#AskPrettyPetals1

Hello my lovelies!,

I can hardly believe that tomorrow, we will be saying that today was last year!! This year has flown by and its had its ups and downs but at least I'm heading into 2014 with a good mind as I hope many of you guys are too! I set out on Instagram (@_prettypetals) and asked my lovely followers to ask me some beauty/fashion questions or just anything about 2013 in general and I got a lot of questions! Thankyou for all of the questions, I found it hard to chose the best ones!

1.) What is your aim in Youtube for 2014? @tilda_blohm

Our aim is to try and double our amount of subscribers! At the moment, we have 2,140 so it would be amazing to have around 4,000 this time next year, if not more! We have some exciting plans for our Youtube videos in 2014 which we are excited to share with you guys so make sure that you're a subscriber if you want to see what lies in store for us throughout 2014! (Youtube - AllYours1516)

2.) Who is your beauty inspiration of the year? @_hannahjaynetaylorr

This is surprisingly easy for me! Around April 2013, I started watching Tanya Burr on Youtube and I watched all of her makeup tutorials. From then on, I started building up my own collection of makeup and trying out the makeup looks that she videoed. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be into makeup as I am now and I also wouldn't have found other Youtubers that I now love to watch! 

3.) When did you start Instagram and why? & Why did you make a blog? @olivia_hassan

I actually started a 'themed' Instagram back in January when I got my iPod. I was inspired by @livandhearts who is no longer on Instagram (I think) and so I started taking themed photos. My Instagram then got deleted at 500 followers which at that point for me was devastating because 500 followers to me back then was incredible! Now, here I am with 16,000 of you guys on Instagram and I wouldn't change it for the world! It might sound silly, but I feel so privileged that 16k people like my themed photos and have stuck with me all these months! I made a blog because I have always loved to write and I just thought that it would be really fun to write about beauty, fashion and my life!

4.) What makeup brand have you brought the most makeup from this year? @blondie_21xox

I think that has got to be Rimmel London! I have purchased a lot of makeup from the Rimmel stand over the past year and I love it! However, I have probably been gifted the most makeup from Benefit this year which I am really grateful for as Benefit is my favourite makeup brand and it is quite expensive!

5.) What's the best and worst fashion statement that you've seen in 2013? @thosecutethingsss

This is a hard question because there have been lots of trends that I have loved and hated this year! Two of my favourite trends this year have been the Tartan and Grunge trend! Now on to my worst fashion statement that I have seen this year. I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with me here but I really disliked (and still do) the Air Max trend! I just think that they look ridiculously clumpy on your feet!

6.) What's your favourite shop of the year and why? @brooke_amber9
I think my favourite shop this year has been Lush! Before April, I had never even heard of Lush and now, it is my favourite shop ever! I think I found out about Lush because of Instagram so thankyou 'themed' accounts for making me love Lush and waste my money on un-needed but so worth-it bath bombs!

7.) What was a highlight of 2013 for you? @californiaklass_

There are quite a few highlights that have been important to me this year so I'm going to cheat and say more than one! Starting Youtube, going to see We Will Rock You (Westend), starting Year 10 = GCSE's, saying goodbye to a loved one, reaching my main goal of 10k on Instagram, reaching 2k on Youtube, going to see JLS on their last ever tour, being a senior dancer in a show with Ale, getting a letter of approval to dance at Disneyland Paris with my dance school.. etc! I could go on forever, but that is just a taster of some of the amazing things that has happened this year which I am forever grateful for!

8.) What's been your favourite fashion item this year? @hebesprettylittlelife
This question is absolutely impossible for me to answer with just one answer but a few items are my high-waisted jeans from Internacionale and I have loved my blouses this year! I must have about 8 blouses in my wardrobe now!

9.) If you were stuck on a desert island and you could only have 3 beauty products, what would they be and why? @niamh_rosie
 I would choose: Aussie's Miracle Hair Leave-in Conditioner, Lush's Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly and lastly, Soap and Glory's Flake Away! I love these 3 products so much and they are my must-have bath items.

