My Blogs 1 Year Anniversary!

Hi guys, today is my blogs one year anniversary and I cannot believe how quickly the months have flown by! I first started this blog as a bit of an experiment and in all honesty, I didn't know what to write about half of the time and my posts were extremely varied. As time went on, however, my blog slowly transformed into a place where I talk about beauty and fashion - two of my passions! Also, as some of you may or may not know, I am currently unemployed due to struggling with anxiety for many years and blogging has given me a creative outlet in which I can really call my own.

Since I started blogging this time last year, I have learnt multiple tips & tricks from so many beauty bloggers that its hard to know where to start. I have learnt way more than I ever expected; from highlighting and contouring to discovering the Real Techniques make-up brushes, I have become so much more educated in the world of beauty and cosmetics. 

Not only this, I have been overwhelmed by how supportive the beauty blogging community is! Although my blog is still small, with just over 50 followers, I am so appreciative of every single person who takes time out of their day to read my blog posts. The comments that I receive are always so positive and lovely, which gives me such a boost of confidence knowing that my writing has been well received. I love interacting with other bloggers. In fact, I recently created a separate Twitter account for my blog (@MichaelaLaBlog,) in order to interact even more with fellow bloggers and it's going really well so far. I get a lot of enjoyment out of being able to talk to other beauty fanatics and bonding over our thoughts and opinions of products.

In a nutshell, this post is just to say a HUGE thank you to all of my followers and readers. I am really looking forward to creating many more blog posts in the future and entering my second year of blogging! 

The Fairy Tale Tag

Hi guys. Today, I thought that I would do a tag as I haven't done one in a little while. I really liked the sound of the 'Fairy Tale' tag after seeing it on Jennie's blog, (Sail Boat,) which is amazing by the way so please check it out! This tag is quite a personal and in-depth one which is great, as I thought it would give you all the chance to get to know me a little better. So, let's begin!

Snow White - Do you consider yourself beautiful?
Not really but I am slowly learning to accept myself more, I like myself a lot more than I did when I was younger.

Sleeping Beauty - How many hours do you sleep at night?
I normally get the standard amount which is about seven or eight hours.

Cinderella - Do you have a curfew?
No, I would be worried if I did at this age haha!

Rapunzel - Do you love being outside?

Only in the summer. I love the sunshine as it really lifts my mood, plus I love tanning! In the winter I have to be forced to go outside, I love to hibernate and can be quite lazy.

Red Riding Hood - Do you trust strangers easily?
Not easily. I think it takes a lot for me to put my belief in someone, especially boys!

The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids - Are you easily fooled?
I don't think I am. I would like to think that I have my head screwed on and my wits about me a lot of the time.

Beauty and the Beast - What makes someone beautiful in your eyes?
Being an honest and caring person are huge factors for me, those two qualities are super important!

The Little Mermaid - What would you sacrifice for love?
I'm not really sure but I definitely would not dramatically change my appearance or my beliefs to please a person.

The Frog Prince - What do you find disgusting?
Contrary to a lot of people I know, I hate the smell of petrol. I also am not very good with blood, so keep those horror films away from me!

Jack and the Beanstalk - Do you have any plants?
There are plants in my house but I live at home, so they are my Mum's really.

Puss in Boots - Do you have pets? If not, do you want them?
I have a dog called Sasha. She is a Labrador Husky cross and she is adorable. We got her five years ago from a dog rescue centre. She was extremely malnourished but now we have given her a loving home!

Bluebeard - What is your weak point?
I think that sometimes I like being in control and I am quite organised, which means that I often like things to be done my way.

Pinocchio - What is your biggest wish?
To be happy, to never take anything for granted and to achieve at least some of the things I would like to.

Peter Pan - What is your mental age?
I think I am mentally ahead of years as I can be a bit of a granny - I love snuggling up indoors and watching TV and drinking tea. However, I can be crazy and childlike too.

The Star Money - What is your most valuable possession?
I don't really own anything of great value or have any family heirlooms so I am probably going to say the contents of the memory drawer in my room. I have a drawer in my wardrobe full of things that are special to me; photo albums, gifts I have been given and so on.

