My top 5 budget beauty buys under €8

The end of the college year is nigh, stress is high and you just want to treat yo'self... But you're broke? We're talking scraping coins together from the back of the couch broke. You really want some pretty new makeup however to add some colour to your life... What do you do? Read on to find out what my top five budget beauty buys are of course! Best of all they all cost less than eight euros.

First up on the list is the much revered Botanics Radiance Balm. Coming in at a cool €7.99 in Boots stores now it will certainly have you feeling 'all bright.' I couldn't resist... It's similar to the Mac Strobe Cream but a much more pocket friendly alternative. Put this on after your moisturiser and it will act as an illuminating primer under your makeup to bring out that natural glow we all crave. 

                 

Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk is definitely a go to in my books to perk up tired eyes and make my eyes appear larger. It is €7 and available online at boots.ie and will soon be in store also. You heard it here first. I also used this eye liner on my lips in my first ever Youtube video that I filmed which you can watch by clicking this link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lStgTBVg8Fo&feature=youtu.be. White liner can also be used as a beauty back to create bigger lips so watch to the end of the video to find out. 

My last three must have budget beauty buys are the incredible (and that is no exaggeration) essence superfine liner pen. The velvet stick matte lip colour in Peony Star which I have swatched below and the I love Stage eyeshadow primer. These last three products are all from essence which is a cheap as chips beauty brand available in Penneys. All of these products cost under €3.50 so they are definitely worth a try. 

I swatched the matte velevet lip balm above from essence. It's a gorgeous dark pinky brown that will suit a lot of paler skin tones and work as a Kylie Jenner lip effect if you are a fan of Whirl lipstick by Mac. 

Now you have no excuses.. Wake up and makeup. 

Xxx

   

College casual : outfit of the day

I'm way out of my comfort zone doing outfit of the day post but I like to switch it up every so often so here you all are. My typical college uniform consists of black jeans, my Addidas Superstars and some sort of top plus a layer. I like to add interest with a fun or quirky piece of jewelry too. It can be hard to know what to wear in Ireland... This summer I threw this on and the sun was shining, I was worried I'd be too warm in the jumper but then April Showers decided to show their face so I've been through all four seasons in this outfit.

Jumper H&M current stock €6.99 / Jamie Jeans Topshop / Adidas Superstars Schuh / Necklace (cut off an old dress) Penneys 

The jeans are slightly high waisted which is great and super comfy. These were actually a Non scale victory purchase because I got them a size down from what I normally wear so I was happy out! Adidas Superstars are worn to death - need to make a new comfy shoe purchase soon. 

*Don't forget when shopping in Topshop and Schuh if you are a student you get a generous discount!*

Yeah I really need to work on my outfit of the day pose... 

So the you have it, it's not a very girly outfit or anything but I don't usually dress girly anyway. It's very comfy, and perfect for all four seasons and from going to lecture to lecture in college although after today I would add an umbrella or a jacket with a hood! If you have any shoe suggestions on what should be my next purchase ( I'm thinking New Balance) leave your suggestions in the comments and also let me know if you liked this post! 

Liebster Award Nomination

Hi guys and dolls,

I've been nominated for a Liebster award by lovely Jennifer from Jennys Little World It's basically an award for small time bloggers like myself with less than 3,000 Facebook followers. Currently I'm sitting at 2,620 so hopefully those numbers will be increasing soon enough. However if you are starting out blogging or blogging like myself for a while it is more important to engage and interact with the audience you do have than to have big numbers but not a whole lot of engagement. This is something I learned while reading up on digital marketing. Anyway before I get completely off track...as I write this I'm about to (fingers crossed) finish up my last ever assignment for my college degree. I'm studying media production management if you didn't know ;) So what better way to procrastinate than by writing a self-indulgent blog post.

I've been asked to answer the questions below and then pose a new set of questions for all the other bloggers I wish to nominate. I've definitely found some great new bloggers to follow so I will be sure to nominate them  after I answer the questions.

1. When did you start your blog and why?

I started blogging over two years ago now and I started it in part because I was studying journalism at the time and I was also doing a makeup course at night time so a beauty blog seemed like a great way to combine two loves! I remember being so terrified about putting myself out there that I created the Facebook page and the blog and then put it on private to hide it for a few months before I got the courage to come back to it.

