The Liebster Award

Today, I am going to be letting you know a little more about me, through the Liebster Award which is a program designed to help the promotion of small blogs like mine, with less than 1000 followers. I adore these kind of things, and I love that the questions are down to your nominator- giving it a personal touch. So, without further waffling: let us commence!

1) Leggings or Jeans?
Talk about starting at the deep end- this is hard! I suppose I will have to go to jeans as I definitely wear them more due to their versatility. I admit I am feeling very disloyal to my new, gorgeous Topshop dogtooth leggings though!!

2) What's your favourite make up brand?

When makeup shopping, I base my purchases on good reviews rather than a preferred brand, as products can be across such a large spectrum of different qualities in one brand. Despite this, I think Maybelline is really hitting it at the moment, I find myself using their products on a daily basis (*glances to 24 hour color tattoo*)

 

3) Who's your celebrity crush and why?

Getting straight to the point, Joe Sugg. I know, I know, very generic! In my defence, I have been watching his every video since 10,000 subscribers. He is now at an ever-growing 3.5million, I feel part of the journey! He's hot, has my sense of humour and comes from a similar place as me!

 

4) If you could move to anywhere in the world where would you move to and why?

If I couldn't stay in my beloved British Isles, it has to be France. May I recommend Annercy, the Ardeche and Villefranche sur mer. I go there twice a year for skiing and sun, and I NEVER get bored. The relaxed lifestyle is on point, and I have distant French roots to it kinda fits...

 

5) What do you/ have you studied at college?

Currently doing GCSEs where I do maths, further maths, english lit & lang, triple biology chemistry physics, spanish, geography, latin, RS and art... mock exams complete (as of today!) Fun fun fun...

 

6) Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years time?

Ten years time... 26! Very scary. I would like to think I have a good job that I enjoy, a beautiful home and have a fun lifestyle surrounded by the people I love :)

 

7) Who's your role model and why?

David Cameron. Haha just joking! I am actually answering this one last having skipped it out. I don't think I can pinpoint a single role model, for example I look to Ingrid Nilsen for fashion, Ella Grace Denton for life tips, Ellie Goulding for success... I pick up personalities and lessons wherever I go, whoever I meet.

 

8) What's your must have in your make up bag?

My Naked palette springs to mind, but to move away from that answer (which is probably the same for 99% of other makeup obsessives!), I will say my Sleek Contour Kit. The colours perfectly suit my skin tone and put emphasis upon my virtually non-existent cheek bones. What's not to love?

 

9) What's your favourite movie and why?

I'm really not into films that much, but I do love Divergent and Harry Potter films, following on from my obsessions over both of these books.

 

10) What clothes store do you purchase from the most?

My wardrobe is pretty well balanced between the main high street stores, but I think H&M are a long term favourite as their sizes are very true to me and some of their designs are really quite beautiful given the price.

 

11) If you had to describe yourself in 3 words what would they be?

I really struggle with complementing myself, it feels wrong! I will have to go with... positive, funny and...weird!! (and proud of it!)

 

To finish off, I would like to thank my nominator Paige's Purchases, it was great fun reading yours and writing mine!

 

Rules:

1) Link the person who nominated you 

2) Answer all questions given to you by the nominator

3) Pick 11 other blogs to answer your questions and link to their blog

4) Create 11 questions for the nominees to answer

5) Notify all nominees via social media/blog

 

My Questions:

1) Shoes or bags?

2) Favourite prestigious brand? (eg: Chanel, Mulberry)

3) Something that made you smile today?

4) Lipstick or eyeliner?

5) Favourite type of music? 

6) Winter or summer trends?

7) Any food obsessions? Be honest!

8) Someone who gives you makeup inspiration?

9) The first quote that comes to your head?

10) You are allowed to take one beauty product on holiday. What?

11) Why do you blog and where would you like it to take you?

 

My nominees:

1) Imogen Fleur

2) 4 bat girl

3) Emma Louise

4) Rakshya Thapa

5) The Homely Chic

6) Blush Beauty

7) Style Gamblers

8) Zee Railed

9) The Beautified Blogger

10) A So Called Beauty Blog

11) Beauty and Mi

 

Good luck!