Gold Mary & Pitch Mary - Are you a hard worker or a lazy one?
When I am interested in or excited about the job at hand, then I always put my all into it. I have always been quite academic and I enjoy making or doing things to a high quality. However, over recent years I have become quite lazy and I lack enthusiasm which is really bad!

The Snow Queen - Who is your best friend? What would you do for them?
My best friend is called Laura. We have known each other for about seven years now and when we first met, we became close really quickly. A lot of my favourite memories include her; our holiday to Majorca, Reading Festival, V Festival and so on. I would do a lot for her because she is very special to me :)

The Princess and the Pea - Are you sensitive?
I am very sensitive and am very open emotionally.

Godfather Death - What qualities make a good parent?I think that a good parent is simply somebody who would do anything in their power to make their child happy. They have to be a good support system and raise their children with the correct manners and morals. 

The Twelve Dancing Princesses / The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes - Do you like parties?
I love partying! I often go clubbing and I love that whole atmosphere, purely because I love music and dancing (I used to dance from the ages of 6 to 16.) I absolutely love getting dressed up and that whole process too!

The Emperor's New Clothes - Do you care a lot about your clothing?I love fashion and shopping, so I would say yes. However, I guess sometimes I am forced to just window shop due to my low funds.

The Brave Little Tailor - Do you consider yourself brave? 
I do not consider myself as brave. I think that my anxiety holds me back a lot and I dislike change. This is something that I am currently working on though and have been for a while now, it takes time.

I tag Just A Random Rambler, Oh Ruby, Walking In Claire's Shoes and Daydreams & Daisy Chains. However, feel free to do this tag even if I haven't tagged you. It's a really fun tag to do and the questions are really unique to others that I have seen! Thank you for reading and I hope this allowed you all to get to know me a little better :)

The 2013 Year In Review Tag

Hi guys. Today I am doing the '2013 Year In Review Q&A Tag,' after being tagged by Ruby from 'Oh Ruby.' She has a lovely blog with plenty of great fashion, beauty and fitness posts - so I really recommend that you check her out! 

The rules to this tag are as follows: 

1. In your post, be sure to link back and thank the blogger that previously tagged you
2. Answer the questions below and tag at least 5 other bloggers 
3. Include the badge in your post

So, without any further ado, let's get started!

1. Your top five favourite blogs to read in 2013
etcllymlrs.com
x-couturegirl-x.blogspot.co.uk
tanyaburr.co.uk
laniecakesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk
rosychicc.com

2. List your five most read blog posts of 2013
Rimmel's New Colour Rush Lip Crayons
Deaf Havana's 'Old Souls' Album Review
My First Autumn Inspired Makeover
The Next Chapter Of My Life
New Years Eve Beauty Tips

3. Name one blog you wish you had found sooner

One blog that I wish I had found sooner is definitely Sail Boat. I only subscribed to her blog a couple of days ago but she has a lovely variation of posts covering lots of different topics. Plus, I think that her photography is rather lovely.

4. Your favourite blog post of 2013

My favourite post is definitely my Deaf Havana's 'Old Souls' Album Review. Not only is it my most viewed blog post to date but it was even re-tweeted by the band on Twitter, which I got really excited about! Writing the odd music review from time to time is really enjoyable for me, as I think it brings something a little different to blog apart from just posting about beauty products.

5. What would you like to improve (if anything) on your blog this year?
I would love to change the look of my blog as it is quite amateur. I would like to focus on developing the quality of my photos too.

6. Name one blog you have a blog crush on
Again, I love Couture Girl's blog. Not only is she extremely gorgeous but I love the content of her posts and how she is never shy on giving the reader as many details on products as possible!

7. How often do you post?
It depends because sometimes I lack inspiration and I get awful writer's block! However, I try to aim for one or two a week.

8. Share your first post of 2013
I started my blog in March 2013 and my first post was simply a rather dull 'Hello' post, introducing myself to the world of Blogger.

9. Name one thing you'd be doing if you weren't typing this post right now
Probably watching TV or eating!

10. What have you loved the most about blogging this year?
What I have enjoyed the most about blogging so far is that it gives me a creative outlet to talk about all of the things that I am interested in. I have also loved interacting with other girls who share similar interests - they are all so friendly and positive!

