Start your day with a Healthy Mind Set

Was your New Year’s resolution to lose weight? Get Fit? Or have you always tried to lose a few pounds here and there?  Now we’re entering into February have things not gone off on the right foot, then somewhere along the line you simply lose momentum and throw in the towel… Well I’m here to tell you don’t give up, stop beating yourself up this happens a lot more often than we realise. I’ll be first to put my hands up and say I’ve been exactly in your shoes, I’ve felt exactly how you may feel, and it’s disheartening I know but there’s no reason why you can’t pick yourself up and try again. There’s no reason why you can’t start February with a new attitude for the New You!

It doesn’t have to always be the beginning of a New Year before you decide to make changes. So what’s going to be different this time? What’s going to aid you shedding those few pounds…I’ll tell you the secret, it’s how you think which is going to accelerate your Goals to completion:

Start Thinking in a Healthier Frame of Mind

– Stop constantly analysing you weight on the scales.

– Stop focusing on fad diets or how much others have lost in 30 days.

-Stop focusing on counting every single calorie

This will only dampen your drive and can make you lose focus.

Think Healthy and You’ll be Healthy

Focusing on living a Healthier Lifestyle, doesn’t mean you have to join a gym.

• Maybe take a walk every morning.
• Get up earlier three days a week and go for a run or power walk or try a yoga dvd.
• If you have little ones, get them involved in doing a little bit of exercise every day

A gym membership isn’t necessary to keep fit especially if you don’t have the funds, or it may not be convenient for you to travel to a gym. There’re loads of good fitness dvd’s available with instructors who will show you how to use everyday objects in your home to keep fit. Use what you have freely available around you. Fill up old water bottles as weights. Go out and exercise, take the dog for a walk, take early morning walks or go for a run – All of this without costing a penny!

All you really need  is have a healthier frame of mind. We know better than anybody what’s good for us. Which foods we can indulge in and which foods not so much. So have fun with food and experiment with new flavours and plan a head. And yes! You can eat those foods which you may consider on your naughty list just in moderation. Don’t restrict yourself, as this can make life boring and maintaining weight lose harder to achieve, so have fun and enjoy your food.

Have Fun with Meals, Make Food Colourful

The key to losing weight and maintaining that weight lose is not through punishing yourself and making your goals hard to achieve, but to have a healthy frame of mind. Remember you’ve been living your life this way for such a long time, so it’s not going to be easy to break the habit. It will take time and you will have slip ups, but this doesn’t mean you have to go all the way back to the beginning. Consider first why this happened, and how you can overcome this hurdle in the future.

Remember, anything worth doing is never going to be easy,  this is why it’s vital to:

Learn, Pick Yourself Up and Carry On. You Will Achieve Your Goals.

To help me keep a healthy frame of mind I created a fantastic Fitness Planner Printable. I can easily keep track of what I eat, plan meals and plan what exercises I’ll be completing each day. My Planner has been invaluable in keeping me in a healthy frame of mind. So to help you on your “Healthy You Journey” I’m super excited to offer my personal Fitness Planner FREE to DOWNLOAD.

FREE Fitness Planner Printable – Allurin’ Beauty

Don’t allow set-backs to hold you back, having a healthy outlook on your life is going to help you live a healthy life, and allow you to achieve your own fitness goals. Download your FREE (25 page) printable and get started. Let me know how you get on.

If you’ve also not seen my Ultimate Life Planner FREE Printable for Organising and Scheduling your day-to-day tasks, you can check it out HERE.

My Ultimate Planner Printable is Only available FREE during the months of January & February so Don’t Wait too Long!

xxx

Copyright Allurin’ Beauty

Printing & Download Guide:

• This Planner is an A5 PDF document, please ensure you are able to download, read and print PDF’s.
• Once downloaded to your computer, save somewhere safe and print away!
•  When you download your chosen planner, you’ll be taken to Dropbox where you can either:
  – Download the PDF directly via the blue download symbol in the top right hand corner.

  – Download through Dropbox (if you’re already a user) it’s that easy!