10.) What is your New Years resolution for 2014? @emilyjxne
My New Years resolution is to be more flexible and that means that I am going to stretch much more! As a dancer, it is important that I stretch all of the time but I always forget so from 1st January onwards, I will keep my resolution and stretch more to become more flexible! Also, I will stop spending so much money on items that I don't really need (blouses).

Thankyou for asking me lots of lovely questions, I really enjoyed going through each one and thinking about my answer! I hope that you all have a wonderful but safe New Years and celebrate with joy whatever you're doing! I will see you next when it is 2014!

What is your New Years resolution?

L x

Best of 2013 - Beauty

Hello my lovelies!,

Today, I thought that I would share with you my top favourite beauty products of 2013, seeing as it is nearly the end of the year! Now throughout the course of this year, I have purchased and tried out lots and lots of products so it was quite difficult choosing what ones to feature in this blogpost. Overall, the ones that I have chosen are nearly all drugstore products that I have reached for nearly every day and products that have never failed on me! I hope you enjoy reading about them:')

 The first item that has been a favourite of mine this year has got to be the MUA 'Undress Me Too' palette. If you want to see me using this palette then you can watch the makeup tutorial that we did over on my Youtube here. This palette is the perfect cheap dupe for the Naked palettes by Urban Decay. Every colour is super pigmented and they all blend really nicely together as well too! For £4, this palette was an absolute bargain and I have loved it all year round!

 I have been loving the 'They're Real' mascara from Benefit for the past few months. It is honestly amazing and even though the £19.50 pricetag may put some people off, this is definitely going to be a re-purchase of mine! To see a full review of this beauty, click here. 

The Rimmel Apocalips in the shade Nova has been a constant go-to lipstick of mine this year. It's a gorgeous, girly pink shade and the consistency is beautiful! I would highly recommend these lip lacquers and this shade especially!

 I have loved the Rimmel Stay Matte powder alongside many beauty bloggers/youtubers over the past year because it is just amazing at setting my makeup and decreasing the amount of unwanted shine on my face. As you can see, mine has been well loved and I am in need of a new one! I love this product a lot and I know it will be a favourite of mine for years to come!

When my mum said that she didn't want this Virgin bronzer/ blush quad palette anymore, I instantly welcomed it into my makeup stash. The 4 colours are perfect for adding some colour to my cheeks and the packaging is just beautiful when it hits the light. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where this is able to purchase so I will just let you admire the beauty through the internet. This product has been used so much throughout the course of this year!

This Benefit concealer kit has been used practically everyday this year! The concealer is amazing and it also comes with a mini high beam, lip plump and ooh la lift which are equally as good! This kit has been so handy to carry around in my bag/makeup bag for touching up throughout the day and I love it a lot!

Throughout the course of this year, the Real Technique brushes have found their way into my makeup collection but these two brushes have been my absolute favourite! The buffing brush is perfect for getting a flawless finish with your foundation/bb cream and the deluxe crease brush is amazing for concealer and for applying eyeshadow in the crease. For a full review on all of the Real Technique brushes in my collection, watch the Youtube video here.

 Lastly, I thought I would throw in a scent that I have been loving this year and that is Miss by Miss Sixty. This scent is so lovely and the packaging is just so pretty and girly. I'm not the best at describing scents so I wont even try, but if you get the chance to, I would definitely recommend giving this a sniff! 

So they have been a few of my favourite products throughout 2013! Of course, I have been loving a lot more beauty products over this year, but I couldn't include everything! I hope that you enjoyed reading this blogpost and I hope that this time next year, I am writing the same blogpost with lots of new products that I have been loving!

What have been your favourite products throughout 2013?