 

Annabel <3

Birthday Buzz - Haul & Reviews

Good morning/afternoon/evening internet: wherever you are in the world. As I mentioned in my last post, it was recently my birthday, so I have decided to select a few of my fave gems that I received and tell you all about them.

Firstly I am going to show you something I am most hyped about because I can't wait till the end to do it. It is the one, the only, the...

 

...Naked Palette! I know, I know, I am horrendously late on the band wagon, and anyone vaguely interested in beauty will have had the knowledge of how perfect this is drummed into their heads more times than they can remember. I am proud to confirm that yes, the shadows really are as dreamy, creamy and beautiful as everyone says they are. The colour range... the pigmentation... spot on, Urban Decay. My advice for anyone starting out in makeup? Don't buy cheaper substitutes for this to avoid biting the bullet. It is expensive, but it really is worth the wait.
Eye shadow collection... complete.

 

 

 

 Secondly, I got Vogue subscription! This excites me greatly as I love the whole glossy, expensive Vogue culture. One of the best bits for me are the campaigns, and the vast number of times that 'the eyebrows' make an appearance (i.e.: Cara!) The décor freak that I am, I can't wait to have a years worth of issues lined up on my shelf (no shame!) and I'm interested on how reading Vogue will influence my style as time goes on.

As a free gift with Vogue, I got this Aromatherapy Associates Polishing Enzyme Peel, which you basically use as a mask. I have used it two consecutive weeks now, and am yet to notice a difference- but I'll keep you posted.

Next I received the Lush Winter Garden Gift set. The scents? Divine. As always. So far I have tried the massage bar and the hand cream. The bar is really lovely, it melts onto the skin and retains moisture in this winter weather. The hand cream is standard, I must admit. You will grow to learn that I have extremely high hand cream standards being a country girl- so if I say one is good, it is probably exceptional.

Fashion is my thang, so having a warm, versatile coat is, in my opinion, vital for every British girl. This beauty is from New Look, currently on sale for £41, which is a great price seeing as I bought it with the Topshop one in mind, which comes in just under £80. Its cosy and goes perfectly with everything I have worn it with so far. What more could you want?

Top of my wanted list was some good headphones that I could fold up and use on the bus every morning, in the gym, and everywhere else. Initially I looked into Beats Solos, but these Sony's were a fifth of the price, have pretty much the same sound quality and are a lot more guilt free if they did get caught in the running machine (which they have already, but are still in perfect condition!)

 

 

The last present I decided to include in this post is Girl Online, by Zoe Sugg, seeing as it was the thing that inspired me to reopen my blogging app.

 

 

I have finished it already. It really was a lovely, light read with a completely unexpected twist near the end. I would definitely recommend it if you're not too keen on Shakespeare or other such adulty things (like me.)

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I got for my birthday, I realise and appreciate that I am a very lucky girl. Now you may even have to make a few amends to your Christmas list!

I may do a similar post after Christmas, depending on Santa. Until then,
Annabel
<3

back to blog

So I haven't blogged for a year and a half... that's atrocious, I know! I never put a huge amount of effort into my blog, I will be honest. I've been meaning to start it up again for a while now and -well done Annabel- I've decided to return at probably the most busy blogging moment in the history of the internet: right after the publish of Zoella's 'Girl Online.'

It was my birthday two days ago, which I received this book, and it gave me the kick i needed to restart. Why am i blogging? I guess my inspiration for an online profile began two years ago when i began my hobby of trawling through YouTube, curating and personalizing a subscription page that reflected my interests and hobbies.

Many times has the idea come to me to start a channel, but it would be a big decision because if for some wild reason it got popular, it would a) become my life and b) if i couldn't cope with the demands it required, you can't really step back. Imagine if, say, Jack and Finn one day posted one of their rare, but perfect videos saying "sorry, we've had enough. We're off to live in the wilderness now with no cameras and NO WIFI. Laters." Cue world war three.

Maybe one day I will cave, and click that daunting 'create channel' button, but for now, a blog should provide my need for creating and sharing. What will i create? I don't know. I guess whatever takes my fancy next time i snap some photos and hit the keyboard. Hopefully that moment won't be far away, but with a busy Christmas full of revision up ahead *internal groan*, only time will tell.