  ---

This planner is for personal use only please do not mass distribute or sell without my permission.
Also, please be respectful of copyrights. I LOVE when you share – so feel free to Pin or Link my original post (at http://www.allurinbeauty.com – “FREE Fitness Planner”). Please do not upload the actual planner PDF to your post.
Many Thanks. xx

Using Facebook Groups to Drive Traffic to your Blog Posts

Sticking to a schedule is not easy, believe me you’re not alone if you ‘sighed’ at the thought of writing up a schedule for your Home, Work, Classes or Blogging!

However, Scheduling and Blogging go hand in hand:

– Stephen Covey

Having a schedule for your blog posts helps simplify When and How you’re going to get your posts out there! Scheduling is a great way to help you keep everything surrounding your blog and personal life ticking away smoothly, and even better free’s up that extra time you didn’t realise you had!

Blogging and Facebook

Posting your blogs in related Facebook Groups is a fantastic way to meet like-minded bloggers in your niche, as well as promoting your blog posts.

Blogger to Blogger Interaction + Post Engagement = Increase in Blog Traffic

However, If you’re anything like me I’m guilty of being in the “I’m a member of the 10+ Facebook Group’s Blogger”, and even if you’re not it can easily become confusing recalling:

• “Which Groups & Blogs did I Post Yesterday”?
• “Which Posts did I promote in Group A”?
• “How Many Times this Week have I Posted about a Particular Blog Post in Group B”? (Remember! Sharing your blog posts is all well and good, but don’t forget Blogger-to-Blogger Interaction within Groups is essential to really achieve ENGAGEMENT on your Blog Posts and not come across as spammy.)

Now if this does sound vaguely familiar, and you’re finding yourself being crunched for time spending your spare time scrolling through your Facebook feed for way longer than you intended, you are not alone. I’ve done exactly the same, which is what spurred me to develop a more organised way of sharing my posts within Facebook Groups, and my Facebook Group Planner was born!

Facebook Group Post Planner – Allurin’ Beauty

My printable Planner has really helped me keep track of all the tasks I want to complete each day, as well as completed tasks within each of my Facebook groups.

I’m super thrilled to be bringing to you my Facebook Group Post Planner FREE when you subscribe to my Newsletter – ‘Beauty Purity Boutique‘. Using this planner has made organising my blog posts in Facebook more organised and less time-consuming. I want to share this great tool with all of you so you too can have a great flow to your Blog’s Facebook Group postings, and free up time you may not have realised you had, whilst making sure you post during optimum engagement slots within the day..

What’s Included:

• Group Information Pages – Group Bio, Admins, Weekly Threads and Additional Notes.
• Blog Facebook Post(s) Pages –  (different versions of your Facebook Post, to keep your posts intriguing and fresh if you’re posting more than once a day.)
• Weekly Facebook Group Planner Pages.
• Weekly Thread Planner Pages.

But why stop at planning your Facebooks Groups Post’s? Let’s start the New Year and take your blog to the next level. So I’ve also included my personal Twitter Scheduling Planner Sheet too!

To grab you FREE Facebook Group Post Planner, simply click through this link → FREE FACEBOOK GROUP POST PLANNER and lets start planning and organising your Facebook Group posts.

But wait!! The goodies don’t just end there, you’ll also recieve my personal Weekly Twitter Blog Post Planner Sheet. Then you can simply use an Schedule Planing App like Hootsuite or Buffer and let them do the rest of the hard work for you! And if you’ve not grabbed my Ultimate Life, Blogging Planner yet, you’ll also receive this too when you Subscribe through the above link.

But Hurry, my Ultimate Planner is Only available FREE during the months of January & February!

Planning When & Where you’re going to schedule your blog posts not only will free up your time to spend on other areas of your blog or personal life, but most importantly will help optimise your time on social media bringing in MORE traffic to your blog.

So What Are You Waiting For?

Grab These Fantastic Freebies NOW?

You can also Check Out My Free Ultimate Life, Blogging, Business Planner HERE, for more details.

