The Starting Over Tag!

The starting over tag base products by blushinggiraffe

Hello Everyone! I’m back with a Tag, something I haven’t written in a while, so I hope you enjoy!
A big thank-you to Hajarah from chocolatefrosst for tagging me! I think the title is quite self-explanatory but here is the hypothesis of the tag:

I have lost (unfortunately) all my beauty products. Now I have been given the opportunity to ‘start over’ and purchase 16 products..

Oh what a horrible thought D: I think I’d cry if I lost it all, seriously I’ve worked hard and found some amazing deals to build the collection I have at the moment! So I will list out the 16 products I would purchase first without much thought because these are have the same thing in common - reliable and they work extremely well for me. I’m going to try and keep it short and sweet and as you can see my 16 picks are above ^

Base Makeup
1. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Stromboli
2. Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer Reviewed here
3. Ben Nye Banana Powder - Reviewed here
4. Benefit Erase Paste in 3 


Cheeks
5. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer medium/deep
6. NARS Blush in Deep Throat - Reviewed Here
7. Illamasqua blush in Allure
8. Mary Lou Manizer- Reviewed Here
9. NARS Duo in Laguna and Orgasm
10. Bourjois Bronzing Primer

Rest of za face
11. Rimmel Lipliners Reviewed on the blog
12. Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade Reviewed here
13. Rimmel Nude Khol Liner
14. Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner Reviewed here
15. I heart chocolate eyeshadow palette Reviewed Here
16. LA Girls Pro Concealer - Beautiful Bronze cream contouring! Swatched here
Well there you have it, the 16 I would repurchase if I had to start over, quite a generous amount actually considering if I actually had to buy my makeup again it would take a long while to pick all of these up, I don’t even want to add up the total cost here! (Although y’all know I’m savy so I wait for deals...but still!)

I tag the following beauties...
Tamanna - TamannaMUA.com
Asma - DifferentStrokesByAsma.Blogspot.co.uk
Pauline - asianhomie101.blogspot.co.uk
Nabihah - thesundaywardrobe.blogspot.co.uk
I can’t wait to see what you ladies pick as your starting over products ^_^

Thank-you for reading ♥
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The Starting Over Tag!

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Top Tips For New Bloggers

Hi guys, I hope you’re all doing well. Today I wanted to share some of my top tips for any new bloggers out there. I’ve gotten a number of emails asking for this type of thing and although I’ve added bits and pieces here and there I’ve never dedicated a whole one just for this.

So I’ve been blogging for 15 months now and it has honestly been one of the best decisions I made ^_^ I love being able to share my views, my favourites and not so favourites and to get to know other’s who have a similar interest to me.

More recently becoming an ethical blogger and putting the lives of innocent Palestinians before buying a MAC blush, Estee Lauder foundation or L’Oreal mascara has given me an even greater reason to blog! So whatever your reason for starting your own, here are a few pointers to help you on your way.

1. Join bloglovin and Twitter

There are SO many social media sites out there, but the first two to join are the above. Bloglovin is probably the most popular blog directory, a place where once you sign up your posts are instantly added for all followers to easily read. You can access all sorts of blogs, build lists, like/save posts and usually find a lot of amazing blogs through other people’s blogs! Here is my profile if you’d like to see what it’s like.

Twitter is invaluable for the blogging community. Not only can you hashtag and share your posts to thousands of people, you can also meet lots of other wonderful bloggers on there and get involved in blogger chats (the #bbloggers one is every Wednesday 8pm GMT and the #beautychat is on every Friday 7pm GMT). The blogger chats are wonderful for sharing tips, recommendations, posts and ‘meeting’ new bloggers! Sometimes they have a specific topic and at other’s its totally random.

2. Spend time and effort on the appearance of your blog

Not all of us have hundreds of pounds to spend on professional blog design, and nor do you need to with the wealth of google at your finger tips! It is well worth spending a couple of hours adjusting your blog layout and design because first impressions really do make a difference. Personally I love visual blogs with large colourful photos, a clear ‘about me’ summary and a blog design that has a bit of character and makes me want to visit the page again.

I ALWAYS recommend people to visit the fabulous Elaine’s blog, because she works SO hard to provide people like you and me the need-to-know when it comes to tweaking the blog. She is a professional in terms of website design. Her tutorials are simple and easy to follow and if you want more help you can hire her! 90% of the changes I made on my blog, were through her tutorials so do spend some time behind the technical and create yourself a blog you are proud of!

3. Buy a blogging book and note down milestones

When I say a blogging book, I don’t mean anything fancy. Just a notebook (a patterned/pretty one if you’re a stationary obsessive like me) which you can use for ALL things blogging. Brainstorm, write down products you’re currently testing out, and most importantly write down those milestones! There is nothing more encouraging than seeing how far you’ve come, and it’s probably the best thing about having a productive/useful hobby! Last year at the start of November I had 100 bloglovin followers which is pretty fantastic in itself. In almost a year I am now at 670 followers, and whilst numbers the most important thing, they are a great encouragement!

4. Plan your posts a month in advance

I know this sounds pretty over the top and I would have thought so too when I first started blogging, but it’s the only way I’ve been able to post over 10 posts in one month! I like to think about what the month ahead might bring, think about the products I’m currently using in my rota and then use my imagination to come up with some possible posts. I will generally slot in 3/4 posts on my calendar and this way I am never stuck for what to blog about when I make the time to blog. I can’t tell you how much of a help this has been for me, and it is also really great to get into the habit of bulk photograph taking for the week ahead. If you take all your shots in one go, you won’t be faffing about with products and your camera, lighting, angles etc; throughout the week. I’m not very good at bulk photo taking but when I do, it makes life a lot easier.

5. Leave your bloglink after a thoughtful comment!

Blogging is as much about interacting with others, as it is about sharing your views and opinions. I love the comment feature, and although I haven’t had a single moment to sit down and reply to comments recently, I appreciate each one that is left! It’s nice to appreciate someone’s effort if you particularly enjoyed a post, and also if you have anything to add about the topic. Whatever you write, please make sure it’s thoughtful and not copied and pasted. This is careless and you’ll quickly become known for trying to gain followers in a not so organic way! Personally I am not a fan of ‘follow for follow’. Work hard on your content and try to be consistent, and you’ll see your following grow naturally, trust me it’ll feel brilliant!

Also just thought I would share how to leave your name and a hyperlink to your blog:

Iqra | <a href="http://www.theblushinggiraffe.com/">The Blushing Giraffe </a> x

The bits in red are the html, so copy and paste this into a sticky note, add your blog URL in-between the speech marks, and add your name at the front before the ‘<a' href’ as this will be like your signature. It’s a much more convenient way of sharing a clickable link to your blog, and you’re more likely to get more visitors using this method rather than copying and pasting the whole URL (plus that would look super messy). Plus sticky notes load whenever I turn my laptop on, so its easy as pie to leave your signature and link!

6. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and don’t give up!

A 2-for-1 there, but both equally important! Don’t worry if you don’t end up sticking to your posting schedule because life is getting in the way, it happens! In the past few weeks I would have liked to have posted 3X the amount I was able to, but due to juggling university and work it has just not been possible. Take your time because blogging is a hobby and an enjoyable thing, don’t allow it to become another worry in your life! Also when you first start and you literally have like 3 followers for 5 weeks, don’t let it get to you! Blog for YOU, and keep at it because with time you’ll develop bonds, find awesome people from across the world who are so similar to you and just get really stuck in! Numbers are not and should not be the most important aspect of blogging, the enjoyment and experience should be.

Blogging is my escape for a few hours a week and although I wish I had more time to blog and read blogs more often, I am grateful to be able to enjoy it in the time I get.

I really hope a few of those were helpful to you! Please let me know if you have any questions down below or email me: theblushinggiraffe@hotmail.com. Also if you have any to add, fellow blogger please do share!!Good luck with upcoming assignments and deadlines, I’d better get cracking with mine!

Thanks for reading!

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Top Tips For New Bloggers

Hi guys, I hope you’re all doing well. Today I wanted to share some of my top tips for any new bloggers out there. I’ve gotten a number of emails asking for this type of thing and although I’ve added bits and pieces here and there I’ve never dedicated a whole one just for this.

So I’ve been blogging for 15 months now and it has honestly been one of the best decisions I made ^_^ I love being able to share my views, my favourites and not so favourites and to get to know other’s who have a similar interest to me.

The Tag For Makeup Addicts

Hello, hello, hello everyone! Today I am back with a TAG post which is exciting because I’ve not done one of these in a while. A huge thank you to the lovely Sheri from berrixbeauty.blogspot.com. She is a lovely Australian blogger, who focuses mainly on beauty but writes wonderfully well in whichever topic she chooses. I especially love her tips on starting University - very helpful!

Also this tag seems perfect for me, as I gaze at my dressing table and sigh because the drawer of palettes is over flowing, my muji drawers are unorganised and the bowls which I keep my current rotation seem to be over spilling. Tsk.

Anyways on to the tag, so I can procrastinate organising makeup for a while longer.

 

1. Which Product do you keep buying more of despite having plenty in your collection?

Hmm the first thought that came to mind was concealers, because I always seem to be picking up Collection’s lasting perfect in the 3for2 sales, however the thing that I keep buying more of is blusher. I just cannot get enough, especially when it comes to brands like Illamasqua and NARS who’s quality and longevity blow me away. I recently bought this ‘box of blushers’ from Benefit which is well worth checking out if you’re new to their shade range (post here). My Sleek blush-by-3 collection is nearly complete and WELP the x-mas sales are fast approaching so y’know I’ll probably have added 2 or 3 more of Illamasqua's line because they KNOW HOW TO DO A SALE! NARS, Chanel and Dior if you could take note and knock 50% off your products too I’d be super grateful. Thanks xox

 

2. What’s the one product you can’t live without?

Concealer. Of two shades, an orange/peach tone more specifically the Benefit Erase Paste in Shade 3 and a lighter and thicker shade to cover brighten up the darkness and hide the redness/blemishes.

 

3.Favourite Makeup Brand?

Excuse me, but whoever came up with these questions should know this was a stupid question for a makeup lover ._. Idc I’m not picking one: NARS, Illamasqua, Bourjois and Rimmel London. They can have a quarter each ;D

 

4. How big is your makeup collection?

It’s very big. Enough for me and enough for you and probably a small mound left over. Haha how terrible does that sound? In fairness I use the majority of it, and it’s not even a tenth as large as some of those crazies on YT with whole ROOMS dedicated to makeup! Still though, I’m happy with what I have and recognise that I have enough...for now.

 

5. And how do you store it?

I have a stack of muji drawers which I may be doing a post about in the future. I keep all palettes in a large drawer in my dressing table. My current rotation is kept in a large heart shaped bowl on my desk and lip liners, eyeliners and extra concealers are all kept in these cute DIY’d pots which I made a post about here. I am also slightly guilty of having a draw of things I need to use once the current one is finished, egg mascaras from beauty boxes, eyeliners etc..

 

6. How many items of makeup have you got in your handbag at the moment?

A fair amount! Due to commuting at quite an early hour I like to be well equipped to do my eyeliner and add a bit of lippy before my journey is over. Currently I have my bourjois healthy balance powder, 3 lip products,an eyeliner, a mascara, and a lip balm.

 

7. If you could raid another blogger’s stash, who would it be?

This may be cheating because she is a HUGE international blogger, but c’mon who wouldn’t want to raid HudaBeauty’s stash?! The photos on instagram have me swooning all the time, and as she’s only a touch fairer than me I think I could get away with her foundation shades. *sigh* A girl can dream right?

 

8. How long does your usual makeup routine take and how many products do you use?

I’ve managed to get it down to about 8 minutes and that is concealing under eye circles, a light base/quick dabs of concealer, brows, blush and an all over bronzer. However when I give myself the time I like to sit for 15-20 watch two YT vids and take my time with the eyeshadow, highlight and a little bit of contouring too.

 

9. Have you ever bought makeup knowing your wouldn’t use it?

...not KNOWING that I wouldn’t use it, but sometimes of FragranceDirect I did get a little bit carried away with the insane bargains and through trying to get to the free delivery amount I have bought one or two shades of lip products which clash disastrously with my complexion. But aside from that I’ve got no idea why ANYONE would buy makeup despite knowing they wouldn’t use it??

10. Tag a few other makeup addicts to do this tag!

This was a fun little tag to do! I tag:

Tanjia & Maryam from Beauteabible,

Louise from nonfictionbeauty

Tamana from TamannaMUA

Kal from TheClutteredCloset

Nabiha from thesundaywardrobe

and if you’ve done this tag please leave your link below! Are YOU a makeup addict?

Thanks for reading!

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The Tag For Makeup Addicts

Hello, hello, hello everyone! Today I am back with a TAG post which is exciting because I’ve not done one of these in a while. A huge thank you to the lovely Sheri from berrixbeauty.blogspot.com. She is a lovely Australian blogger, who focuses mainly on beauty but writes wonderfully well in whichever topic she chooses. I especially love her tips on starting University - very helpful!

The Ps &amp; Cs of Beauty Blogging (A six month review) | #JANBLOG 22

Hello! The Blushing Giraffe is six months old today! I’m finding it pretty hard to believe that this tiny little space on the internet has been up and running for over 180 days, has nearly 200 bloglovin’ followers, a beautiful group of ladies to support it on Instagram, and nearly 375 awesome people who have liked it on Facebook! What’s more is I cannot get over the fact that I have blogged every single day so far this month, a massive pat on my back because that’s something I deemed unachievable!