The people I would like to tag to do this are: Life Of A Trainee Journalist, Tiffany's Beauty Box, Peach Pow, Gingerbread Smiles and Walking In Claire's Shoes. 

I really look forward to reading their responses and once again, I would like to thank Ruby for nominating me! 

Clinique's Superprimer Universal Face Primer Review

Hi guys. Today I thought that I would do a more in-depth review of Clinique's Superprimer Universal Face Primer, which I recently spoke about in my December Favourites post. I was lucky enough to receive this primer as a Christmas present from my parents and I couldn't be more grateful. I had been lusting after this product for a while because I had tried a tester of it a few months previously and fell in love with it instantaneously! 

Clinique released their Superprimer range last year and personally, I think that they are some of the best primers on the market (that I have tried.) Although I received the Universal Face Primer, which is more of a bog-standard primer, the other five products in the range all cater to specific skin problems. The Colour Corrects part of the line includes primers for those with one of the following issues with their skin: redness, dullness, sallowness, discolouration and dullness for those with deeper skin tones. As many of you beauty bloggers will already know, there are different colours that can counteract a vast array of skin problems to give you a nice, neutral base to apply the rest of your make-up on. 

Below is a list of the five tinted Colour Corrects primers and what skin problems they help to conceal:

Redness - a  yellow tinted primer to counteract redness.
Dullness - a pink tinted primer to brighten tired skin.
Dullness in deeper skin tones - a bronze tinted primer to correct dullness in darker skin.
Discolouration - a peach tinted primer to counteract dark spots and circles.
Sallowness - a lavender tinted primer to correct sallow skin.

The main difference between these two types of primers is their textures. The Universal Face Primer has a a liquid-y, smooth texture which mimics that of a moisturiser. On the other hand, the Colour Corrects primers are more like a whipped mousse texture. This reason for these difference is because the universal primer is water based whereas the others in the range are silicone based. However, all six variations of the primer are oil free!

As for this primer prolonging the wear of my make-up throughout the day, it certainly does the trick. I apply this product in the morning and it helps my foundation stay put all day rather than sliding off of my face, despite the fact that this primer is quite hydrating, which is a refreshing change seeing as I have incredibly oily/combination skin!  

I have also tried the discolouration primer after going to my local Clinique counter and asking for a sample so that I can try before I buy. They even put the sample in a really cute Clinique pot rather than giving me a tiny sachet, which I thought was pretty cool! The reason that I wanted to try this discolouration one is because I have seemed to acquire on acne scars and dark spots my cheeks in recent months (how annoying!) The peach-tinted mousse did very well at hiding this problem and I was really impressed, I definitely want to buy this one next!

Overall, the entire Superprimer range is a massive success in my eyes. I think that it is really great how Clinique have a created a range where there really is something for everybody, no matter what your skin type or colour is! I would love to know your thoughts on these primers if any of you have ever tried them before, so please do not hesitate to leave you thoughts and comments below. Thank you :)

Benefit's Coralista Ultra Plush Lip Gloss Review

Benefit have recently bought out a range of lip glosses that coincide with the six bestselling colours of their infamous boxed blushers; Hoola, Dandelion, Coralista, Sugarbomb, Dallas and Bella Bamba. In my opinion, this is a really excellent concept as I think that matching your blusher to your lip gloss could give a really stunning and polished effect. Moreover, like many beauty bloggers, I received a sample size of this lip gloss as a free gift when I purchased Elle Magazine recently. I do not usually tend to buy Elle due to it's £4 price tag which in my opinion, is a little pricey for a magazine. However, I just couldn't resist this time! 

The sample size of this gloss is 6.5ml, which is just under half of the products usual 15ml amount which retails at £14.50. So, paying a mere £4 didn't seem so bad after all! Elle Magazine had three different colours from the range to choose from: Hoola (a shimmery, brown nude,) Coralista (a sheer coral) and Dandelion (a soft, pearly pink.)