L x

40 Questions Beauty Tag!

Hello my lovelies!,

So today has been one of those days where I have had as much inspiration as the size of a pea. Lots of my Instagram followers have been asking for a 'What I Got for Christmas' blogpost but I have decided to do that on my Youtube (AllYours1516) after the New Year. So for today, I have opted for the easy option which is a tag blogpost. The tag that I am going to complete today is the 40 Beauty Questions tag! I hope you enjoy reading my answers:')

SKINCARE 

-How many times do you wash your face daily? I wash my face twice a day, in the morning and at night.

 -What skin type do you have? I have quite dry skin which is super annoying:(

-What is your current facial wash? Just a cheapy one from Superdrug but I usually use the Simple Kind to Skin facial wash.

-Do you exfoliate? Sometimes, I do often forget though. 

. -What brand do you use?  St Ives is one of my favourites!

-What moisturizer do you use? I have lots on the go at once but one of my favourites is the Superdrug Vitamin Moisturising Cream.

 -Do you have freckles? Yes, all over my nose. They come out a lot in the summer!

-Do you use eye cream? No, not at the moment.

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin? No, which I'm thankful for.

 -Did you ever have to use Proactive? No.
. 

MAKE-UP 

-What foundation do you use? I use BB Cream instead of foundation as I only like a small amount of coverage. I use the Rimmel BB Cream in the shade light.

-How about concealer? I use the Benefit Boi-ing concealer which is amazing!

-Do you know your undertone color? No.

-What do you think of fake eyelashes? I think that they're really pretty sometimes but I only wear them myself when I do dance shows.

-Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months? Yes, I do change mine every 3 months too!

-What brand of mascara do you use? The Benefit They're Real mascara and the Rimmel Scandel Eyes mascara.

-Sephora or MAC? MAC, I love their lipsticks!

-Do you have a MAC Pro-card? No.

 -What makeup tools do you use in make up application? I use the Real Technique brushes and a beauty blender from H&M.

 -Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes? No, I really should though!

-For the face? I use the Benefit Porefessional Primer,

-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)? I like a nice neutral shade most of the time.

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner? It depends but I usually use a pen eyeliner.

-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? Surprisingly, never!

 -What do you think of pigment eye shadows? I think they're gorgeous but they always fall out and mess up my makeup bag!

-Do you use mineral makeup? No.

 -What is your favorite lipstick? Ah, this is such a hard question! Two of my favourites are Creme Cup from MAC and the Rimmel Apocolips in Nova. 

-How about lipgloss? I don't really wear lipgloss!

 -What is your favorite blush to use? I have a gorgeous one called Candyfloss from a cheapy makeup store. 

-Do you buy your makeup on eBay? No because I like to test it out beforehand in person before buying.

-Do you like drugstore makeup? Yes, its so good for the price!

 -Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets) No, I've never heard of one before near where I live.

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes? Yes, I would love to learn proper tips and tricks.

-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup? The only thing I tend to be clumsy at when it comes to makeup is eyeliner.

 -Name a makeup crime that you hate? I absolutely hate clumpy mascara that looks as if there is about 10 layers on!

-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones? I like a nice bright lip most of the time but neutrals are my favourite on the eyes.

-Which celebrity always has great make up? Taylor Swift always has gorgeous makeup on!

 -If you could leave the house using just ONE makeup item, what would you use? I would have to say mascara, it makes my eyes look much more awake and bigger.

 -Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on? Yes, I do a lot of the time.

-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on? I don't like the way this question is worded but I think that my skin without makeup is quite good which is why I sometimes do not wear it.

-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line? Another hard question but I would have to say Benefit!

 -What do you think of Makeup? I think that it is a beautiful creation that people can use to cover up their flaws or just to enhance their skin. Personally, I love makeup!

So this has been the 40 Questions Beauty tag. I'm sorry that it hasn't been the most interesting blogpost, I hope to have some more inspiration for tomorrows post. For now though, I want to know your answers! 

What do you think of makeup?

L x

Benefit They're Real Mascara!