Xxx

Printing & Download Guide:

• This Planner is an A5 PDF document, please ensure you are able to download, read and print PDF’s.
• Once downloaded to your computer, save somewhere safe and print away!
• When you subscribe you’ll receive a separate Welcome email, where you’ll be able to download your planner of choice (to ensure delivery of any Allurin’ Beauty email goodies to your inbox please add ogheneroboutique@mail.com to your Email Address Book or Safe List). When you download your chosen planner, you’ll be taken to Dropbox where you can either:
  – Download the PDF directly via the blue download symbol in the top right hand corner.

  – Download through Dropbox (if you’re already a user) it’s that easy!

  ---

This planner is for personal use only (available free only to subscribers of the Purity Beauty Boutique Newsletter), please do not mass distribute or sell without my permission.
Also, please be respectful of copyrights. I LOVE when you share – so feel free to Pin or Link my original post (at http://www.allurinbeauty.com – “Drive Traffic To Your Blog Using Facebook”). But please do not upload the actual planner PDF to your post.
Many Thanks. xx

The start of a New Year has arrived, and it’s a great opportunity to set or redevelop new or previous goals. If your plan this year is to be more organised, whether it be at home, through your personal blog, or business you’re in for a treat.

Purity Beauty Boutique Blog – Lifestyle|Beauty|Organic

I have always found comfort in the almighty paper and pen, I’m a little bit of an old-fashioned gal like that. I’m a list-o-holic, it keeps my mind stress free and my tasks organised and easier to accomplish. I’ve spent months trying to find my ideal planner to incorporate essential aspects of my life, but never quite finding that perfect all-rounder so I decided to create my own.

My Ultimate Blogging, Life & Business Planner

I’m so excited to be sharing with you my Ultimate Life Planner available for FREE DOWNLOAD the entire month of January and February.

Purity Beauty Boutique Subscription

Are you ready to have more focus and make more progress? So without further ado, Let’s take a peek inside. I designed this Ultimate Life Planner to be as insanely useful as possible. It’s full of 34 unique minimalist & elegant printable’s crafted to help you stay organised and have clarity around your projects, goals, schedule and life.

Ultimate Life Planner – Blog, Life & Business Planner All-in-One

My Ultimate Life Planner – Blog, Life & Business Planner All-in-One

HOME/LIFE

1. Annual Life Planner

2. Notes

3. Monthly Planner (2 page)

4. Goals

5. Goal Tracker

6. To Do’s

7. Daily Routine Tracker

8. Daily Post-It Tasks

(The Post-It Pages are Fantastic for quickly adding Post-It Notes for the Day or Week, if you prefer more Flexibility than the standard timed Daily Planner Schedule – which is still included!)

9. Weekly Post-It Tasks

10. Daily Planner

11. Weekly Planner

12. Weekly Meal Planner + Shopping List (Weaning Section)

BLOGGING

13. Annual Blogging Planner

14. Monthly Blogging Planner

15. Blog Brainstorming

16. Blog Post Ideas

17. Blog Post Planner

18. Blog Photo Directory & Post Update’s

(This is a Unique Idea I thought would be fantastic for keeping track of where you source your photo’s and licence info, if you’re not using your own. You can also note when you last updated the related specific post and any changes… Awesome!)

19. Blog Statistics (2 page)

20. Useful HashTag’s

21. Blog Link-Up’s

22. Blog Connections

BUSINESS

23. Annual Business Planner

24. Monthly Business Planner

25. Business Brainstorming

26. Business Idea Planner

27. Expenses

28. Income

29. Annual business Profit

30. Customers

31. Customer Order Form Log

Wow.. This Amazing Planner is Free only through the month of January to all my subscribers so grab yours HERE, my gift to you.

And there’s more…

Available in 2 Designs Pink Dreams and Green Floral, the choice is yours.

Allruin’ Beauty- Ultimate Blogging, Life, Business Planner

When you Subscribe you’ll receive a Welcome email containing a download link to my Ultimate Planner PDF. You can then save onto your computer and print as many copies as you want!

 

My Ultimate Planner contains 39 pages for you to download, pick & choose which ones will work for you, print, and then either have them bound or place in a binder. My planner is sure to get you organized for a new year of achieving your goals and tasks in 2016, and is especially great for the beginner bloggers. I will be updating this planner and making subscribers exclusive printable’s throughout the year so stay tuned, you don’t want to miss any of them!