I opted for Coralista as I thought that this colour would suit me the best and I was right! When I swatched it on the back of my hand, the gloss looks super pigmented but when applied to lips, it is rather sheer and gives just a subtle wash of colour. In a way, it is a tad disappointing but I still like the end finish nonetheless. As for the way the gloss feels, you can tell it is a more high-end product due to the fact that the formula is thick but not sticky. On the other hand, seeing as the glosses are silky instead of sticky, they do not adhere to your lips too well and in turn, do not have very good staying power. So, be prepared to top up your application a couple of times.

Overall, these glosses are easy to wear and are quite natural-looking on the lips. However, for me I would like to see a little more colour pay off but that is just down to personal preference as I love bright lip colours. I am pleased that I bought Elle for this gloss but I do not think that I would fathom spending that much on the full-sized product. If you have tried or bought a product from the Ultra Plush range, I would love to know what you thought of them so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Thank you!

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil Review

Hi guys, today I thought that I would do a quick review on the Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil. I have been using Bio Oil for many years now and it has always done wonders for my skin in terms of clearing up acne scars and any discolouration/hyper pigmentation I may have. I had been out of Bio Oil for quite a while and whilst I was shopping with my friend in Sainsbury's the other day, I saw that the Palmer's version had a third off and so it was only around £4 which is so much cheaper than Bio Oil. So I thought to myself that I wanted to give this version a whirl as the offer instantly enticed me.

Although I have only been using this product for a couple of days, I can firmly say that it is much better than Bio Oil in my opinion! As shown on the packaging, the product claims to help improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, dry & damaged skin, uneven skin tone and aging skin. I have always been dubious about using a lot of oil-based products on my skin as I have combination skin which can get very shiny, and sometimes using too much excess oil on your face can clog up your pores and produce even more sebum (oil) than before. However, this has not been the case at all. 

I have been applying this oil to the blemish scars and marks on my face for a few days now and I can already see an improvement, I cannot believe it has started working so quickly! I find that this oil is a little thicker in consistency than Bio Oil and it feels a lot more luxurious and nourishing on my skin. I simply pump a little amount of the product on to my fingertips and massage it into my skin in circular motions to make sure that it is really absorbed well. On the directions of use, it says that you should 'gently massage into affected areas 3 times a day,' moreover, I have just been using this product once a day right before I go to sleep. The scent of this oil is same as all Palmer's products (a lovely, rich cocoa smell) but it is even more potent in oil form as opposed to the Palmer's body butters, which may put some people off as it is a little overpowering at times. Nevertheless, I really like the smell as I am a bit of a chocolate addict! 

Overall, my first impression of this product is excellent! I am really excited to keep on using it as the results I have gotten just by using the oil for a few days are very impressive. It is also an added bonus that Palmer's version of this oil is considerably cheaper than Bio Oil, which is the front runner in the oils department, and in my eyes it does a far better job from what I can tell so far. I highly recommend this product to anybody who wants to get rid of dark spots or blemish marks on their faces! I hope that this review has been useful and thank you for reading :)

5 Things I Have Learnt Since Joining Blogger

Hi guys. Today I was thinking about how much I have learnt since becoming a part of this wonderful Blogger community. My blog is a mere five months old and so I am still relatively new to all of this, but I am really enjoying creating posts for you all to read. It really excites me when people respond well to my content as I put a lot of time and effort into it. Plus, the comments that I receive always put a huge smile on my face. I thought that I would write this post today to help out any other bloggers that are new on to the scene and impart some of my 'newbie' wisdom on to them. So, without any further ado, here are the top five things that I have learnt during my Blogger experience so far!

1. The Diversity of Blogger
I never realised how popular Blogger is. Up until I started this blog, I solely used Tumblr to post all of my thoughts and feelings on to (as well as re-blogging photos of course!) However, I always felt that my Tumblr was very impersonal and so I decided to create my own blog here. I quickly discovered that there are so many different genres of blogs and that the Blogger community is so diverse. However, my favourite blogs are beauty, fashion & lifestyle blogs which are similar to mine. In addition, I never knew that there would be so many beauty blogs around. Of course I knew all of the major female bloggers after discovering them on YouTube - Zoella, Tanya Burr, Fleur De Force and so on, but I never realised that so many beauty bloggers are simply normal girls like me. 