Aside from saying thank you for being such a wonderful bunch and leaving me the nicest comments, either here or on IG (I promise I will get round to replying, OH and catching up on my bloglovin feed which is over 650 posts right now ._.), I just wanted to give a little bit of wisdom/advice back. One of the most inspiring things for me is being told that my blog has sparked a flair in someone else for starting a blog, and although I’ve only been blogging for a couple of months, I can truly say I’ve worked pretty hard with it and feel like I have at least a tiny bit of knowledge that may be of help if you’re thinking about blogging! :)

This is for anyone out there thinking of starting a blog, but on the fence about it I wanted to share a few pros and the slight cons to being a beauty blogger in particular, but essentially we all have the same sort of hobby whether its food, fitness, beauty, or fashion!

PROS

- You become part of a lovely little online community who are all as passionate about beauty etc. as you are. This can be really nice because the majority of the time real life friends don’t quite share the same level of love when it comes to makeup, and you can’t always discuss new releases and other beauty stuff like that. So in this way the whole blogging world can quite easily become your own little escape away from the pressures of school/uni/work and the mundane realities of life.

- You make blogger friends who are sometimes from all the way around the world, and it’s an amazing way of connecting with people!

- You get to share YOUR voice and YOUR opinion. It can help you come out of your shell a little, and eventually you’ll have your own voice that is distinct from others, but appreciated none the less.  It also kind of becomes your own little brand! You’ll end up making a twitter page for it, then maybe a Facebook page and just getting a lot of inspiration from all sorts of sources. On top of this, I don’t think there are many better feelings that being asked to give advice or recommendation in an area you personally love, it makes me sooo incredibly happy when people turn to me for that :’)

- Your own knowledge will undoubtedly grow (for example a beauty blogger probably learns so much on a weekly basis about different skincare, bargains, which shops to watch, new releases etc.)

- You get to HELP other people not waste their hard earned £££! I truly think that’s one of the worst feelings, using a product and finding it to be SO useless! Whilst you can’t exactly ask for your money back (not in the UK anyways) you can forewarn others! This also makes it a worthwhile and productive hobby!

- You have a chance to express your creative side. Some people do this through their words, a lot do this through their photography. I sort of do this through both! I love that my little site is my source of creativity and my ‘outlet’ and the fact that people tell me it’s been helpful to them, or they’ve enjoyed using a product I reviewed REALLY MAKES MY DAY!

CONS (kinda)

- It’s not at easy as it looks. Blogging takes time, motivation and effort. Sometimes life just doesn’t want to hand you those three things on a plate at once! So I guess I just wanted to say, start a blog one moment in the middle of the night you think to yourself, what am I waiting for?? and once you’ve got that blog up and running and have hit publish on the first post, don’t let anything stop you from carrying on. Why? because let me tell you, when you PUSH yourself and keep on at it it’s one of the best feelings ever.

- Photography is a learning curve. Taking pretty photos is a skill, and again takes a lot of time and patience to get right! But again this is more of a pro for me because I adore photography, and though time is the one thing I am majorly short of these days (which university student isn’t right??) any spare moments I have I am snapping away.

---

And just briefly my top 5 tips for brand new bloggers (IM still new myself haha)/ people thinking of starting a blog;

1. When reviewing a product, try to give as much information as you possibly can! It’s always disappointing when you click on a review that you’re really interested to find out about and there's a 5 line paragraph saying something along the lines of ‘I like it, it really does its job as is good cos its cheap.’ Come on ladies…what would YOU want to know if you were considering buying the products?

2. Don’t give up! Blogging can all get a little too much, take a few days off and then come back afresh but don’t let that hard work and effort you put in go to waste!

3. Search around on YouTube and Google for tutorials on how to customise your blog. Lets face it, first impressions mean a lot and so spend a bit of time making your blog look how YOU want it too! Build a blog you can be proud of showing off (this IS a work in progress trust me! but there are some fantastically wonderful people out there who spend their time making html tutorials for noobs like us. Take it. My personal fave? Ellie – LINK HERE

4. Try not to feel too pressured about your content, although you do want to give adequate information, it doesn’t have to be phenomenal every single post (e.g ELLE Magazine style) because you’re a normal human being with a life outside the blogosphere! Again stick to being yourself and allow blogging to be a hobby/outlet not another worry to life!

5. I personally ADORE blogs with large aesthetically pleasing photos, because I’m quite a visual person. So enlarge those photos as much as you can without the quality getting all fuzzy, you took time to take the pictures, now show them off girl ^_^

I’m not sure if this was as helpful as I had hoped it would be, but it’s just my two pennies on my blogging experience so far. Once again I would like to give you all a great big squashy hug and thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read my blog! This was a little bit spontaneous, but Uni work needs to come first right now, so it will have to do *growls at SPSS and Graphs*

I hope you’re all doing well, and I really can’t wait to get back to my bloglovin’ feed, have a nice cuppa and a good old read!

The Ps & Cs of Beauty Blogging (A six month review) | #JANBLOG 22

Hello! The Blushing Giraffe is six months old today! I’m finding it pretty hard to believe that this tiny little space on the internet has been up and running for over 180 days, has nearly 200 bloglovin’ followers, a beautiful group of ladies to support it on Instagram, and nearly 375 awesome people who have liked it on Facebook! What’s more is I cannot get over the fact that I have blogged every single day so far this month, a massive pat on my back because that’s something I deemed unachievable!

How I Save £££ On Make-Up | #JANBLOG 19

Hello lovely readers, I hope you are all well! I am currently hating myself for procrastinating and essay by doing just about everything possible to avoid it ._. It is going to be a looong night..but for today’s post I thought I would share with you my top 10 make-up money saving tips, following on from my 101 day spending ban post – I hope this is helpful!

1. Make Use of Advantage/Loyalty Cards!

I have one for boots, Superdrug, Debenhams and the Nectar card (because where I work is located within Sainsbury's). I also have a Costa card and a Nandos card. If they are offering you points, which could later be translated into money take it! Although it may not seem like a significant amount, every little adds up! Last year boots held a few ‘points events’ and I went along and bagged myself £10 worth of points which I later spent in their boxing day sale! Who doesn’t love a double bargain?? I must admit the Superdrug card is a little naff, they only give you one point per pound spent…but then you can use your point’s to pay for PART of any payment, something you cannot do with boots. Having said that boots give you 4 POINTS PER POUND! So why not snap them both up! Along with this some stores give offers exclusive to card holders, for example Debenhams offer free delivery to any one with a beauty card! And I’ve yet to come across a store who charges for the card, so what are you waiting for?!

