The Versatile Blogger Award

Back in November I was nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award by the lovely Alicia from Clever Spices. With Christmas and the New Year, I put this post on the back-burner, and have now eventually got round to doing it. First, I would like to say a huge thank you to Alicia for nominating me; it's great to see that people actually like my blog and the rambles I put on here. And secondly, make sure you go check out Alicia's blog, it's lovely, with a good mixture of lifestyle and beauty posts.

"The Versatile Blogger Award is an award given to you from your blogger peers, for writing quality posts that have somehow touched them, having good quality photographs, and the uniqueness of the subjects covered. The award is to honour the bloggers who bring something special to your life."

How unbelievably sweet is that?! Thank you so much Alicia!

The Rules of the Award:

- Display the award certificate on your blog

- Announce your win and thank the blogger who nominated you

- Present 15 bloggers with the award

- Link your nominees in this post and let them know of their nomination with a comment

- Post 7 interesting things about yourself

My Nominees:

- Hayley from haysparkle

- Taylor from beauty-and-a-blogger

- Vanessa from bonbonsbeauty

- Stephanie from eatsleepchic

- Georgia  from teacupsnmakeup

- Christina from rusty-sequins

- sweetheartfashionx

- Alyssa from bonnetsandbows

- Kate from todayibegin

- Paige from paigespreferences

- Zoe from stonefoxinc

- Jen from looksandlifestyle

- Jo from sparkle-bug

- Danni from gingerbreadsmiles

- miss-glambition

7 Facts About Myself:

- I am obsessed with television shows! I love nothing more than finding a new show to watch. I currently love Reign, and I'm re-watching One Tree Hill from the beginning

- My dream is to road trip around America

- I am a huge sucker for fairy tales

- I love baking and decorating cakes

- My birthday is the same day as St George's Day and William Shakespeare's birthday. Don't think you can get anymore English!

- I really dislike tea and coffee. The only hot drink I drink is the occasional hot chocolate

- Don't judge me on this, but I love country music!

Thanks again to Alicia for nominating me!

MAC Groundwork

Today I bring you my third ever MAC purchase. I researched a lot before I purchased this, as MAC is expensive, and I wanted to make sure that it was something that I would like and use a lot. So, I chose a paint pot, as I thought this would be the perfect product for me, as I don't wear eyeshadow on a day-to-day basis, so this is a quick and easy way of evening out my eyelids and adding a bit of colour.

Paint Pot's are basically highly pigmented cream eyeshadows. Once applied they set quickly, and once set, they do not move! This makes them perfect as a base for eyeshadow or used by themselves as a easy eye look. I have heard mixed reviews on the MAC Paint Pot's, some saying that they creased and didn't last, but I can honestly say, that this doesn't crease on me, and lasts most of the day.

Groundwork is a matte mid-tone brown. I find that it's the perfect no-makeup-makeup look for the eyes, that I am a big fan of. It evens out any discolouration or veins on the eyelids, but looks very natural, and also adds depth to the eye. I wear this by itself as an everyday makeup look, but also wear this as a base for other eyeshadows when I want something extra, firstly because it doesn't crease on me, and secondly because I find it makes the eyeshadow colours pop more.

I use my ring finger to apply this, and then blend it out with a Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush, and find this works great. I would say though, be careful how you replace the lid and store them, as if the lid is not screwed on tightly, it will dry out quick.

I am really pleased with this product, and am tempted to try out some of their more snazzy shades.

Have you tried any Paint Pot's? What's your favourite?

The Liebster Award

The other day I received a lovely tweet from Emma (prettypeachy87) saying that she had nominated me for a Liebster Award! Then, once I posted my Naked3 Palette Review, I got a comment off Selina from  longdistancecollegelove nominating for another Liebster Award. I also received a nomination from Harriet from lipstickleathers from my Naked3 post. And then I got a tweet off Hannah from bloggerhannah13 saying she had also nominated me.

So, thank you so much to Emma, Selina, Harriet and Hannah! I really appreciate it!

OK, so I am sort of changing the setup a bit, in that since I have already been nominated before, I will just answer each set of questions from each person who nominated me. If you want to learn more about the Liebster Award rules and who I nominated then check it out here.

