Archive for the ‘Fellow Bloggers’ Category
Damn! This week have I got a hottie for you on 20 Questions. In fact, I can’t cope! It’s Priya of Beautywowza, mistress of two blogs – the aforementioned and also style and fashion blog Portrait of a Dreamer. Priya is one of my all-time favourite bloggers and I have the pleasure of getting to know her outside of blogging too (oh my!) so pay attention to her because I don’t just pick any one for 20 Questions for the heck of it…
Why did you start your blog?
I started Beautywowza after falling extremely ill and being diagnosed with a chronic illness. My skin suffered after being put on such harsh medication that my search for more natural skin care began. I would often advise the models I worked with on what skincare they should use and after being inundated with ‘what should I use’ ‘Whats good for this problem’ emails, I decided to put my favourites, best finds and advise all in one place, a blog.
How long have you been blogging for?
I have been blogging for going on 5 years now. WOW, long time!!
What do you enjoy most about blogging?
I enjoy the freedom of being able to talk about what I love in my space without being dictated too. I also enjoy the lovely feedback emails I get from my readers who are so supportive, It’s extremely humbling.
What frustrates you most about blogging?
Blogging has become such a wide thing now, and unfortunately there are many individuals who think starting a blog is just a way to get freebies…it’s beyond that! Starting a blog and building relationships with brands and PR takes time. Another thing that grates on me is samples that end up on eBay. If you’re lucky enough to be sent samples from a brand or PR company, selling them on eBay really isn’t the way to go about getting your blog noticed.
How much time a week do you spend on your blog/reading other people’s blogs?
I spend as much time as I can and really do love reading other blogs to see what other bloggers are currently talking about and recommending. Having a full-time job means a varied amount of time weekly gets spent nurturing my blog and reading others.
What advice do you have for aspiring bloggers?
Don’t sell PR samples you are given on eBay. It takes time to build up contacts, so be patient and just write your blog for you, before you know it a following will build up.
What other interests do you have?
I am the classic fashionista with a shoe obsession. Looking, buying and wearing shoes is a hobby in itself for me. I also love photography and eating out. I love food and am always wanting to try out new restaurants and cuisine.
How many bottles of nail varnish do you own?
Oh God, have a lot, nearing 100+. I am extremely good and try have clear-outs on a regular basis but any beauty blogger will tell you it’s extremely hard to sort through such pretty things, being ruthless is in my nature but not when it comes to my precious beauty products.
Do you set yourself a shopping budget, or do you purchase on an as-and-when basis?
I am extremely lucky enough to get sent a lot of samples which keeps my blogging fingers busy, however if there is something I want I feel no way to go and get it, I don’t set myself a budget as I see it as an investment for myself and readers.
What is your favourite make-up brand, and why?
This is an extremely hard question as I love quite a few brands. I tend to use products that suit my skin so I don’t particularly stick to one brand. At the moment I absolutely love Estee Lauder’s BB cream, Laura Mercier’s new Baked Bronze Blush and Barry M’s new Lash Vegas mascara. All staples in my make-up bag at the moment.
Do you ever leave the house without wearing make-up?
Yes, all the time, I am very much a lover of skin and taking care of your skin. I can happily walk out of the house without any make-up on and feel confident. I think looking after your skin is so important; your canvas needs to be perfect before painting a masterpiece. Women should not rely on make-up to fix their skin, it should be used to enhance what you already have.
What is your favourite beauty product and why?
My all time favourite is thermal cleansing balm by Omorovicza. It’s the perfect skin fix – melts off make-up, cleanses the skin like no other cleanser I have tried and you can honestly see the difference once you have used it. I often use it as a treatment cleanser when my skin is having a paddy and needs a little TLC. I couldn’t recommend it enough. Who’s tried it?
What is your favourite nail varnish of all time? (yep, only one!)
YSL La Laque Couture – Beige Leger. It’s the perfect nude nail!!!
Tell us about the best holiday you’ve ever been on.
My parents always encouraged us to travel and took us on such lovely holidays when I was little so I don’t have one favourite holiday, I have many. Visiting my mum and dad’s home towns (in India and Africa) was amazing. My girly holidays are always amazing too. I love travel in general and learning about different cultures.
What would be your ideal day off?
I am the ultimate diva and I’m sure you all know this, so my ideal day off would consist of a spa day with some kind of man slave to be their at my every whim, fetching me a glass of champs (red wine…champs just sounds better), cooking me dinner and doing anything else I wish. LOL!