2. Where did you come up with the name for your blog?

It was so tough to pick a name that isn't already out there. In the end I loved the idea of alliteration but now to be honest I see my blog name as such a mouthful! Blogging it beautiful is broad enough to incorporate beauty, fashion and lifestyle - travel is a beautiful thing after all.

3. What advice would you have for people thinking about starting a blog?

Think about your motivations for doing it. If it's for the event invites, free stuff, possible chance of being paid to do it... don't. You have to really work hard at putting yourself out there, build up an audience and build up your blog before event invites or freebies start rolling your way. This might sound harsh but the internet is already overpopulated with half assed blogs. Sometimes mine can be that way as well, not going to lie.
Pick your niche, better still pick something that isn't already oversaturated like beauty. Improve your writing skills, and if you are writing a blog post at least make sure it is over 100 words! Network with other bloggers 100%, follow hashtags on Twitter and Instagram and try and build all social media platforms from the get go.

4. Who are your favourite bloggers?

The blogs that I consistently turn to for seasoned opinions and a great insight into the blogging and beauty world would be Sinead from The Beautiful Truth I feel like she has something reviewed from every brand going so if I am thinking about making a new purchase or want to suss out a brand I head to her blog first. If I need a laugh or some solid blogging advice Sue from CherrySue, Doin' the Do is my first port of call. I've met both of these ladies and spoken to them albeit for a few minutes but they both seem like such genuine down to earth people which I love. Another blogger I love lately is Kim from SoSoDempo  once again super down to earth lovely girl. She blogs about affordable products and fashion for the curvier lady. Beautynook is also a fab blog that I have been turning to a lot lately for great makeup photography and honest opinions on beauty products.

5. What is your opinion on well known bloggers recommending products for payment?

I think that the new laws that have come in which require a blogger to let their followers know whether or not a post is sponsored or considered an advertisement is great. I think that there needs to be some transparency there especially for younger followers who might not realise that they need to take recommendations with a grain of salt. I will also state if I received products for free but a free product does not mean a glowing review. I will only give a good review if I genuinely loved using the product.

6. What challenges do you face with blogging?

It can be hard to stand out from the crowd. You can sometimes find yourself comparing yourself to other bloggers. The most difficult thing is knowing how much work you need to put in to make your blog successful but not having the same amount of time to do it. Editing, photography, if you want to incorporate video, social media, emails, writing, researching. It's essentially another part time job at minimum if you want to grow your platform.

7. Do you agree with bad criticism in blogs?

I'm not sure what this question means. Maybe it means on a blogger giving a bad review or criticism of a product or experience... I think its important to be honest and if I ever have to give a bad review I try do so some pros and cons as sometimes certain products i.e. skincare don't suit your skin type but that might not make it a bad product.

8. Who is your celebrity crush?

Always will be Channing Tatum...and I've had a thing for Will Smith too for as long as I can remember.

9. Favourite clothes / makeup brand?

Such a tough one! I'm not a designer girl (not like I can afford it) so clothes wise I will probably say Bershka, H&M, Penneys. Makeup wise... Clinique for foundation, Mac for lipsticks, Urban Decay for eyeshadows. The Balm for super cute packaging!

10. Share a random fact about yourself.

I can hold a conversation in both Spanish and German.

Below are the 10 blog nominees that I would love to answer the questions below in a blog post:

1. Leather Confessions
2. Kissandmakeup
3. Squidgy Moments blog
4. Pure Irish Sugar blog
5. Chloe Leonard MUA
6. Claire by Reverie
7. Pretty Purple Polka Dots
8. Grey Skies & Silver Linings
9. Blog Beauties
10. The Style Guide blog

I really like all these bloggers and check in on their content regularly, be sure to check them out!

So basically, if you have been nominated to do this Liebster tag/ for the award i.e a great blogger with under 3,000 followers you thank the person who nominated you on social media and go ahead and do the tag! Don't feel like you have to do it, but be great to get a little bit of community knowledge going especially re advice on blogging! So if you answer this post please tag me or my blog so I can read your post!

xx