First up is Emma's questions:

1. Name three people (dead or alive) who you'd like to go out for dinner with and why?

OK, so my first person would definitely have to be Taylor Swift. She is my idol. I love everything about her, and especially her grace and elegance in a world that seems to look to the shock factor. I would also love to go out with Shailene Woodley. She seems to have such a fresh and interesting view of the world, and I think she would challenge my thinking and open me up to new ideas. And lastly, Jennifer Lawrence. I love how she doesn't take herself too seriously and hasn't fallen into all the Hollywood-ness of her job. I think she would be hilarious to have dinner with.

2. What would you do with your money if you won the lottery?

I would probably use it for my dream of road-tripping around North America. I would love to do a round trip visiting lots of places in the US.

3. What's your favourite beauty/makeup product?

At the minute, probably the Stila Perfect and Correct foundation or the Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream.

4. What's the strangest thing you've ever done in the name of beauty?

I have naturally curly hair, and once when I had straightened my hair, a friend told me that to keep it straight overnight I had to sleep with a pair of knickers on my head! I can say it didn't work! And I looked a right numpty in the morning waking up with a pair of pants on my head! 

5. Have you ever broken a bone? If yes, how?

I have been very lucky and have gone nearly 22 years and not broken a bone! Touch wood it stays that way!

6. What has been your biggest beauty/makeup let down?

Probably the Benefit They're Real mascara or the Revlon Lip Butters. The mascara's just too wet, and goes everywhere on me. And I really wasn't impressed with the Lip Butters.

7. Do you have or would you get a tattoo?

I don't currently have a tattoo, but strangely, I tweeted the other day that I had a sudden urge to get one, and was even starting to design one. I would like a small one on my wrist, but I'm really not good at dealing with pain, so not sure if I could actually put myself through it.

8. What is your favourite chocolate bar?

The Cadbury Dairy Milk with Crunchie pieces. So good!

9. If you had to leave your house now, what would you take with you?

Does my dog count?! If not, probably my laptop.

10. Which is your favourite time of the year?

I'm a bit weird, in that my favourite time of year is Christmas, but my favourite season is Autumn. So, I suppose when it's cold.

11. What was your most treasured toy/game from when you were little?

I used to love my Polly Pockets! Not the ones you can get nowadays, but the little trinket box type ones with little tiny figures and scenes inside. Hopefully the picture will explain it better. 

(Source)

Thank you again Emma for nominating me!

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Next is Selina's questions:

1. Do you have any pets?

Yep, I have a dog, who I love to death!

2. One thing that you'd never wear

I'm really struggling to come up with an answer for this. I suppose one thing I would probably never wear are really highly printed leggings or trousers.

3. Which is your favourite animal?

I've never really had a favourite animal. But if I had to choose, I'd probably say penguins.

4. Do you have or would you ever get a tattoo?

I don't currently have a tattoo, but strangely, I tweeted the other day that I had a sudden urge to get one, and was even starting to design one. I would like a small one on my wrist, but I'm really not good at dealing with pain, so not sure if I could actually put myself through it.

5. Cat person or dog person?

Dog person for sure! I'm really not keen on cats. I knew a couple of horrible ones growing up, that would scratch you, so that put me off them.

6. Which country would you like to live in?

America! Like I said above, my dream is to road-trip around America, so to live there would also be amazing! If not America, then Italy.

7. Style inspirations

I don't really have a certain person that I look up to for style. I like bits of everything really, and go from there. I also get a lot of inspiration from just random people on the street. If I see something I like then I'll try to add it into my own style my own way.

8. Do you play any instruments?

Not now. I used to play the violin in primary school, and was beginner at the keyboard. I would love to learn the guitar. I even got one for Christmas the other year as I was going to teach myself, but that hasn't happened yet.

9. Summer or Winter? Why?

Winter. I can't be doing with the heat. I find it's much easier to warm up than to cool down. Plus, I love layering up, and wearing boots!

10. Your favourite memory from the school days?

Oh God! I can't choose one. I wasn't really a fan of school.