I really do hope you enjoy my Ultimate Life Planner, it took me a good week to complete (alternating between home, work & blogging life, lol) and I’m so thrilled with the final results as this is my first personally designed planner. I will definitely consider changes for the future, and appreciate friendly suggestions.

Xxx

 Printing Guide:

• This Planner is an A5 PDF document, please ensure you are able to download, read and print PDF’s.
• Once downloaded to your computer, save somewhere safe and print away!
• The choice is then yours to print as many or as little copies of specific pages as you need (e.g. Blog Post Planner). You can then have your personal planner professionally bound or kept in a cute filofax binder like myself, which gives you more freedom to add more pages as and when needed.

I purchased a cute professional looking Purple A5 leather 6 ring binder from Amazon, with 2 inside slide pockets for loose paper sheets and stickers for only £12.99. In additional I also purchased a 6 hole puncher for under £15, making it simply a breeze to customise my planner.

Download Guide

Xxx

To all my Fantastic Subscribers and all Newcomers to my blog, firstly I would like to say “Thank you” for checking out my new redesign at Allurin’ beauty.

With a fantastic new addition :

Purity Beauty Boutique 

Incorporating Organic Cruelty-Free Beauty, Food & Lifestyle, as well as the usual Latest Beauty Guides & Reviews.

Purity Beauty Boutique Shop – http://www.uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/allurinbeauty

Did I also mention loads of great freebies and tutorials. I’m so excited to share my new vision with you all, it’s been such an awesome project and I’m just so happy that you can now all enjoy it!
So a bit about Purity Beauty Boutique. As its name suggests you’ll find plenty of variety when it comes to beauty from:

• Cruelty-Free Beauty,
• Trusted Organic Skincare,
• Skin & Hair care tips
•  Latest Beauty Trends,

 to unique products, and plenty of in-depth reviews.

Allurin’ Beauty – Easy, Quick, Tasty Meals

However, this isn’t ‘just’ a place for beauty and since I have other interests such as food, lifestyle inspiration, travelling, reading, baby/toddler food ideas & product reviews. I’ll also love to share these things with you occasionally too.

Purity Beauty Boutique Blog – Lifestyle|Beauty|Organic

By night, I am writer of this lovely little space on the web. But by day, I also want to look my best and try to find beauty products and other lifestyle essentials to help make life in the fast lane of working and motherhood a bit easier.

I’ve a Great Treat for you all this Month, I’m super excited so make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out!

I hope you keep enjoying reading my little blog as it grows with me and feel free to follow me by SUBSCRIBING.
Xxx

Neal’s Yard Remedies, Organic Rehydrating Rose Toner

Neal’s Yard Remedies, Organic – Rehydrating Rose Toner (Allurin’ Beauty)

I’ve been using Neal’s Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Toner for nearly over a year and I’m completely in love! I mostly use it for prepping my skin before moisturising, setting my makeup and just before bed. You can also use it to rehydrate during the day. One bottle has lasted me a good six months, so you really do get your moneys worth.

Neal’s Yard Remedies, Organic – Rehydrating Rose Toner (Allurin’ Beauty)

Great for sensitive skin like mine, this toner has helped improve the overall condition of my skin. Since I’ve been using it, I’ve had so many comments on how flawless my makeup looks, and how I can be out in hot weather while my makeup stays in place (even when I feel like I’m melting); but when I look in the mirror my makeup still looks fresh. Retailing for £16 for 200ml may seem a little steep in pricing, but you need such a small amount. I lightly mist my face when I finish applying my makeup and the results are amazing. I can imagine in the winter this toner will also work wonders for dry skin/flaky makeup issues.

*This stunning vibrant blue-bottle does not come with an atomizer, so I easily transfer small amounts into an empty travel spray bottle ( 5 Pcs Empty Clear White Plastic Spray Bottle Pump 50ML only £1.90 incl delivery
/available in a various colours and slighty larger sizes e.g. 75ml).

Containing fresh damask roses creating a subtle fragrant toner which not only cleansed my skin, but left my face feeling beautifully refreshed, rehydrated and ready for moisturising.