Until then,
Annabel
<3

Review: Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner

Hello!

A while ago i needed a new liquid liner, and i thought I'd try something different. I wanted a liquid formulation (because I find them easier to apply!) but I also wanted one with an applicator shaped like a felt tip, Collection Fast Stroke ticks both of these boxes...

The packaging is also very sleek and has a long handle, making the chore of applying liquid liner slightly easier!

Sorry, I couldn't get this to rotate!

As for the product itself, it applies as a medium thickness line, and if very pigmented. I have colour 01, Black, and true to it's name, it is a jet black. This product dries mat on the lid, so if you are looking for a 'wet look' eyeliner, this may not be for you, however I recommend 17 Wet Look Lacquer Eye Liner.

The big test for eyeliners is how long they stay on. For me (I have quite oily eyelids,) it stays on all day without a primer, unless I am doing sport or am in hot weather: I was quite impressed given that this is not a waterproof eyeliner! It isn't too hard to get off either, which is always a bonus.

Overall I am very impressed with this eyeliner, even more so as it is priced at £2.99! I would recommend this a lot, you can pick it up from Superdrug in black, blue or brown, and i believe a waterproof version is also available.

Thanks for reading!

Annabel x

Forget-Me-Not Nail Art!

Hello!

This weak i thought i would write about some nail art that i like to do. I'm not sure whether this has been done before but if you are like me and are rubbish at nail art, this is perfect. The trick is, I use real flowers!


I like to use forget-me-nots because they are easy to use and very pretty, but you can use any flower as long as it is small and flat.

I started by applying a base colour. Today I used 'French Beige' from a french manicure set, but you can use any colour you like.

Paint each nail individually because you will need to stick on the flowers before the varnish is dry. However don't rush because you could damage the flower!

Add the flowers with tweezers. It is a little bit fiddly so I would recommend trying this on your toes first, but when you get the hang of it it is fine.

When the flowers have dried on, put on some top coat.

You may think that this nail art would be easily damaged, but i have had this on my toes for over a month with only two layers of top coat and it still looks as good as new!

I hope you like this idea and maybe even try it out yourself! It is a very easy way to get perfect nail art and just have something a bit different! Thanks for reading,

Annabel x

Hello!

This week i thought I would do a slightly 'different' post, because the swans that live on our lake have finally hatched out their babies!

We thought that we would call this couple Doris and George after my Gran's sister and her husband.

We are not quite sure exactly when they hatched out, because they were nesting on an island and they normally keep them on the nest when they are very young, but we noticed them for the first time last Tuesday.

They are quite friendly but still protective over the cygnets. However the other day, they cygnets swam under a little bridge and they couldn't get back through, so we had to go and rescue them because Doris and George couldn't quite reach them, but now if they go there again, we made a little way for them to get back. I think they realized that we were helping them, so they shouldn't be too afraid of us now!

We often go and feed them bread which they enjoy. They are SO cute and fluffy now and they sometimes climb on their mum's back and ride around the lake if they get too tired before it's time to go back to their home on the island! Watch this space if you want to see more pictures of them as they grow up!

If you want to see a little clip of the swans and the cygnets eating some bread, head over to my YouTube Channel!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing our little cygnets, thanks for reading if you did!

Annabel x

Product Review: Rimmel 'Special Eyes Precision Eye Liner Pencil'

I thought I would do my first review about Rimmel's Special Eyes pencil eyeliner.

When I first bought it, I was a little disappointed because the pigmentation wasn't great and you had to push quite hard on the eye to get any colour, which isn't great. However, the more I use it, the better it gets: it's like the product has melted slightly, and it now leaves a lovely soft line on the skin.

As for how long it stays on for, the product claims 12 hours, and it almost achieves that. That colour fades slightly though, so you will need to top up once or twice.

I have the shade 114 which is 'Rich Brown', and the eyeliner also comes in 'black magic' and 'azure shimmer.'

One of the best things about this product is the fact that it is only £2.99! You can buy it from Superdrug, the Rimmel website or anywhere else that sells Rimmel!

Annabel x