New Bloggers UK Tag

Hello Beautyholicgirls,

How are you all? 

I must say that since joining a lovely community of new beauty and lifestyle bloggers I am getting tagged in lots of beauty tags. Today's post is a little collaboration with the lovely girls I have met through the NewBloggersUK instagram page...which I incite all of you UK bloggers to join! ;) 

If you'd like to know more about the community check out my New bloggers UK community post! 

1. What is your favourite Brand and why? 

This is a hard one. I like a lot of different brands across high-end and drug-store ones and also depends on whether it's beauty or fashion. However, I must say that at the moment I am really loving Charlotte Tilbury. I love how sleek and classy the packagings are. I also absolutely love her foundations and lipsticks, everything feels so luxurious when you're applying it...MAC would be a definite runner-up though! :)

2. Why do you wear makeup and what does it do for you?

I wear makeup because I like that it helps me emphasise my natural features. For example, I naturally have quite big eyes and thanks to mascara I can make them look even bigger!. I also enjoy the experience of applying make-up as it helps me feel feminine and girly.

3. How would you describe your personal style?

This really depends on the day and how I am feeling. Although I think that generally my style is quite girly. 

4. What is your favourite beauty product for under £10?

The Collection Extreme 24hr Felt-tip liner. It is super easy to apply and it's only £2.99

5. Who is your biggest blog inspiration?

My favourite inspiration is Kathleen Lights, even though I'm not sure if she blogs her YouTube make up videos are AMAZING!

6. What's one makeup product you can't live without?

Mascara...But for those who read my blog, I bet you already knew that ;)

7. What's one makeup product you can live without?

Eyeshadow as I don't wear it all the time anyway :)

8. What is one beauty tip you swear by?

Blinking when you apply mascara to ensure each lash is coated from the bottom up!

9. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

I love that it takes my mind off stress. I also love the lovely blogging community that I have met, as well as the lovely girls I have spoken to thanks to The "NewBloggersUK" instagram page. 

10. What advice would you give to bloggers/aspiring bloggers? 

Just start! I wanted to start blogging since I was 17 but I was always worried about people not being interested etc. and allowed myself to get put off by it. As a result I didn't start until 7 months ago when I was 21. That's 4 years that I have wasted...dont make the same mistake!! 

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post. Do feel free to follow us on Instagram so that you can also join this lovely community. Let us know what you think!

❤️

   Love, ML x

LIEBSTER Blog Award #2

Hello there beauties,

I hope you've all had a great Easter.

I certainly did...overendulged in too many chocolates and cakes though (Ooops!)

So as you can tell from the title of this post this is my second Liebster Blog Award thanks to the lovely Alex a.k.a "The Lipstick Lady".

I am really happy to have had the chance to do this again as it really enables bloggers to get to know each other as well as my readers to get to know more about me.

So the way the Liebster award works is that you have to follow the following rules to participate:

• Display the award on your Blog and thank the blogger who nominated you 
•  Answer the questions provided by the person who nominated you on your blog 
• Provide 11 facts about yourself
• Nominate other new blogs who you think deserve the award and want to be recognised 
• Create a new list of questions for those bloggers to answer and inform them that they have been nominated

So here are my answers to the questions that Alex had asked:

1. What’s your fave thing about blogging?

My favourite thing is that I get to disconnect myself from the rest of the world and it relaxes me. It’s a time where I can fully talk about things I enjoy. I also love reading reviews as blogs can really influence my decisions in purchasing certain brands etc.

2. What’s your fave thing about the blogging community?

I love how friendly and warm everyone is. It feels like everyone has known each other since forever. But above all, I like how we all share the same interests.

3. What’s your fave beauty tip?

I mentioned this in my previous Liebester Award. My all time beauty tip is to blink when you apply mascara as it really helps to coat each lash from the bottom up and it helps a great deal with length! You should try it if you haven’t already done so ;)

4. When did you start blogging/ why?

I’d been reading beauty blogs and watching fashion and beauty hauls since 2010. So finally in the summer 2015 I took the plunge to creating my own blog so that I could share my own beauty and product reviews.

5. Who is your biggest beauty inspiration/ why?

My biggest beauty inspiration is Kathleen Lights. I've been watching her videos a lot lately and it amazes me how she manages to always look so flawless in all of her video’s without looking “trashy” and her skin is just amazing!! 