What is your favourite TV show?
Criminal Minds…I just LOVE starring at Shemar Moore.
What music do you enjoy listening to?
I enjoy a mixture of music, all depends on my mood and situation at the time. I’m definitely an easy-listening kind of girl.
What is your favourite food?
For a food lover this questions is just awful, I like pretty much all food but if I had to choose I would say Thai and Mexican are my all time faves.
Where would you most like to visit in the world? (money no object)
Fiji, it’s the dream.
Tell us a secret
I see dead people!
Thank you, Priya. How amazing does she look in red lippy? I am responsible for that, you know. Don’t forget to visit Priya’s blogs and you can also follow her on Twitter at @priya_sonn.
Swag – I can’t cope!
If you had a £50 voucher to spend at Topshop, what would you buy?
That was the question put to me by Sheenie recently, to which I replied without skipping a beat, “Make-up, obviously!”
I am in no way shape or form a fashionista, and frankly the clothes in Topshop are either not my style or out of my budget. Their colour cosmetics range on the other hand, is absolutely chock full of gems at surprisingly affordable prices.
Having bought a fair few Topshop make-up bits before, I knew you could get fair bang for your buck. But when Sheenie surprised me by actually giving me aforementioned £50 voucher* (knows how to treat a woman, that one!), I was still quite surprised by the amount of things I managed to add to my basket. Check ‘em out:
Eye Palette in Game On (£12.50)
One of my absolute favourite make-up items is cream eyeshadow – it’s so versatile and a real staple in my arsenal to use as a base for powder eyeshadows. Along with classic silver and gold, there are also two quite unusual shades in here in the form of a denim blue and a rosy mauve. The texture isn’t dissimilar to Topshop’s revered Cream Blush – soft and creamy on application, drying down to a smudge-proof, unbudgeable finish.
Cream Blush in Morning Dew, Afternoon Tea and Head Over Heels (£6 each)
Speaking of the Cream Blushes, I couldn’t resist adding three more to my blush stash. I am a big fan of these, for the easy-to-work-with formula mentioned above along with the cute polkadot packaging, handy mirror for on-the-go touch ups and most of all, their ridiculously purse friendly price. I mean £6, really? It would be rude not to. Morning Dew, the peach shade, is the perfect colour for my pale skin to see me easily through Spring and Summer.
Lip Liner in Ceramic (£5)
For someone who owns an obscene amount of lipsticks, I definitely don’t own enough lip liners to pair with them. This nude shade is very close to my natural lip colour, perhaps a shade darker, which makes it an ideal base for nude lip colours to prolong their wear and prevent any feathering. If you don’t own a lip liner whose colour falls into the ‘my lips but better’ category, you definitely need one and if you’re fair like me, this might be a good bet.
Lip Bullet in Heartbeat (£8)
I think these twist-up Lip Bullets are quite a new addition to the Topshop range, and this gorgeous hybrid of coral, orange and a hint of red is my favourite of the shades available. Leaning neither too cool or too warm, this should suit most skintones and is as long-lasting as it is easy to apply, not to mention it packs a serious punch in the pigmentation stakes.
Sugar Skull Mini Wipes (£1.25 each)
More of a basket-filler than anything else, I think I underestimated how useful these would be for me. I am the sort of person who can’t walk past Boots without wandering in for a swatching session, so keeping some wipes in my bag at all times is infinitely handy and I don’t know why I didn’t do it before. These cute little packets are the perfect handbag size (who wants to lug a bulky pack of Johnsons baby wipes around every day?) and let’s be honest, the sugar skull design is pretty much a dealmaker.
That brought my basket total up to £46 – add on £4 for standard delivery and bam, that’s my £50 Topshop make-up splurge!
So, I’ll finish where I started: what would you buy with a £50 Topshop voucher?
Leanne Do Not Refreeze
Well, this can become a reality as there is a £50 gift voucher up for grabs from the lovely folks at Appliances Online for one lucky person to spend on whatever they choose. It can be Topshop, Boots, Feelunique.com or ASOS – it’s entirely up to you if you win.
Just tell us what would you spend £50 on and why, and post your answer in the comments box below with your email address. The best answer will win a £50 e-gift voucher to spend on their wish-list. Sounds good? Get cracking then!
Appliances Online also has a fabulous lifestyle blog you might want to check out for ideas and inspirations.