Cruelty-Free Beauty Bunny & Soil Association Organic

What I also luv is that Neal’s Yard Remedies use Organic, Fairtrade ingredients in their products and are Cruelty-Free and suitable for vegetarians and most vegans. This ethically sourced toner is definitely worth the splurge and you’ll be amazed by the results, why not check out what other #CrueltyFreeBeauty goodies you may like to treat yourself or a friend too this Christmas from Neal’s Yard Remedies.

Xxx

Vegan Approved, Cruelty-Free, Organic & 100% Natural Ingredients.

My current Weekend Face of the Day – Halo Eyes.

Allurin’ Beauty FOTD Makeup – MAC and Makeup Forever Halo Eyeshadow

 Using M.A.C’s  Extra Dimension Shadow – Round Midnight, MakeUp Forever’s Artist Refill Shadows, and with a deep Burgundy Plum Lip with hints of shimmer.

For this look I used only three shadows, one of them from M.A.C’s Extra Dimension Eye Shadow collection – Round Midnight a frost Burgundy-Purple, and from MakeUp Forever’s Artist Refills, Auburn (738 Matte Brown with Red undertones) and Crystalline Yellow (416 Diamond White with Yellow undertones). MakeUp Forever’s Artist Shadow Refills are by far one of the most beautifully pigmented shadows I’ve encountered, blending effortlessly.

Remember if you don’t have these exact shadows you can use equivalent colours in your own collection. A good dupe for M.A.C’s Extra Dimension Shadows are Kiko Cosmetics Water Eyeshadows.

I firstly blended Auburn into my crease and just above to act as my transitional shade, and to also further define my crease.

Following this, I applied to the inner and outer corners of my mobile lid space M.A.C’s Round Midnight, taking it up into the crease making sure not to bring the shadows to close to the centre of my lid. Without picking up any more product onto my blendind brush, I blended Round Midnight from the inner corners to the outer corners along the crease, leaving the centre of my mobile lid free of any colour creating a Halo effect.
In the centre of the lid I applied my diamond shade Crystalline Yellow – creating the halo effect.

Allurin’ Beauty FOTD Makeup – MAC and Makeup Forever Halo Eyeshadow

I then finished my look by applying Artdeco Mineral Eye Styler in Black along my upper water line, and finished with two coatings of Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Mascara.

Foundation – MakeUp Forever Ultra HD (R530)
Setting Powder – Black Up Paris Loose Powder (4)

Eyebrows – Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascara (Dark Brown) & Maybelline Brow Satin Eyebrow Pencil (Dark Brown)

Cheeks —  Sleek Blush by 3 in Pumpkin (Squash)

Highlight – Ruby Kisses All Over Glow (Bronze Glow)

Contour – CoverGirl Bronzer (Ebony)

Lips – LaSplash Studio Shine Lip Lustre (Evil Queen)

I adore how beautiful and sultry a halo eyeshadow look appears. It’s my new go-to look for special evenings and can be easily toned down for day wear. It’s an quick eye look to do and brings life to the overall appearance of the eyes, due to the center having a highlight point. Great for all eye shapes especially hooded eyes looking for a change from the traditional smokey eye.

Xx

Almost everywhere you look online, blogs and YouTubers, everyone’s talking about Morphe Brushes. Morphe Brushes is a California based makeup brush brand, which also offer makeup products at very affordable prices.

I’ve heard a mixture of positive and negative reviews with regards to Morphe’s actual Brushes. The positive reviews seem to come from their Elite (Limited edition) and Gunmetal Collections, with their other brushes not preforming well in terms of softness and durability, a few individuals have mentioned how a few of the original morphe brushes become very scratchy after being washed and lose their shape. So after watching numerous YouTube videos and reading through many reviews, I decided to pick up a few eye brushes from their Elite Collection.

On first impressions the Elite brushes are incredibly soft, and handle beautifully. Upon washing the brush hairs did not splay or shed and retained their original form.

I purchased 7 Brushes from the Limited Edition Elite Collection:

E10 – Tapered Concealer Brush, although meant for concealer, I prefer to use this brush for highlighting my brow bone, and as It’s densely packed it’s also great for packing colour onto the lid with either powders or creams.