Now here are the 11 facts about me...I have tried to give different ones to last time:

1. I have never dyed my hair apart from a slight ombré a few years ago

2. I am very short i.e.: 5ft

3. I dread the end of the day and having to take off my makeup...(I am soooo lazy with it)

4. Crisps are my weakness

5. I could live off Pizza

6. My favourite season is Summer and I'm one of those few people who actually don't like snow much

7. I bite my nails when I'm stressed

8. When I was younger I used to do Kung-fu

9. I'm scared of heights

10. I lived in Paris for a year during my placement

11. When I was kid  I used to say that I wanted to become an Astronaut 

I now would like to nominate the following bloggers: 

Rebecca- staticnova.blogspot.com 

Francesca- fairfranblog.wordpress.com 

Zoe- stylingthechapters.blogspot.co.uk 

Grace- thatnorthernlassblogs.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1 

My questions for you ladies are the following: 

1. What is one of your best memories

2. What music are you in to?

3. Do you prefer Sweet or Savoury?

4. What is your favourite beauty tip?

5. Do you prefer drug-store or high end makeup?

6. Would you consider blogging as a career?

7. When did you start blogging and why?

8. What are your plans for summer 2016?

Thank you all for reading, I hope that you enjoyed it and I look forwards to hearing your answers! 

❤️

   Love, ML x

Review: LEE STAFFORD poker straight hair shampoo and conditioner minis

Hello there Beautyholicgirls,

First of all, HAPPY EASTER! 

I love love these occasions, I was brought up in a family who follows Christian traditions so Easter is a very special day where we celebrate together and feast on lots and lots of food! :P 

Before I get started, just a little disclaimer that this blog post is not in any way sponsored and I have purchased both these products to try out and review with my own means and it was my decision to do so. 

                                 

So since I woke up in a great mood, planning to have a lovely relaxed day, I thought I would blog a bit to give you my review on the Lee Stafford straight hair shampoo and conditioner minis. 

I had heard about Lee Stafford products a lot and I've always been attracted by the bright pink packaging that most of his products come in. I mean, for those who know me you'll know that if something comes in pink I'm basically half sold already :D

A few years back, I had tried the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment and I absolutely loved it. It smells lush and unlike most other treatments my hair stayed smelling nice until I next washed it. However, because my hair is prone to getting oily this treatment did not help fight off the oils. The consistency was very creamy and had a tendency to make my hair go greasy. Nevertheless, I would recommend it because on the first day my hair really did look and feel great.

I naturally have straight hair but a few hours after washing my hair it starts to flick out and wave a bit around the bits that sit on my shoulders. So, this time round I thought I'd give his products another go and decided to go for the Mini Poker Straight hair Shampoo and Conditioner, hoping that it would help to keep it straight for longer. 

So far, I have used the two together for the past 3 washes and I have noticed a slight difference with the way my hair feels and sits throughout the day. I found that my hair managed to stay straight without doing the weird flicks that it usually does. After sleeping on it I woke up with the usual "flicks"-but I was expecting this to happen anyway...

All in all, I must say I was impressed! I managed to pick these minis up for under £3 each in Boots as they had the 3 for 2 in the minis section. 

I would definitely recommend them for those who have naturally straight hair as it really does help to keep it soft and smooth for the whole day. In addition, it smells amazing and the scent stays in your hair in between washes. 

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post and I wish you all an amazing week ahead! 

❤️

   Love, ML x

THE LIEBSTER AWARD

Hey there Beautyholics, 

So I received The Liebster Award by the lovely Mari (Mari Talks Beauty) This award is a way to recognise and promote new up and coming blogs. To accept your award you should thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog. So a BIG thank you to Mari! :) 

I also think that this is a great opportunity for my readers to get to know more about me as I haven't spoken much about myself on this blog. 

Here are the rules for the Liebster Award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you and post a link to their blog here – done
2. Display the award on your blog – done
3. Answer the questions provided by the person who nominated you on your blog – below
4. Provide 11 facts about yourself – below
5. Nominate other new blogs who you think deserves the award and want to be recognized 

Here are my answers to Mari's Questions:

1. What is one make up item you couldn’t live without?
   Definitely, 100% has to be MASCARA!!!
2. What are your 3 favourite blogs/bloggers?
   Dizzybrunnette3, A girl obsessed and Essie Button
3. Where are you from?
   Originally born in Italy, but grew up in the UK since I was 6
4. Are you vegetarian or vegan?
   Nope 
5. Do you exercise, if so what type of sport / activity is your favourite?
   Yes I try to exercise 6 days a week. I enjoy weight training and running 
6. What is your evening and morning skincare routine?
   Clinique 3 Step system 
7. Is blogging your hobby or job?
   Blogging is my hobby
8. What type of industry are you in your job/studies?
   I'm studying International Business and French 
9. What is your most recommended beauty / skincare / make up trick?
   Most recommended "trick" is to blink when you apply mascara as it really helps to coat every single lash from the bottom to the end. I have seen so many of my friends not doing this and it's a trick I've always told them about and once they began doing it they said worked really well....So get blinking girls!
10. Do you talk about your blog with your ‘real life’ friends ?
    Yes, but not too much as no one else blogs and quite understands the concept... 