2. Become an e-mail subscriber

You know those little boxes at the end of most shop’s online webpages? Enter your e-mail address, or perhaps create a second e-mail that is not for personal/work related and enter that… then keep an eye out for offers. I always find it handy to know  when a store is having 20% off, free delivery or gift with purchase. Sometimes shops will have online only sales, so you can pick up your makeup and skincare for cheaper than leaving your home – winning! Again it’s totally free and takes a matter of seconds.

3. Always wait for a 3for2!

Do you REALLY need that eyeliner right now? Or can you wait a little till boots do this fantastic offer? I think we both know the answer, and believe me it feels a LOT better getting an eyeliner for free than it does having to cough up for one! I would say I’ve probably shopped at boots twice when they HAVEN’T had a 3for2 type of offer on, get more for your money ladies!

4. Keep Wish lists

So following on from the previous point, write stuff down. I’m sure the majority of us like making lists anyway, so jot down something you’ve seen a YouTuber or Blogger rave about (I always have a wish list going in the notes section on my iPhone) and then when offers strike you can pick up what you wanted! it also allows you to think carefully about whether you really want the particular item, although of course random splurges are sometimes inevitable!

5. Have a browse of your local super market!

You may remember my Sainsbury's post a few weeks ago, where I picked up some things that were ridiculously cheaper than a ‘drugstore’! So if you do the weekly shop, or are simply passing a supermarket and have time, go check out their beauty and skincare isles and see what is on offer that week. I am always pleasantly surprised to pick up a moisturiser or blush for a very reasonable price from a grocery store.

6. ASOS IS A STUDENTS BEST FRIEND

Firstly they offer 10% student discount all year round, IF you have a NUS card or have signed up to UNIDAYS (LINK). And don’t worry you can be a secondary school student and sign up too! So if you’re after a particular rimmel mascara, or bourjois bronzer do check out ASOS’s beauty section and enter your code for a cheaper beauty fix! Another thing I adore about ASOS is sometimes they RANDOMLY have flash beauty sales on a particular brand, for example 30% off Rimmel. So by keeping the beauty section bookmarked and checking it now and again you could have some serious savings! FINALLY the days when they have a whooping 20/30% off EVERYTHING, beauty lovers REJOICE because that means you get to pick up a NARS BLUSH for 20% off! Oh YES! I purchased my first and second NARS blusher’s during these 20% off’s, so worth it! Oh ASOS, I love thee.

7. FragranceDirect.com

I’ve ordered from here at least 4 times and have never had an issue with any of my cosmetics or perfumes. I LOVE this site! You do have to thoroughly go through the categories to separate the good from  the bad but sometimes you can find AMAZING deals! For example the Manhattan Mat Lip Creams (reviewed) are available for 99p!! It’s well worth checking FD out now and again.

8. Invest in A Good Base

Now not everyone will agree with me on this one, but I think although the drugstore have some phenomenal products, it is always worth investing a little more into a base that will be  failproof. Mine is probably NARS Sheer Glow, it is a good medium/full coverage base which photographs beautifully and seems to look better and better the longer I wear it. Plus the yellow tone in the foundation is amazing! Especially if you are a WOC going high-end will make your makeup routine easier, and probably cheaper….with the more expensive stuff generally a little goes a long way, it’s more long wearing and of course tailored to more unique skin tones something the drugstore fails on often. A lot of the times (but not always!) higher end bases can tick more boxes than drugstore, so by investing in one you're saving more time and money and adding less stuff to your face to get the perfect base.

9. Invest in  Acrylic Storage & Get Organised

Yes Muji seems to be on every beauty guru’s channel and most blogger’s own them but there is a great reason for that – they are incredibly functional (as well as looking gorgeous!). With acrylic storage you can see EVERYTHING you own and hopefully you’ll end up using it a great deal more too! If you’re a generally unorganised person like myself they will go a long way in helping organise all your makeup and really getting your money’s worth out of a product! On top of that you can immediately see if you NEED another concealer or if the one you have is still going strong….resulting in unnecessary spending and less waste ok maybe I just love Muji too much to not include it in this. But seriously ladies, although they are an investment, and can be pricy if all bought in one go, I cannot recommend them enough. It has changed my makeup collection for the better, and will help me make the most of my stash, especially when I move rooms!

10. Use iHerb.com to buy your Real Techniques and Eco Tool brushes!

Every single Real Techniques brush I own, aside from Sam’s picks collection was bought from iherb! You get your brushes for almost half price, and the shipping is very reasonable too. I bought the core collection which costs around £21 for only £11 and so could afford to spend more money because the US prices are so reasonable! One thing to make note of however is that if you order more than £15 worth in one go you will probably be charged customs tax…so keep it under 15! When I ordered mine I made multiple separate orders and had no issues, you can also pick up Dr. Bronner’s soap from there which I mentioned in my ‘how I thoroughly clean my makeup brushes’ post as well as a heap of other natural products for cheaper prices! Don’t forget to use the code LCD104 to get at least $5 off your first order – every little helps ;D

And those are my golden money saving tips ladies! Like I said I RARELY pay full price for anything, and through being a little savy I’ve  built up a collection I am quite proud of. When you can save your pennies, why not? ^_^ If you found this post useful please give it a thumbs up on my facebook page, and thankyou very much for reading! Please feel free to share any other ways YOU save money on makeup below :)

p.s Again thankyou all SOO much for your wonderful comments on my past few posts, I will reply to them as soon as I’ve ticked these assignments off, but honestly you’re such an amazing bunch! <3

Thanks for reading!   Follow via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook  

How I Save £££ On Make-Up | #JANBLOG 19

Hello lovely readers, I hope you are all well! I am currently hating myself for procrastinating and essay by doing just about everything possible to avoid it ._. It is going to be a looong night..but for today’s post I thought I would share with you my top 10 make-up money saving tips, following on from my 101 day spending ban post – I hope this is helpful!

The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag #JANBLOG 7

Hello! Today has been a slightly crazy day, and I really had no time to photograph anything so I thought this tag would come in perfectly for JANBLOG #7! I did a quick google search and saw that Emily Noel had done this tag and it’s short and sweet so lets get into it!

1. Name a beauty regime that you rarely do?

Tone after cleansing…or tone at all haha. I very rarely tone, because I’m on of those people who has never introduced it into her ‘skincare routine’ and so even though it’s a staple in some people’s routine, I tend to skip it. Any decent toners out there (that are actually worth it??)

 

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

For the most part YES..but I do sometimes skip a week (tut tut) Still I hate using dirty brushes and just imagine a bunch of blemishes travelling across my face..and next thing you know I’m in the bathroom washing away!