11. What do you want to be?

I'm at this stage of my life where I really need to figure this out now. I graduated from university last year, so just doing things to bring some money in at the minute. But lately I've been thinking that I would like to bake and decorate celebration cakes etc. Maybe one day opening up my own business.

Thank you Selina for nominating me!

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Harriet asked:

1. What's your favourite item in your makeup bag?

Just lately it's been the Stila Perfect and Correct Foundation. Been loving this!

2. Where do you live and have you lived in any other countries?

I currently live in the UK. Nope, never lived in any other countries.

3. Are you good at painting/drawing or any other type of art?

Well, yes (don't want to sound big-headed!). I graduated from art college last year with a 2:1 in Children's Illustration.

4. Which celebrities style do you like the most and why?

I much prefer it when celebrities dress more casual. For this reason, some of favourites are Rachel Bilson and Lauren Conrad.

5. What career are you hoping to have?

I'm at this stage of my life where I really need to figure this out now. I graduated from university last year, so just doing things to bring some money in at the minute. But lately I've been thinking that I would like to bake and decorate celebration cakes etc. Maybe one day opening up my own business.

6. What's your favourite feature of yourself? (It's not vain to love parts of yourself!)

If I really have to choose one, probably my eyes?

7. What's your most worn piece of clothing?

My basic black v-neck t-shirt. I love the simplicity of this and the chic-ness. Finished with a really nice jacket or cardigan and necklace and a good pair of jeans, I really don't think you can go wrong with this.

8. What colour lipsticks do you usually buy? (reds/pinks/purples etc.)

I'm just starting to get into lipsticks, but for now, it's the nude-y colours. My current favourite is Soap and Glory's Super-Colour-Fabulipstick in The Missing Pink.

9. What kind of music do you listen to?

Don't judge me on this, but I love me some country music! Favourites are Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves and of course Taylor Swift.

10. What's your most loved skincare product?

Right now, it's the Lacura Aqua Complete moisturiser from Aldi.

11. Which celebrity would you most want to read your blog?

Ooohh, that's a tough one. It would be cool to know that my idol (Taylor Swift) read my blog. But it would also be really nice if some of my blogger favourites or YouTube favourites (FleurDeForce, Makeup Savvy, SprinkleofGlitter) read it aswell.

Thank you Harriet again for the nomination!

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Finally, last but not least is Hannah's questions:

1. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

Sharing a love and passion with like-minded people. Also, getting to know new people, and hearing their thoughts and opinions about different products.

2. Do you prefer shopping for fashion or makeup?

Makeup definitely!

3. Why did you decide to start a blog?

To share my love with like-minded people, and be in a community of such accepting people.

4. What is your favourite type of post to write?

Probably hauls, as I love shopping so much, and these are the posts and videos I love to read/watch.

5. What/Who is your favourite beauty brand?

Probably Maybelline. Some favourites are the tinted Baby Lips, The Eye Eraser concealer and the Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze.

6. What is one piece of advice you would give to a younger you?

Say yes! Don't be afraid!

7. If you make videos for YouTube, do you prefer blog writing or video making?

I don't make YouTube videos at the moment, sorry.

8. Your idea of a perfect day?

I love nothing more than curling up on the sofa and having a duvet day, watching some of my favourite TV shows and films.

9. Favourite fashion piece to wear right now?

Black jeans! I can't believe it's taken me so long to get into them!

10. Eyeliner or mascara?

Mascara. Still trying to master the art of eyeliner!

11. One piece of advice you would give to people thinking of starting a blog?

Go for it! Let your personality and passion shine through your posts.

Thank you again Hannah for nominating me!

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Thank you for the nominations. I hope you enjoyed this post and have got to know me a bit more now.

Oh Yes, I Jumped... Cleansing Balms

This post is the start of a new series that I'm beginning here on Land of Beauty. It's going to be posts about products that I have jumped on the bandwagon of (hence, 'I jumped'). I thought to start this series off, I would begin with hot cloth cleansers/cleansing balms, and bring you my review of the Boots Botanics Organic Hot Cloth Cleanser.