11 facts about me: 

1. I am 21
2. I'm graduating in July and still unsure as to what I'd like to do after uni

3. I forever lust over Chanel bags 

4. Well actually... I'm just a designer lable lover even if I dont own much designer myself though...

5. My favourite colour is Pink, always has been and always will be 

6. I always wanted a younger sister but I ended up with a younger brother...who's not so bad now (at least he can't steal my makeup ;))

7. My first job was working in a chip shop

8. My job after that was working in a perfume shop (Yep I went from smelling like fried fish to a cocktail of fragrances)

9. I speak 3 languages and I'd love to learn loads more!

10. I'm addicted to Instagram

11. When I was younger I actually got to visit some cool places like Thailand, Dominican Republic and most of the Mediterranean. 

I now nominate the following beauties: 

Katie- countrykatieuk.wordpress.com

Emma- dreamingoffithavenue.wordpress.com
Angela- bit.ly/1O3fx7n 
Debra- debrabow.com

My Questions for you girls are the following: 

1. What made you start blogging? 

2. Where do you look for inspiration when you're stuck on what to blog?

3. What's your favourite makeup brand? 

4. What's your favourite mascara and why?

5. What sort of blog posts do you like reading and why?

6. Do you enjoy travelling? If so, where have you been?

7. Would you consider doing Youtube? 

8. Name 4 of your favourite Youtubers

9. What's your favourite song at the moment?

10. Favourite Lip colours? 

Thank you so much for reading guys, I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and a huge thank you again to Mari for nominating me! (If you guy's would rather answer some of Mari's questions over mine then feel free). Have fun and if I don't blog until then...have a great Easter!!!! ;D

❤️

   Love, ML x

New Bloggers UK Community

Hello Beautyholics,

Today's post is going to be very short informing you on an Instagram page that Sophie from dreamdesiredo blog and myself have set up with the help and feedback from the lovely Alex from thelipstickladyblog.

This page was set up because we felt like there wasn't much on social platforms which would enable new beauty, fashion and lifestyle bloggers to connect. Our aim was thus to create a platform (Instagram is just the start), where we can all share our interests, meet one another and create a little bloggers community.

It is exclusive to the UK bloggers, in doing so it means that we could arrange meet-ups and arrange collaborations together.

Let us know what you guys think!

If you're a UK blogger and would like to join this community, click here and lets Network! :)

Thanks for reading and hope to meet you all soon!!

❤️

   Love, ML x

YSL mascara, shocking or original?

Hello beautyholics,

I hope you've all been well.

I'm back again after some time...

Today I thought I would give you a quick review and personal opinion on two mascara's that I could not pass on reviewing for you guys.

As you guys know from my previous post I am a sucker for long lashes, one can say that I'm pretty much OBSESSED with long lashes! For me, when it comes to eyelashes the longer is always better ;)

So, today, I thought I would give you a quick review about two mascara's that have been hyped about over the years that I have finally managed to compare!

The first one is the YSL-Original Faux Lash Effect.

I had originally tried this mascara many years back and I absolutely LOVED it, so, I decided to come back to it again recently and I remembered exactly why I loved it so much the first time round.

It comes in a sleek gold packaging that looks very luxurious like most of the YSL or other high end beauty products.

The wand is made out of fibres (my favourite type) and each fiber is very close to each other. This literally means that it coats each lash and does not leave huge clumps in between.

Personally, this mascara literally does what it says. It gives them that "false" lash effect by coating each lash, lengthening and separating them. It is not best for volume, but with some thick winged liner it looks very dainty....

As you can see by the side-by-side picture, this is the result I got after just one coat! And it is buildable...

For me the results speak for themselves. The eyelashes are separated and they look defined and not clumpy.

The second mascara for review is the Shocking version of the original YSL mascara. Now I don't know where to begin with this one... Let's just say it's "shocking" for the wrong reasons!

I purchased this following my purchase for the YSL original as I wanted something that would give me the same effect as the original but with a big more volume. Like the original it does come in a beautiful golden sleek packaging and it is advertised to "exaggerate your lash look with shocking volume from every angle"... However, I'll let you be the judges of that...

As you can see, this mascara was VERY clumpy and drying! From the day that I opened it it felt like it was 3 months old ;/ The formula isn't as soft and liquid like the original version and it just does not do what the packaging says!

I was very disappointed with the result. Not to mention that I was really looking forwards to making this one of my favourite mascaras but, unfortunately, it has made it to the bottom of the list :(

I thought it would be useful for you guys to have a look at the differences in the wands. They are both similar but unlike the Original version the Shocking bristles are slightly further apart which in my opinion does not help with the "clumpiness"

So, in a nutshell: I will highly recommend trying out the original version as it is definitely a winner and it is up there with my top 5 favourite mascaras of all time! :D

But unfortunately given that they both retail at the same price (£25) I will be passing up on the Shocking effect and I shall not be recommending it.

Have any of you had the chance to try them both too? Let me know what you guys thought :)

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed :)

❤️

   Love, ML x