E13 – Oval Shadow Fluff, this brush is similar to MAC’s 217 just a little longer and wider. A great multitasker which can lay down color and blend out edges to create a soft edge.

E17 – Crease Precision Blender, similar to Zoeva’s Petit Crease brush. This brush is great for placing color on the outer v of the lids and blending out without making your shadow looking muddy. Also very good for smudging along the lower lid beautifully.

E24 – Bullet Crease Brush, a great firm soft brush for defining a precise cut crease effect, applying shadow to the inner corners and brow bone.

E28 – Deluxe Blender. One of my favourite’s from this collection, this is a great generic blending brush especially for those with smaller eyes or little lid space to work with (hooded eyes). I like to keep quite a few of these around (actually ordered another ), to blend out colors without muddying up the look.

E30 – Blending Fluff, a slightly big blending brush. To big personally for blending eyeshadows on my lid space, but great for packing shadow onto the mobile lid and blending out if you’re in a hurry.

E29 – Angled Brush and Spoolie, I specifically purchased this brush for applying brow wax, as I was looking for a dupe for the popular Anastasia Beverly Hills #12, Duo Brow Brush and this brush performs perfectly.

In terms of eye brushes the Elite Collection from Morphe not only look as good as a higher end brush, they perform just as beautifully. Each brush is extremely soft on application and retained their shape and hairs after numerous washings. I absolutely luv using these brushes for applying my eyeshadow, and would definitely recommend them if you’re looking for some new Affordable Eye Brushes. Retailing from £4.95 – £6.50 each and available in the UK from Beauty Chamber. I have to also add Beauty Chamber were extremely fantastic at sending my order out. Placed my order on a Monday and received my goods on the Wednesday.

Don’t forget these Elite Brushes are Limited Edition, so when they’re gone, they’re truly gone.

The Lovely Blogger Tiffany May Tagged me for a Love, Hate Tag, with this tag you list 10 things which you love and 10 things which you hate, then Tag 10 other bloggers to complete the tag.

So here it goes!

Love

1. Love Love Love my Family ~ My Family are my World, my Rock. My two Beautiful Girls, my amazing Husband, my supportive Parents, Brothers and Sister. Family means the World to me.
2. Reading ~ Love reading a good book on a beautiful summer evening, that’s how I unwind and relax.

3. Absolutely Positively Adore MAKEUP!!!

4. Cheese, enough said.
5. The Autumn ~ Autumn is my favourite season, the Reds, Oranges and Brown tones make me feel so relaxed and warm. I actually based on my wedding theme on Autumn colours.
6. Candles the more the merrier (remember safety first).
7. I absolutely adore jelly, one of my favourite desserts.
8. Sci-fi ~ I’m a bit of a Sci-fi Geek, have been since I could remember. I think that’s why I was drawn to the sciences at school.
9. Halloween Parties ~ It’s a great chance to let your hair down and have fun. Dress up as your favourite character no matter what your age.
10. Christmas ~ I absolutely love Christmas. The happiness and joy on my children’s faces in the morning when they go to the tree to open their presents. Everybody is happy, you can hear laughter in the house. Christmas dinner spending it with family and friends, it’s such a beautiful warm atmosphere. It’s also the build-up I love, getting the tree ready and decorating the house.

Hate

1. Catching the flu during the summer ~ As I then become THAT lady who has to put the heating on as I’m super cold. Which drives my family and work colleagues crazy.
2. When I create an amazing eyeshadow look, then when I apply mascara it goes on my lid
3.  Seeing a Builders Bum on Display ~ Come on people pull your trousers up nobody wants to see that, you cannot tell me you don’t feel a breeze!
4. When I’m absolutely exhausted but can’t seem to get to sleep.
5. Big one for me, I cannot stand bad manners. Good manners cost nothing and you’re more likely to get help from individuals when you’re kind and polite, simple!
6. I hate giving my cat a bath,,, I think I hate it more than he does.