*£50 Topshop voucher courtesy of Appliances Online
Competition rules:
- This competition is open to UK residents only – sorry!
- Multiple entries will not be accepted.
- Closing date is Sunday 2nd June 2013.
- No alternative product or cash alternative will be offered.
- Winner will be given 48 hours to respond, after which another winner will be selected.
- Email addresses supplied will NOT be used for marketing or mail-out purposes by Just Nice Things and Appliances Online.
20 Questions this week is a special one. Pretty Green Eyes is nothing to do with the song but all to do with my friend, Rhian who writes this new beauty blog. I say ‘new’ because Rhian’s blog is a baby in the beauty blogging world. Please give this Welsh rarebit a warm welcome and I guarantee if you meet her, you’ll adore her.
Why did you start your blog?
I’ve always loved cosmetics and beauty products, and my lovely friend Sheenie 
thought it would be a good idea for me to start one…. so I did.
How long have you been blogging for?
Not very long at all, just over a year. But if we were being precise 1 year 5 months (ish).
What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Sharing my thoughts on products and people responding to what I have written and hopefully. It’s nice helping people make decisions based on my thoughts.
What frustrates you most about blogging?
Trying to find time to blog – does that count?
What do your family and friends think of your blog?
They love it! I am always having to apply their make-up and paint their nails. It has even got to the stage they send me links to looks that they want me to try on them.
How frequently do you post?
Not as often as I should… trying to balance a busy work life with blogging can be difficult. Especially as I sit in front of a computer all day.
What’s your day job?
I’m a buyer for a department store. (Seriously Rhian gets paid to shop! – Sheenie)
How many bottles of nail varnish do you own?
100+ That’s easier than having to count them all.
Do you set yourself a budget, or do you buy on an as-and-when basis?
Budget? Ummm no. If I want it, I buy it.
What is your favourite make-up brand, and why?
Ooooo hard question, it’s difficult because I like to pick between a few, but if I were to say what brand I have most of within my collection it would be between MAC and Illamasqua.
Do you ever leave the house without wearing make-up?
Nope, never.
What’s your favourite beauty treatment to indulge in?
I love a deep exfoliating facial.
Tell us about the best holiday you’ve been on.
That’s a hard one! There has been a couple of memorable ones for a number of reasons, and I loved Florida but I went to Barcelona last year, and it was one of the few places that I’ve been to that before I had even left Barcelona airport I was thinking about when I was going back.
What would be your ideal day off?
A theme park provided it wasn’t raining.
What is your favourite TV show?
Currently I would have to go with The Big Bang Theory, but if we were saying of all time it would be a toss up between The Office and Phoenix Nights.
What music do you enjoy listening to?
Everything and anything… no particular genre, if it sounds good – I like it even if it’s the height of cheesiness.
What is your favourite food?
If I were to pick one thing then probably King Prawns, but if it were a type of food then Chinese.
Where would you most like to go in the world? (money no object)
I have always wanted to go to Barbados so I would have to say there.
Which 3 guests would you invite to dine with you and why?
Ricky Gervais, controversial but I love him. Britney Spears because I grew up loving Britney and even through the questionable times I would still say she is pretty iconic to me and finally my best friend Bethan because it wouldn’t be the same without her.
Tell us a secret…
I have a crush on The Rock and I’ve had that crush for the last 13 years. *cringe*
Oh dear. Well thank you for telling us a bit about yourself, Rhian. Don’t forget to drop in on Pretty Green Eyes here.
This week’s 20 Questions is all about Tanzina from MakeupAtoZ. This girl is an absolute doll – she’s stunning and so lovely. Blogging, studying, modelling and a make-up artist too, I don’t know she fits it all in! Mind you, I have seen a crazy side to her, which usually surfaces when Tanzina comes face to face with make-up. Oh well, I suppose that’s like most of us! I think it’s time you knew more about this lady…
Why did you start your blog?
Because I needed a reason to justify my obsessive beauty buying habits to myself! I joke (slightly), I guess I did start researching lots before buying products, dishing advice to friends and colleagues so I wanted a little platform where I could express my thoughts to the whole wide world.
How long have you been blogging for?
About a year and four months, for some reason it feels much longer than that but that may be because I was Youtube-ing about 3 to 4 years ago – I hardly posted anything so it’s really not worth mentioning. I might return back to it eventually.