 

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

I’m not a huge polish wearer, but even when I do I can’t stand chipped nails. Perhaps the very tiniest amount from one finger is ok, but more than one? Nope, out comes the Bourjois remover and there goes the nail polish!

 

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

This question isn’t really one for a beauty blogger now is it haha, come on you bloggers name me one product that you ONLY have ONE off…we both know its not possible! I suppose I could say eyelash curlers, I only own the gorgeous Eyeko ones from that glamour box, but then again I RARELY use lash curlers anyway so I really have no proper answer for this!

 

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

SOMETIMES sleeping with my makeup on. I KNOW I KNOW I’M TERRIBLE AND HAVE MYSELF TO BLAME FOR SPOTS but I do have a bad habit of curling up in bed, typing away at the laptop till I’m too sleepy to keep my eyes open and next thing you know it’s morning and my face feels dis-gust-ing. My skin also starts showing signs of its anger and a few days later I get a couple of spots or more redness. Never ever sleep with your makeup on ladies, it’s highly unpleasant.

 

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

Hanging my scaves up neatly. You may or may not know that I wear the hijab and so have built up quite a large collection of scarves over the years. Putting them away neatly, one by one, is SUCH a looong task though! The scarf hanger is on the back of my door and it’s only when entering my room becomes a mission that I sigh deeply and take the thing off and rehang them all up.

 

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

No *chuckles again* of course I don’t that’s the funnest part of going out anywhere! I do tend to get stressed out though at the end if I’m being rushed (not so fun).

 

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

Ahhh well I’ve never put myself on them before, but in a week or so I will be testing myself (more to prove to myself that I can). We shall see how that goes…I am a lover of online shopping and also quite the bargain hunter, so if I manage to commit to it, I’ll be very very proud of myself.

 

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

I’m pretty satisfied with my storage actually ^_^ I think it’s all quite neat other than my palettes. Right now though I am stuck with lots of cardboard boxes everywhere because I am going to be moving bedrooms, but still I know where everything is and can reach it easily if need be. I use the muji acrylic storage and l-o-v-e it!

I am going to tag a few lovely bloggers, because I haven’t seen this around much, but anyone is of course welcome to do this too!

I TAG;

Vanessa from citronandguavaberry

Aaliyah from pyaribeauty

Shayne from queenofallyousee

Safiyah from frootibeauty

Daphne from peanutbutterandchocolatelife

Jenn from abeautifulzen

Chloe from colourmechloe

Alice from beautybyalicee

If you do this tag, leave me a comment linking your post I’d love to read it ^_^

The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag #JANBLOG 7

Hello! Today has been a slightly crazy day, and I really had no time to photograph anything so I thought this tag would come in perfectly for JANBLOG #7! I did a quick google search and saw that Emily Noel had done this tag and it’s short and sweet so lets get into it!

My goals for 2014! JANBLOG #1

Happy New Year Beautiful People!

I truly hope 2014 brings you all happiness, success, good health and endless laughter.

I think one of the great things about blogging, or writing in general is being able to look back, reflect and hopefully improve. Whenever I stumble across an old diary I find myself in hysterics at some of the woes of that particular date back in 2008 and how much those tiny things impacted me! Although I don’t write in a journal anymore, I do want to try and set myself some little targets for the new year and Insha'Allah (which means God Willing) be able to review them when we reach the end of 2014!

1. Plan all assignments the same week they are set

I’m a first year uni student and boy has semester one taught me I need to put a lot more time and planning into my essays than what was needed at A-level!

2. Take more photos of general day-to-day life

I’m quick to bring my camera out when going on a daytrip, but whenever I’m looking through photo albums, I find the nicest photos are those random snapshots of life as it was. You know the random pictures of your brother feeding your little sister yoghurt, or PJ Sundays watching Harry Potter and eating dry cereal…and just the fact that we will never get that age back again makes being able to preserve a single moment, priceless. I think taking photos makes you appreciate life and time that little bit more too. I also want to invest in a better camera in 2014, I’m talking DSLR because I genuinely love and appreciate photography and have quickly outgrown my bridge camera. Though I know it’s not necessary to have a DSLR for your blog, I think investing in one leads to priceless memories and so I will be saving towards that ^.^

3. Pass my driving test and commute with confidence

I hope to be able to do this as soon as possible! I’ve had enough of spending multiple hours a week sitting on a bus/waiting for a bus when I could have been at my destination a whole hour earlier!

4. Start a monthly update post on my blog

In all honesty I don’t know how successful this will be, but I really do want to keep a little note of the good stuff from each month. It’ll also encourage me with #2! Let me know if you guys think this is a good idea :)

5. Post at least 3X a week on my blog

I’m a fairly new blogger, so this is something that I’m still getting used to. But I love seeing my archive at more than 10 posts that month, I know it’s not about the numbers but to me that show's I’ve put in a lot of effort that month, used my time up somewhat productively and hopefully helped at least one person out there! I also need to stop writing loads on every post and remind myself that it’s OK to have shorter posts!

6. SAVE!

I think this one is a given really, as learning to drive and then maintaining a car is NOT CHEAP, so I’ll probably be forced to do this. But I want to become more disciplined with my money, and 2014 looks like a good year to start.

7. Stick to my ‘to-do’ lists

I feel so great when I make these, and then a couple of weeks later I sheepishly rub them out from my whiteboard, knowing I’ve not done half the things I stated I would. Part of this is because currently I have nowhere accessible to put my whiteboard, but in a couple of weeks that issue will have been resolved and hopefully I’ll be able to follow through with the lists!

8. Donate to a different charity every month

This one is a little more personal than the others, but I thought I would include it as this’ll be mentioned in my monthly updates. For me charity is extremely important and although I’m not earning a tonne of money, I still have enough money to treat myself so in turn I should be able to give some of that wealth I’ve been blessed with back. Life is too short, and if we can give a few pounds a month and go without indulgent coffee from starbucks, or that nail polish from topshop so another human can benefit then why not donate? I feel like people always think they need to give a large amount of money for it to count – not at all! A little goes A LONG WAY especially in the third world. I know that  stating it in a monthly update post will not only remind me to donate but will also give me the chance to do a bit of research into a new charity.

9. Stick to my skincare routine

Whenever I’m asked to do a skincare post I squirm, because honestly my ‘skincare routine’ is rubbish and a huge goal for the next year is to be kinder to my skin! I don’t think I’m exactly planning to ‘stick’ to a specific routine, but at least HAVE a routine. (Yes I know. Bad beauty blogger.)

