pretty Little Liars games like I do, hahah!
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