What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Definitely the people and the community that exists in the blogging world. It definitely didn’t exist in the Youtube world for me, and it was amazing to find like minded individuals who are just so lovely. I’ve made some amazing blogging friends that I can actually say have made it into my very closest circle of friends.
What frustrates you most about blogging?
Myself! I feel like I never do enough posts, the backlog seems to never disappear and I end up getting really annoyed at myself. Sometimes I have to take a step back and tell myself, breathe Tanzina, no one is going to hate you if you don’t blog today.
What do your family and friends think of your blog?
They support me, and I do find them turning to me more and more often for beauty/hair advice which is always reassuring. Some are keen readers, some are more laid back but it’s nice to know that the support is there.
How frequently do you post?
I try to post three times a week, sometimes more sometimes less. I’m balancing my final year of university currently, so it’s hard to find a balance but I’m learning to stop beating myself up about it so much.
What’s your day job?
Currently I have decided to take time off work and just concentrate on University as it is my final year.
How many bottles of nail varnish do you own?
For a beauty blogger I would say I don’t have that much. Around 30? Which is really good in my books (just please agree and make me feel better).
Do you set yourself a budget, or do you buy on an as-and-when basis?
Well I tend to splurge and go crazy sometimes (Sheenie has had front row seats to witness this at UMAe!), but actually other than that I am really really good. Recently I did a bit of a big splurge but previous to that the last time I bought makeup was October time which I am really proud of. I did buy like two eyeliners in between, but I think I showed amazing restraint. So I wouldn’t say I have a budget, and it is more as and when basis but I do stick to months of spending bans on beauty products which is something I like to boast about.
What is your favourite make-up brand, and why?
You can’t ask that. That’s my answer. I can pick like particular brands for particular things like Urban Decay for eye shadow, MAC for lipsticks, (new find) NYX for lip liners but as a whole I find this question poorly constructed and invalid hehe.
Do you ever leave the house without wearing make-up?
Yes definitely. I’ve had this mantra in my head for years that I won’t let myself get addicted to any makeup item, so that I can brave going bare. I’m not a foundation wearer (except for shoots) because I’ve witnessed how addictive it can be. When I find myself getting too attached to something, I try to break the habit. Currently in love with under eye concealer which I desperately need! But I do go makeup free to Uni a lot.
What’s your favourite beauty treatment to indulge in?
Massage! All over massage or back, shoulder and neck. What could be better?!
Tell us about the best holiday you’ve been on.
It was a spontaneous trip to Paris for a few nights a couple of years back. I met up with my aunt from Canada in France, my favourite aunt who I only get to see every few years or so and it was just amazing. I’ve been Paris a few times but that was my favourite.
What would be your ideal day off?
A day lazing around at home with my family with no Uni stress, no workloads absolutely nothing to do with my time, and then slowly and leisurely getting ready for like a meal somewhere pretty in the evening. That would be perfect, a slow paced day with no stress!
What is your favourite TV show?
I have quite a few, but rather randomly I am currently enjoying Catfish the programme, which is about when someone talks to someone online, has a relationship with them and usually finds out the person was nothing like what they expected.. such as they think they were talking to a man but it was woman. Rather bizarre and fascinating.
What music do you enjoy listening to?
I definitely have a wide range in taste I like a bit of everything, country, pop, rock, soul, R&B, house it’s a mix. But I adore lyrics, if something has good lyrics in it I will obsess over it. Hence why my friends think I have a depressing taste in music, I do not! It’s just slow songs seem to be more poetic. I do study English after all.
What is your favourite food?
Indian/Bengali food. It truly is the best.
Where would you most like to go in the world? (money no object)
Maldives. I’d get a room hut thingy on the beach for a few months, all inclusive of course and just run away for a while. What better way to run away if not in luxury. I would love the peace.
Which 3 guests would you invite to dine with you and why?
This was such a hard question, the one I was dreading most! But I know now! The person I marry and my parents in about 20 years time. A) Because I’m nosey like that and want to know who I marry will be like (doesn’t everybody?! And that way if I don’t like them when I do meet them for the first time I can run in the other direction) and B) I want to see how my parents grow up, whether they’re happy how stressful their lives have been and then go back and make sure any problems they told me they faced – I eliminate them.
Tell us a secret…
Although I live by myself in London in my flat (and I have for three years) I still owe my parents two phone calls a day. Even if they’re in the house together they feel the need to have separate phone calls. I dread to miss a phone call because they come down on me like a ton of bricks! I guess I’m still their little baby which is nice in a way!