7. I not keen on styling my hair because it’s so thick an unruly, it takes patience and effort. So when I’m running late it can annoy me, but once it’s done it looks great and I’m all smiles.
8. Chipping my nail polish whilst waiting for it to dry.
9. Seeing people openly spitting on the street in front of you, Eeuurrghh,,, my goodness use a tissue it’s vile.
10. Mess, I’m a bit of a neat freak. I feel more relaxed when my place is organised and tidy.

There you have it my 10 Loves & Hates, thanks again to Tiffany May for tagging me, and if you haven’t already check out her blog please show her some love.

Here are just a few of my favourite bloggers who haven’t been tagged yet (or maybe they have):

Daisy – http://www.daisyjames.co.uk

Lenka – http://www.foundationdot.wordpress.com

Marie – http://www.just-tie.blogspot.co.uk

Aoife – http://www.aoifeweefa.wordpress.com

Kate – http://www.katecloset.blogspot.com

Rachel – http://www.beautyandthebird.co.uk

Elina – http://www.luxamundi.co.uk
Lynsey – http://www.wheres-my-pencil.blogspot.com

BombShellDrawer – http://www.bmobshelldrawer.wordpress.com

Lina – http://www.bogoosha.com

The Lovely Blogger Lenka, nominated me for a Liebester Award. Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to her, and if you’re not familiar with her blog please go and check out her site she has a fantastic blog ~ http://www.foundationdot.wordpress.com/

So the rules with this award:
– Firstly you thank the blogger who nominated you with a link back to his/her blog.
– Answer the 10 – 11 questions asked by the nominator, with regards to myself and my blog.
– Nominate 5 – 11 bloggers with under 500 followers.
– Create 11 questions for the nominees.
– Display the Liebster Award logo on your page
– List these 6 rules on your post.
So here it goes!

MY QUESTIONS:

1. What is your favourite social media?

I would say my favourite social media would have to be YouTube, I’ve learnt so much purely from watching YouTube. It’s a great way to see things first hand and YouTube does have some amazingly funny videos.

2. Where are you the most active?

I would say I am mostly active equally on Twitter and Facebook. I luv with Twitter the ability to encapsulate your thoughts and opinions in short (sometimes catchy) sentences. I tend to use Facebook if I want to add a bit more information or link various pictures.

3. What´s your favourite stage of the day?

At the end of the day, I always treat myself to a hot beverage and have some quality me time.

4. Do you do your face makeup first or do you go straight to the eyes?

I normally do my face make up first because I don’t always wear eye makeup, it just depends on how much time I have. So if I’m running short on time I’ll do my face and then I just pop on some mascara.

5. Who is your blogger inspiration?

This question is a bit of a tough one, as I don’t really have a particular blogger who has just inspired me. I do however follow individuals on YouTube who also have blogs who are fantastically talented and provide great advice and tips on makeup and lifestyle who have really inspired me so check them out below and in my Blogroll sidebar for links to their pages:

Stephaine Lange MUA

Crystal MUA

Sam & Nicki Chapman MUA’s

Goss MUA

Lisa Potter-Dixon Benefit Head MUA

Socialite Sandi Lfestyle & Beauty Vlogger

6. Do you do any research online before you buy something (makeup wise)?

Always, I always check out reviews before I buy anything. Whether it’s makeup or something for the kids. I’ll always check shop reviews, YouTube and blogs.

7. What was your first makeup product?

My first makeup product was foundation and no, it wasn’t a good match.

8. What are your latest addictions?

Liquid lipsticks and particularly Matte ones

9. Do you fake tan?

Nope.

10. What is the most precious thing in your makeup collection?

I find this question a little difficult because I have some high-end makeup but I wouldn’t call it precious, even though some were quite budget busting. It would have to be a few years back, I bought a collection from Mac – Venomous Villains, which is my most precious collection because not only do I luv the products itself, I adore the packaging and design so this would be my most precious collection.

11. Would you ever consider posting beauty videos on YouTube?

It has crossed my mind. It’s more about just timing and planning my YouTube channel around my Family, Blogging and Work-Life (so maybe in the future watch this space;) .