Cleansing Balms/Hot Cloth Cleansers are oil based cleansers that melt when massaged into the skin. They are then removed with a hot muslin cloth or flannel. They don't dry out the skin, like gel cleansers can, and contain much more beneficial skincare ingredients. They are great at removing makeup aswell!

I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about the Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleanser, but after giving it a try for about 4 weeks now, and I have really been loving it! My skin is combination and dehydrated, so it doesn't take much to dry it out, but this doesn't at all. It leaves it feeling hydrated and not stripped. I have seen some people say that they find this leaves an oily residue, but I don't find this at all. I will use this morning and night and then follow up with toner and moisturiser, and my skin feels and looks hydrated all day. I take a small mount of this, massage it into my skin and remove with either the muslin cloth that comes with the cleanser, or a clean flannel.

As for ingredients, it is 97% organic, which I love even more; not full of all those nasty chemicals. It has a slight herbal scent to it, which I'm not overly keen on, but I put up with it. When I first used this, the balm was hard to scoop out, but once you get past that top layer, it softens up, especially if you hold the tub in your hands for a couple of minutes. Although you can use this to remove all your makeup, I tend to use a micellar water first to get the majority off, and then follow up with this. It removes the last traces of makeup on my face. I even use this on my eyes, and it doesn't sting.

This cleanser is £8.99 from Boots, but this range always has some sort of offer on, so watch out for them. I feel that this is a great beginners cleansing balm, and a lot cheaper alternative to the highly raved-about Emma Hardie one.

Have you tried any hot cloth cleansers or cleansing balms?

The Naked3 Palette

I'm sure by now, most beauty people will have heard of the ever-raved about Naked eyeshade palettes by Urban Decay. If you're new to them, they're basically a palette consisting of 12 neutral eyeshadows. What makes them so special you ask? Well, they are extremely pigmented, blend so easily and are some of the best neutral palettes out there.

Available here for £37

The first Naked palette consisted of bronze and gold warm toned neutrals. The Naked2 was made up of taupe-y cool toned colours. Then a mini-palette was introduced called the The Naked Basics (review and swatches here) containing 5 matte shades and 1 shimmery highlighter shade. Just before Christmas, social media went crazy over rumours about a Naked3 palette. It turned out those rumours were true, and soon, everyone went Naked3 mad!

The Naked3 palette is made up of 12 rosy-toned neutrals. There is a good mixture of glitter, shimmer and matte shadows, all of which have a rose undertone, but are slightly warm toned as well, making it perfect for anyone to wear them. I can imagine these being flattering for almost every skin tone, and any eye colour. Each shadow has great colour-payoff, and are buttery soft and so easy to blend.

I really love this palette. I do have all three (four counting the basics palette) but I seem to be reaching for this palette a lot more than any of the others just lately. I would say, if you don't have any, and are considering buying one, I would probably say choose this one, as the first palette is very warmed tone, which darker skin tones seem to pull off better, and the second palette is a lot more cool toned, which can be hard to pull off for some paler skin tones, but this palette will suit pretty much everyone.

Empties #3

Since my first empties posts, (seen here and here) I've used up quite a few products, so for today's post, I thought I would show what I've been using over the last couple of months (and to clear out my drawer that was currently storing all these!)

Frizz Ease 3-Day Straight - I love this product! I have long, naturally curly hair that can be hard to tame, and over the last few months, I've started getting into blow-drying my hair straight, and this is what I use as heat-protector and a helping hand. I find it does really help to tame my hair and keep it frizz-free, and also helps make it that bit more straighter and helps it last a lot longer. I have and will continue to repurchase.

Michael Todd Cranberry Antiox Toner - I wasn't overly impressed with this toner. I never really noticed that it did anything for my skin, although it didn't dry it out like some toners can. I won't be buying this again.

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel - If you've read my previous empties post, you'll know I love this shower gel. Unfortunately it's a limited edition product that's only available at Christmas time, so it's not easy to get hold of. I did get some for Christmas and from their sale, and will repurchase again when it's back in stores.