10. Develop a ‘healthy’ routine

This is probably on EVERYONE’s list but I really want this year to be filled with more healthy food, a lot more water and a proper fitness routine. Earlier on twitter Life Of A Perfume Bottle tweeted about doing her first workout of the year and kidnly shared the app with me called ‘Nike Training’ and its so brilliant! Free from the app store, and you get a personalised workout routine made for you which are all under an hour (so far). You can also choose to be toned up lean or strength so it caters to everyone’s needs! You can listen to music from your library and still hear the instructions which make it seem like you have your own personal trainer. I’ve only started a workout so far and had to put it on hold because we have family plans, but I’m SO pleased and would recommend you check it out if you’re looking for something to help get you fit without going to the gym.

..And that concludes my goals for the new year! I’ve made them realistic so finger’s crossed I can keep up with them and I shall hopefully review this list in a year and see how far I’ve come! This is a great little list for everyone to make, and rather than call them ‘resolutions’ personally goals is just more motivating. (Though whether they end up being more motivating is yet to be seen!)

P.S I’ll be doing #JANBLOG this month! Blogging every single day for the month of January, do let me know if you’d like to see anything in particular ^_^

My goals for 2014! JANBLOG #1

Happy New Year Beautiful People!

I truly hope 2014 brings you all happiness, success, good health and endless laughter.

I think one of the great things about blogging, or writing in general is being able to look back, reflect and hopefully improve. Whenever I stumble across an old diary I find myself in hysterics at some of the woes of that particular date back in 2008 and how much those tiny things impacted me! Although I don’t write in a journal anymore, I do want to try and set myself some little targets for the new year and Insha'Allah (which means God Willing) be able to review them when we reach the end of 2014!

Sweater Weather Tag (and a little update)

I was tagged by the lovely Rima from life in a perfume bottle (WHAT A CUTE NAME! do check out her blog, she’s a very new blogger and has possibly the cutest yet chicest background, ever oh la la) 

Before I get started though, I just wanted to let you guys know that my schedule for the this month is CRAZY! I have a bunch of assignments due and my first university exam, which I’m dreading D: So I’ve typed up a few drafts of some posts and will probably schedule them to post over the next two weeks until the xmas holidays (which seem so very far away! boo, hiss, grrr) I’ll have a gazillion blog posts to catch-up on, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do right?

Also homewise, we are having an extension at the moment, which is very exciting but also means that we have A LOT going on, I’m moving rooms and just in general when I’m not at Uni/Work I’ll be alot more busy with household things, so yes..do bear with me^_^

so basically they were going to knock down this wall the next day, so we were all allowed to DRAW ON THE WALLS hahaha, I thought my blog should have it’s chance to say bye too..and there is a giraffe/camel/horse thing, which is evidence that I didn’t draw the ACTUAL blushing giraffe in the header of my blog, because the above is what happened when I attempted it ._.

also in case you can’t read my rushed handwriting I wrote to the clock ‘Thanks for being 5 minutes fast so we were always only a bit late’ because my family (or me basically) are all notoriously great at being late (but yeah we’re keeping the clock..I just got carried away with my goodbyes)

ANYWAYS ONTO THE TAG!

here are some photos to remind you that it’s autumn;

ok now that we’re in autumn mood, lets get on with it ^.^

Q1: Favourite Candle scent?

Anything sweet, and I'm talking cup-cake/vanilla/S&G kinda sweet. (WHY HAVEN’T S&G MADE A CANDLE ZMKDSFNJ IT’D BE A SELL OUT!) oh and I absolutely despise  spice scented candles, they literally send shudders down my spine!

 

Q2: Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

I’m actually a lover of all of those ._. For Coffee I love a caramel or gingerbread latte from Costa. Traditional PG tips for tea is my ultimate favourite, but it has to be made right! So brewed for at least two minutes and mixed with 2 teaspoons of sugar ^_^ Hot chocolate isn’t my absolute favourite, but I do adore white hot-chocolate and Costa’s version is the perfect little treat!

 

Q3:What’s the best fall memory you have?

Probably when I was in year 4 and every year we’d sing the conkers song at school (conkers! we’re collecting conkers!) and then I’d walk home and pick up as many as I could haha, ok that’s not that great..but just being a kid in general, that’s the best memory. I also love autumn for its new beginnings, so I’m going to have to say meeting my best-friend some 8 years ago now in the autumn time! That’s a favourite for sure :)

 

Q4: Which makeup trend do you prefer: winged eye liner or dark lips?

WINGED EYELINER!! But that’s my go-to regardless of the season/trend. I do however enjoy switching up my lip colours and have a post for you guys with my faves coming very soon!

 

Q5: Best fall fragrance?

I’m not a massive perfume person, mainly because of my inability to detect a scent most of the time! However I do love my Burberry London perfume! The name, the packaging and the more mature yet warm scent are all brilliant for this time of the year.

 

Q6: Favourite Thanksgiving Food?

Well we don’t celebrate thanksgiving in the UK (surely thanksgiving should be EVERYDAY?) but the idea of it is nice. And because I don’t know much about it, I’ll just say my favourite food for this time of the year is the more heavier foods such as parateh (Asian food) and I do like soups and chicken and …..what have I even made this question into?! I love all food throughout the whole year. Silly question for a UK blogger haha

 

Q7: What is Autumn Weather like where you live?

Chilly, coats gloves and scarves kind of weather. I like that it’s breezy in the autumn time, and personally I much prefer being cold to being hot, so I try not to complain about the weather (different story during hot humid British summers summer days though!)

 

Q8: Most worn Sweater?

Probably my fluffy red one from Primark! They have it in a few different colours and I’m really tempted to go back and pick up some different ones in larger sizes, as it’s the softest and cosiest jumper I have worn in my life. Also anyone I’m with always wants to stroke it!

 

Q9: Football games or jumping in leaf piles?

LEAF PILES. Because LEAFS ARE FUN TO JUMP IN. YAY.

 

Q10: Skinny jeans or leggings?

I suppose I’d have to say leggings under my long skirts, because I’m not a skinny jean wearer really. If anything it would be my boyfriend jeans from ASOS that get the most amount of loving ^_^ (link here)

 

Q11: Combat boots, or UGGS?

Ohhh combat boots! This question actually just reminded me I own a pair from 2 years ago, will have to dig them out haha

 

Q12: Is Pumpkin Spice worth the hype?

well..I’d tell you the answer if I knew what it tasted like..but I don’t..sowwie.

 

Q13: Favourite Fall TV Show?

Meh, not a TV person (but I'm an iplayer/itv/YT person harharhar) That being said, I don’t watch X-factor anymore, and that was pretty much the only ‘season’ type of programme I used to watch.

 

Q14: What songs gets you into the fall spirit?

Fall spirit? o_0 I’m not sure to be honest guys, I guess it’s more the xmas adverts that I see, even though I don’t celebrate the festival itself, some of them are super cute! That little kid who says ‘I went to sleep…and now its kwismas day!’ gaaaaah so adorable!