Check out these lovely bloggers below who I’ve nominated for a Liebester Award, and once again thank you Lenka for the nomination:

Yaya Miora – www.thetwentiesguide.com

Laurie Frempong – http://lauriefrempong.blogspot.com/

Paula De La Asunción- http://www.letsdocasual.com/

Daniella Nicholls – www.missionworldie.co.uk

Katie Kirk – www.katiekirkloves.com

Nandini Swaninathan – http://www.sartorialsecrets.com/

Eugenie McDonald – www.genadore.com

Jay Goldsmith – iyaajay.blogspot.co.uk

Natalia Varso – http://www.natfashiondiary.com/

Anna.C – avintageowl.blogspot.com

Karl Baker – http://www.ablokeseyeview.co.uk/

Here are my questions for you lovely bloggers:

1. What do you enjoy about blogging?
2. What gets you out of bed every morning?
3. Who are the top 5 people you would invite for dinner (whether they are still alive or not)?
4. What is your Favourite book?
5. Are you a Summer or Winter lover and Why?
6. Sweet or Savoury?
7. What is your all time Travel Destination?
8. What is your Favourite Quote?
9. What is your Latest Addiction?
10. What is your Secret Talent?

Sometimes I have moments when I get stuck into a Makeup and Beauty rut, doing the same look over and over or having a lack of inspiration. It can be hard to think of new ideas or techniques to add to your beauty routine and this is where books come in. They can provide a huge range of knowledge and advice, including helpful step-by-step guides and inspiration.

Whether you’re a makeup beginner or are a seasoned artist, there’s a book out there for everyone.

Here are my personal top 3 best Makeup Beauty Books which I found a fantastic helping hand, great for inspiration and for those just exploring makeup.

Allurinbeauty.com My Top Makeup Beauty Books – Makeup The Ultimate Guide by Rea Morris

Rea Morris – Makeup The Ultimate Guide
Rea Morris provides so many useful tips in this book and covers a really wide range of subjects, which is why this is one I always recommend for beginners. For example there’s a section on 10 minute makeup looks, how to freshen up your makeup the morning after, eye makeup techniques for all eye shapes, makeup for over 40s and the list goes on. There’s also a really wonderful section on the various forms of foundations and differentiates between oil-based, grease-based, water-based, velvet, satin, mat and luminous finishes. This is such a wonderful useful book for makeup beginners, as well as more advanced makeup enthusiasts.

Allurinbeauty.com My Top Makeup Beauty Books – Making Faces by Kevin Aucoin

Kevin Aucoin – Making Faces
This is a fantastic book which I always refer back to. Kevin Aucoin was one of the most influential makeup artists in Hollywood. He shares his makeup secrets, explaining not only the basics of makeup application and techniques, but also how to use the fundamentals to create a wide range of different looks. He explains techniques for defining and enhancing facial features with makeup, and shows the true art of enhancing your natural beauty.
The first part of the book focuses on introducing the tools and the techniques such as the different types and textures of eyeshadow, how to apply false eyelashes plus the basic eye looks (smokey, neutral, shimmery) and much more. The second part includes detailed and illustrated step-by-step guides on how to achieve dozens of different make-up looks, from everyday to glamorous looks from the Bombshell (Marilyn Monroe), the Flapper (Josephine Baker) and the Gamine (Audrey Hepburn). This book is great for those who love make-up, and can be creative to interpret the ideas within the book then make it work for themselves. Providing step-by-step instructions on how to achieve various beauty looks, its eye-catching modern cover and size make it the perfect coffee table book.

Allurinbeauty.com My Top Makeup Beauty Books – Makeup is Art

Academy of Freelance Makeup  – Makeup is Art
This book is fantastic for inspiration and ideas. Produced by top makeup professionals this book provides a glimpse into their glamorous world of makeup. Offering  imaginative ideas, insider knowledge, and a wealth of advice for aspiring artists. Along with instructions for a wide range of stunning looks for the face and body. The photography is beautiful but I must add this is not something you’d buy to learn how to do your everyday makeup, it is more for inspiration or editorial, great for aspiring makeup artists or if you’re looking to personally expand your own makeup range.

So these are my personal top 3 Best Makeup Beauty Books for Makeup enthusiasts, whichever you choose you really won’t be disappointed.

Let me know what are some of your current favourite makeup beauty books. xx