2. Followers Are Just A Number
Although having a lot of followers would be amazing, it is not the be all and end all. If you enjoy blogging and it makes you happy, then that is all that matters! My tiny blog has 29 followers at the moment and although this may sound like a minuscule number to some, I am very proud that I even have that many and that 29 people in this world like my writing enough to follow me! So, never feel defeated by the number next to your Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin' button!

3. Creating High Quality Content Is Hard Work
It is incredibly difficult to come up with new and innovative content for your blog. I find it extremely difficult at times to come up with posts that I feel will interest my followers. There have been times where I have gone for over a week without blogging because I have had a serious case of writers block or I have not been able to focus my thoughts into a post. I find that the way around this problem is to take inspiration from other blogs that are similar to yours and see what you like or dislike about the posts, and then channel that into your own writing. However, remember that you should never copy or steal somebody's content!

4. Building A Rapport With Fellow Bloggers
It is extremely important to build a rapport with other bloggers. Having a relationship with fellow bloggers will always be beneficial and it is a good way to make connections that can be used later down the line. A good way to do this is to comment on other peoples blogs with words of encouragement, telling them what you liked about their posts and so on. For me, receiving nice comments from my followers is one of the things I love most about Blogger because it shows that others appreciate what I write about and can connect to it too.

5. Beauty Tips & Tricks
Finally, number five on my list is purely related to beauty blogs. I have always been a girly girl and I have always loved make-up. Not only does it make me feel confident, I actually consider applying make-up to be an art form and it really fascinates me. Although I do not have lots of money and do not own many high-end products, I am a cosmetics junkie! Since I have been reading everybody else's blogs, I have picked up so many helpful tips and discovered some great products that really work well for me. The biggest tip I have learnt was to invest in some Real Techniques brushes. Before, I never used to use a make-up brush to apply my foundation (shocking, I know!) but now I could never revert back to my old ways. These brushes are an absolute godsend and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future as I only have the Core Collection at the moment.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading about what I have learnt since joining Blogger and I hope that this little post may help any fellow Blogger 'newbies.' Thank you for reading :)

The Future

At the moment, there are so many things that I need to decide upon. Most people say that you should ‘live for the moment,’ however, I have always been the type of person who likes to plan things in advance. I like structure, I am very meticulous in that way. I am always thinking about the future, which often means that I am oblivious and am not fully present in certain situations. I can rarely switch off my thoughts and feelings and simply enjoy myself, there’s always a little voice in the back of my head. I worry about the repercussions of my actions way too much and I care way too much about what others think of me.

It always upsets me when people ask me about what I do for a living or my life goals, because I honestly don’t have any. My belief is why set yourself up to just be disappointed? I am a pessimist and I always expect the worst, which I suppose is a bad trait to possess. But hey, you could also say that I’m just realistic! I guess for now I just need to focus on what my strengths are and then try to build a career around that. Maybe that will be something to do with writing, seeing as I love blogging so much! In the mean time, I am in the process of signing up for some voluntary work at my local ante-natal clinic as a receptionist. This will be for a few hours a week for starters - just to get me out of the house and to get myself back into a routine. Plus, I would love to gain a little bit of self confidence.

Overall, I know that I am still young and that I have plenty of time to figure out which path I want to take in life, but I just wish that I could make my mind up a little bit faster. I want to be able to do something that I am proud of and make other people proud of me too. Who knows what the future will bring, I just hope that I enjoy it! 

Hello!

Hello and welcome to my blog! At this current moment in time I have no followers, so this 'hello' post is for my followers in the very near future (I hope!)

To introduce myself, my name is Michaela and I am brand new to Blogger. I am very excited about getting the ball rolling with this. The majority of my posts will be about fashion & beauty, music and any other random thoughts I have. As a lover of Tumblr, I thought it was about time that I shifted over to Blogger, where there is a lot more freedom and blog customisation. I will probably by changing the layout and bit and bobs over the coming weeks to get my page looking exactly as I want it, so it is very much a work in progress at the moment! I have also signed up to Blog Lovin', so I would love it if you could follow me on there also!

I hope you all enjoy what my blog has to offer :)