And that is the end! I TAG EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO DO A QUICK AND FUN TAG!

Just a little reminder 5 DAYS LEFT TILL THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER, so get entering whilst you can and the best of luck! Also welcome new followers <3 AND I’m pretty excited that I’ve now put Disqus onto my blog, meaning that you can comment without a blogger account – you just need a google/twitter/facebook one (I THINK) so this means my lovely IG follower’s can now comment too, and the replies will be sent back to you – much more useful and productive! Horaay ^_^

Sweater Weather Tag (and a little update)

I was tagged by the lovely Rima from life in a perfume bottle (WHAT A CUTE NAME! do check out her blog, she’s a very new blogger and has possibly the cutest yet chicest background, ever oh la la) 

The Autumn Tag!

 




I wasn’t tagged by anyone, but I've seen a few of these floating around the blogosphere and thought it looked fun so here goes ^_^

1. Favourite thing about Autumn?
Being able to layer up again! I love wearing layers and truthfully do all year round other than those sweltering hot summer days, but this is the season of getting back into cosy dressing – just the way I like it! I also love switching up my makeup, 95% of the time I don’t bother with mascara in the spring/summer simply because it’s a bit of a faff, but I love coating my lashes and thickening my top liner slightly in this season..its not even a conscious switch I just find myself more drawn to particular looks?! Oh and FINALLY (I'm such a cheat I know) its AUTUMN COLOURS, khaki and maroon/burgundy are my absolute favourites and I tend to stick to them often with gold jewellery, gah what is not to love?!


2. Favourite drink?
Vanilla latte with lots of sugar. Or a good old cup of tea, strong and sweet with two sugars – nom!


3. Favourite scent/candle?
When my sense of smell isn’t playing up generally I love sweet smelling candles (the cupcake ones from Primark were my absolute favourite of all time ever. But anything warm and cosy really, I tend to steer away from lemon/lime and refreshing scents they just don’t feel right!


4. Best lipstick?
In all honesty I’m still not much of a lippie person, but I really want to have the guts to wear MUA’s shade in ‘1’ its the perfect dark berry/red shade for the colder months! I guess what I’ve been opting for most days are my nudes and apocalips (posts coming up my favourites soon!)


5. Go to moisturiser?
Still my all time favourite ‘Oilatum Natural repair face cream’ it works wonders for normal/dry skin and is a beautiful base from a non-primer kinda gal like me.


6. Go to colours for the eyes?
The neutral Smokey eye that consists of browns and of course gold's! I love me some gold’s which is why having an amazing fashionista palette full of them is going to come in very handy!


7. Favourite music or band/singer to listen to?
I've kind of gone off of music as of late. I listen to whatever is on my phone during my long commutes, but that's the only time I bother with it these days. For anyone curious I’ve been loving J.Cole and know most of the words for most of his songs by now heh

8. Favourite outfit to wear (i.e. boots & a scarf combo)?
Dark maxi skirt, layered tops, cosy jacket and a snood. If I'm in the mood for jeans then probs my boyf jeans from asos slightly rolled up, my blazers or black sneakers, a plain top and a cosy cardigan/slightly oversized jacket. I adore oversizedness!


9. Autumn treat?
Definitely been my new Zara coat! It’s the most expensive item in my wardrobe and my mum kindly offered to go splits on it as she saw how much I adored it :’) Generally I tend to buy a lot more cappuccinos/vanilla lattes and though these are oh-so-cosy they can get expensive! Trying to be a bit more savvy with buying hot drinks (starting from..tomorrow)


10. Favourite place to be?
Either in a cosy costa sitting on a big squashy sofa with a friend, or wrapped up in my blanket on my laptop, reading blogs and watching YT (so exciting I know!!!)

I TAG ALL OF YOU GUYS cos yey autumn! ^_^

The Autumn Tag!

 

Liebster award! (X3)

Hey guys ^_^

so due to being super busy (I've finally started to learn to drive!) with work and training and family staying over, I've just put off doing this award till I have the time to properly sit down and think – which apparently isn’t going to happen, but after receiving a third nomination, I thought I’d better get a move on D:

The Rules Are:

Tell 11 random facts about yourself  decided to skip  this because there’s facts about me here and here

Answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you

Choose 11 bloggers with 300 followers or less

Create 11 questions for your chosen bloggers

Make sure to let them know you have nominated them

Don't tag the person that tagged you

HUMUNGUS THANKYOU TO THE BEAUTIES WHO NOMINATED ME, I really appreciate it ladies ^_^ ;

1. Pippa – One of the funniest bloggers ever, Pippa and her blog are simply brilliant and you’d be crazy not to check ‘pippa-loves’ out ok (srsly you’ll regret it if you don't)

2.Vanessa – Ma home gurl from across za pond, Vanessa is soooo funny too like between her and Pippa I can honestly say, what’ll be a bad day due to other things, can be turned around just by reading their musings and reviews, there’s nothing like getting to know the blogger’s behind the reviews and honestly Vanessa is one of the loveliest out there

3. Kayleigh – A beautiful Scottish lass who loves cupcakes and tea just as much as I do. Her blog isn’t so much focused on beauty but still has really lovely pictures of outfits, adventures and so forth!

Pippa’s q’s

My 11 questions (be forewarned, not too beautyish):

1.Favourite TV series?

-I honestly don't have one because when I do watch TV it'll be because I really love that particular show and I won't continue watching it if I don't love it (so basically I'm rubbish at answering this question!

2.Favourite book? (I need new books)

 ahhh so many that I can't even think clearly about specifics right now! Probably A Thousand Splendid Sun and the Harry Potters.

3.Fav sites to download music on Favourite past-time besides blogging?

 (YouTube downloader because I'm not savvy with anything else) I loved reading but since school got so hectic it's become shopping either online or with friends, nothing like a bit of retail therapy (or window shopping)

4.A place you want to visit that you haven't yet?

ohhh good question! I'd like to visit Italy ^_^

5.One makeup item you can't leave the house without applying?

concealer! It is my everything and saves many an eye from horror every morning!

6.Do you prefer the Ombre hair look or highlights? (What? Ok fine I'm asking for me)

hehehe well I used to love ombré on other people but I think highlights (though your hair is long enough for ombré to look gorgeous!!! So either :P)

7.Favourite sweet/candy?

SKITTLES!!!!!

8.Are my questions awful? Favourite things to write about on your blog? (i.e. reviews etc)

No ofc they aren't ^_^ and probably hauls tehehe I've got one coming up, but then again I'm impartial to writing anything I just enjoy blogging in general :')

9.Favourite season?