Herbal Essences Fresh Balance Clarifying Shampoo - This is a great shampoo that I use once a week for a really good deep-clean to make sure all the product build-up is out of my hair. I have repurchased this, and it always seems to be on offer for under £2 for a big bottle, which lasts for ages!

Michael Todd Hydration Boost Serum - I did like this product. I seemed to help give my skin a moisture boost, but I couldn't use just this as my moisturiser, which is one of the ways that this can be used. I haven't repurchased this, and I'm not sure if I will, at least not in the near-future.

TRESemme Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo - Once again, this is my favourite dry shampoo that I have used. I go through so much of this stuff, and always stock up when it's on offer. I have repurchased this, and will continue to.

Michael Todd Intensive Organic Cream Eye Treatment - This was probably one of my favourite products that I tried out of the Michael Todd range I brought. It really kept my under-eye area moisturised, and was light enough to wear during the day underneath makeup. I haven't repurchased this yet, but am definitely tempted to.

Michael Todd Honey and Oat Deep Pore Cleanser -  Now, this I have mixed feelings on, firstly it did really work to clean my skin, and make sure everything was off, and leave it feeling refreshed. However, I did notice that it dried my skin out slightly, which was not good for me, as my skin is already dry combination. I don't think I'll be repurchasing this.

Witch Tinted Moisturiser in 2 Medium - I use this on days where I don't want a full face of makeup, just a light covering to make my face more even. Not only does it even everything out, it also has blemish fighting ingredients, so is great when you're having a break-out. I have repurchased this.

Lacura Aqua Moisture Cream x2 - This is my current favourite daytime moisturiser. It leaves my skin feeling and looking hydrated, and works great under makeup. It also contains a low level SPF, which is better than nothing. And the best part is it's £1.99 for a glass tub! I have repurchased this, and probably will continue to.

Lush Ocean Salt - If you've read my previous empties post, then you'll probably know that I used to like this scrub, but I had really gone off it. Anyway, I had forgotten that I had already repurchased this, so this is the that tub. I won't be repurchasing this.

Pantene Smooth and Sleek Light Silicone Free Shampoo - This is one of my current favourite shampoos. It claims that it doesn't weigh your hair down, as it doesn't contain any silicones, and I think I agree with this. It also helps to smooth out my hair, and keep it looking glossy. I will repurchase this.

Pantene Smooth and Sleek Conditioner - Again, my favourite conditioner currently. This leaves my hair so smooth and sleek (see what I did there!) and helps control frizz. I will repurchase this.

I'm glad to have my drawer back again! For now that is anyway.

Hello 2014!

Well, I think this is the first time I've said it so far this year, but Happy New Year! This past week on my blog has seemed to turn into a Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014 week, with my favourites from December and from 2013. I know it's kind of late to be putting up this sort of post, but I figured, it fits in with this week, and it's better late than never, right? I just wanted to write down some hopes and inspiration for my blog in this next year; sort of like resolutions.

My main goal and hope for this year is that I really want to get into blogging. It's only really been the last 5 months or so where I have really started to put my time and heart into blogging, and I've really been enjoying it. I've already got a few exciting plans for possible posts and series over the next few months, which I hope you will enjoy.

As for other resolutions for my blog:

• Get more organised!! This is partly why I never really got into blogging before hand, as I could never seem to get into some sort of routine or schedule. So that's what I plan on doing this year. I've brought a notebook, and a diary and have started to write down ideas and things to do and when to do them by. I want to come up with some sort of schedule for posts, for example, 3 a week or something on certain days.
• Get social! In both senses of the word, through social media and through actual friendships. At the minute, I'm only really on Twitter, so I want to start making the most out of social media, i.e. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, and hopefully this in turn will bring along more people to start talking to and get to know.
• Say yes! If I'm ever lucky enough to gain any opportunities from my blog, for example, meeting new people, I won't pass them up just because I'm anxious about going. I'm really going to try to push myself.
• Try different things! Basically try blogging about different things, not necessarily beauty related, but more lifestyle posts etc.

So, there's my resolutions and hopes and inspirations for my blog during the next year. I can't wait to see what will be on my list this time next year, and hope you'll stay with me for the ride.

What are some of your resolutions for the new year?