Hello my lovelies!,

So, lately I have been thinking about my favourite products throughout 2013 as I was debating whether or not to do a blogpost on them. As I was rummaging through my makeup collection, choosing what products have been my favourite all year round, I found my Benefit 'They're Real' mascara and instantly threw it into the blogpost pile. However, I thought that this mascara deserved a whole blogpost of its own, so here it is:')

My mum and I were out shopping a few months back when we came across the Benefit section in Debenhams. We both absolutely love Benefit makeup and the mascara had been on our shopping lists to buy for months! So when we saw it in the shop on offer, the lady tested it out on us and we both just gave in and so my mum bought it for us to share. We decided that we would only wear it on special occasions or to parties as it is a special product and the pricetag is quite delicate too! 

This is why we bought it...

Before                                                      After

My eyelashes are naturally quite long anyway, but after using the Benefit mascara, it was literally as if I was wearing false lashes (which is what it's meant to do). The pricetag is quite high for a mascara but its a high-end brand and the packaging is beautiful so what do you expect? We payed £19.50 and it came with a free mini travel size mascara which I thought was a really good deal! Personally, I find that the wand makes it easy to apply the mascara and after having it for a few months, it hasnt dried out at all! This mascara has had some mixed reviews but I think that you can't judge a product until you have tried it out yourself!

If you have tried the Benefit They're Real mascara then tell me your views on it below! Not everyone will like this mascara but I know that I love it and I will definitely be re-purchasing it when it runs out! Thanks for reading, see you in my next post!

L x

PS - You can now follow me on Bloglovin! Just type my blog URL into the search bar and follow me through there for blogpost updates!:)

Favourite Winter Lipsticks! - First Ever Blogpost!

Hi guys!,

If you are reading this blogpost then thankyou and hello! This is my first ever blogpost so please excuse me if it isn't the best you have read but I will get better at this, I promise. So today, I thought that I would jump right into the beauty posts as I figured a lot of you already will know about me from my Instagram. If not then my name is Lauren and I will be posting about all things beauty and fashion. For now though, let me show you my favourite winter-time lipsticks!

1.) Rimmel Apocalips/Show Off Lip Lacquer in 'Big Bang'

Every girl needs the perfect red lipstick in her life and I believe that for me, this is the one. This gorgeous red shade is perfect for the winter/festive period. The pigmentation is beautiful and personally for me, it stays on for hours even when eating and drinking. The packaging is also as beautiful as the product inside! The deopfer applicator makes this lip lacquer glide on easily without trouble. The formula is like a lipgloss but in no way is this lacquer sticky on my lips at all. This is one of my favourites for the winter season and I thoroughly recommend them!

2.) Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in '04'

This lipstick is somewhat daring and may not be to everyone's taste but personally, I love this lipstick for the winter months. I managed to pick this up in Poundland somehow and it is so beautiful! This lipstick makes your teeth look super white and gives a vampy vibe to an outfit. I haven't been brave enough to wear it out yet as the pigmentation is super intense but one day I will.. maybe. It glides on easily but is able to come off quite easily which can be a good and bad trait. I love this lipstick and I can't wait to properly wear this out and make the most of it throughout the winter!

3.) M.A.C Lipstick in 'Creme Cup'

This MAC lipstick is completely different to the other two lipsticks above but I think its sometimes nice to stay away from the intense, bright colours and opt for a perfect pinky nude, even in the winter! My perfect nude has to be this one from MAC. Creme Cup is a big favourite when it comes to nudes and its cremesheen finish makes it a perfect lippie. Despite the high end price tag, this lipstick is gorgeous and I have worn it a lot throughout the winter. The colour isn't too bright but is buildable and it glides on perfectly. So, if you aren't brave enough to pull off a dark lipstick this winter, then this is the one for you!

So they are my 3 favourite lipsticks for the winter time! I hope that my first blogpost hasn't been too bad! Make sure to leave me some comments about what you would like to see in future posts and maybe even give me a cheeky follow! Thanks for reading, I'll be back with another post soon,

L x

Ps- Sorry about the date/time on the photos, I couldn't delete them!