Autumn and spring (I'm a mellow person) actually I love me some triple layering in the winter too and I love summer in other countries gaah I don't have one >_<

10.Favourite mascara?

Probably Max Factor 2000 calorie, it does amazing things and doesn’t try out super quickly either, though to be honest I’m not a huge mascara lover and most days skip it.

11.What are your favourite posts to read on blogs? 

Would it be cheating to say any? :p I love reading blogs so much (though I enjoy it most when I’m chilling out before bed) and it’s kinda replaced my long love for YouTube! Maybe because it’s the written version? I’m no sure but anyways I guess my favourite posts to read are any with beautiful, large photos so I can feast my eyes ^_^

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VANESSA’S Q’S

Here are my questions!

1. If you had to buy only one item off your wishlist, what would it be?

A NICE CAR PLEASE (and beauty related then NARS SHEER GLOW)

2. If you were to design a makeup/beauty collection, which brand would you love to collaborate with?

brilliant question ^_^ Probably Rimmel from high-street because I just love their whole brand, and higher end then The Balm, they possibly have cuter packaging than Benefit (or they’re both in the same league of cuteness anyways)

3. Corals, pinks, reds, oranges or purple/plum shades?

Pinks for face, coral/pinks for the lips and purple/plums for the eyes and nails ;D

4. Which beauty item(s) do you gravitate towards most? (e.g. blush, lipsticks)

Blushers and Eyeshadow Palettes, but if I had to pick one, blushers mainly because they’re just a lot more affordable than buying a gorgeous new mahoosive palette.

5. A beauty product you think is overrated?

Probably Revlon lip butters, if they were a fiver then fair enough but for the price and the amount of hype they got, not all that impressed

6. Your favourite personal collection (e.g. makeup, books, wardrobe, human trophies (wait, this isn't Hannibal)

For sure my makeup collection thusfar. I mean aside from makeup, I hardly have any other proper collections..other than a hijab collection? but that needs a lot of work still as does my ‘shoe collection’ (I'm extremely fussy when it comes to footwear.

7. A quote/attitude you try to live by?

I’m not sure that this was a particular one up until recently but I’ve been very inspired and motivated by two recently, one taken from the Quran

"Verily, with hardship there is relief" (Qur'an 94:6)

I mean it’s pretty self explanatory, but essentially that though we go through hard times in life, there is always some form of relief, even if we don’t see it clearly at the time, there is good in everything and I want to be able to see that goodness in everything. I used to be a very positive person and the bubbly sort of girl but I feel growing up I’ve naturally changed, and I feel it’s really important for me to keep my mind as positive as I can.

and the second a quote from Rumi : “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

8. Alright, say you had the opportunity to time travel (-coughcoughTARDIS/DeLorean-). Which era/period would you stop by, whether be for beauty, fashion, or historical (social/cultural/political) reasons?

I would go to the Ottoman period in Turkey! Their history intrigues me and to be able to see Sultans and their wives and the beautiful mastjids being built..it would be phenomenal!

9. If you had the chance to be a character in a TV series, which show would it be?

damn another great question..which I can’t for the life of me answer right now *brain blank*

10. Describe yourself in three words? (Idk man, idk)

VANESSA Y U DO DIS………erm…thoughtful and friendly (do I gotta give a negative one??)

11. One piece of blogging advice? :)

As I'm pretty new to this, the only kinda advise I can give is if you’re on a windows desktop/laptop etc. then download live writer, its BRILLIANT personally I don’t like writing posts on the blogger site and enjoy writing them a whole lot more through that platform, plus if you don’t have wifi you can continue editing posts and then post as a draft or publish them at a later time..and along those lines smartphone people (pretty sure it’s all of you guys) go download the blogger app! You can access drafts and continue adding bits and bobs to posts you intend to finish up later, when you have a spare couple of minutes. It’s a brilliant little app

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KAYLEIGH’S Q’S

My questions for the bloggers:
1. Why did you decide to start to blogging?

I’ve always loved the beauty community from YouTube and have been very inspired by the ladies on there but I could and cannot ever see myself posting videos up on the internet. That's where the blogosphere comes in, I get to participate, connect with fellow beauty lovers around the world and unwind!

2. Where do you get your style inspiration?

Not from any particular person, but I gotta admit whenever I see Vanessa Hudgens in her day-to-day outfits she always looks lovely. I guess my style could best be described as casual with a pinch of ‘I’ve made a slight effort today’ (i.e I added some jewellery or a matching bag or maybe matched my hijab to something in the outfit lol)

Having said that sometimes my mum really inspires me with what she wears, she does have a great eye for fashion so I'm always going to her if I need a second opinion on anything ^_^

3. Where are your favourite places to shop?

H&M (on and off), ASOS, Zara, River Island, Primarni and of course online ;D

4. If you could only ever use one make up product again, what would it be?

this is a mean question :( haha, probably concealer

5. What do you do in your spare time?

I read blogs, I shop, I learn more about my religion, I sit in coffee shops and catch up with my closest friends, I window shop online, I watch YT videos and I like baking too

6. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

A teacher and funnily enough that's my aspiration now too

7. What is your favourite season?

(already answered)

8. Do you prefer shopping online or going to the shops?

Generally speaking online, but for clothes then instore

9. What are your favourite blogs?

I’m too new to have specific favourites just yet, but if you mean genre then beauty for sure ^_^ I do love photography/lifestyle blogs too and sometimes will give a fashion blog the odd once over because it’s interesting to see how these fashionistas can look so fabulous all the time

10. Do you prefer skirts/dresses or jeans/trousers?

Maxi skirts over maxi dresses and….right now trousers over jeans (palazzos and chinos but this does change often)

11. What is your favourite fashion/make up era?

AUDREY HEPBURN

NEED I SAY MORE (1950s)

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My 10 Nominations:

1. Rachel

2. Melissa

3. Shivani

4. Alex

5. Zara

6. Margaret

7. Bethany

8.Bryony

9. Sam

10. Daphne

11. Poppy

If you’ve already done this award I’d love to see yours! so please leave a link in the comments below :) If you haven’t (or if you have and want to do a part two) I’d LOVE to see your answers ^_^

My 11 Questions:

1. What is your favourite high end and drugstore brand?

2. Flowers or Studs?

3. The one beauty rule that you stick to no matter what?

4. What is the best part of blogging for you?

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

6. If you had to live off of either cheese or cucumbers for the rest of your life which one would you pick?

7. Glossy or Matte?

8. Do you have any HGs? If so what are they?

9. Are you generally a spender or a saver?

10. Share one blogging photography tip?

11. Which oil could you not live without?

They’re a big mix of things, certainly not all beauty related but I hope you enjoy answering them/reading them. PLEASE tweet me @blushinggiraffe or comment below when you’ve done it because I’d really love to read them ^_^