TAG | Liebster Award

The lovely Nora recently nominated me for this award, so here's my response! Thanks Nora!

So what is the Liebster Award?It’s kind of like a welcome to the blogging community. The Liebster award is passed to up and coming bloggers that have just gotten their start in the blogosphere. It works the way a chain letter does helping each blogger develop their platform and connect with other audiences they might not have been able to before. Each nominee has to answer 10 random questions from the person who nominated them, and then tag 10 more bloggers (with under 200 followers) with 10 questions of their own. As this keeps going, it allows for us to get to know another side of our fellow bloggers and develop a bigger, more welcoming community. I hope this all made sense. Now on to my answers, if you have anymore questions or would like to know more feel free to ask! 

Nora's Questions:

1. Why did you start blogging?
   I started blogging as a way of using my time more proactively. Instead of spending it trawling the web, doing God-knows-what, I put it into doing something productive & fun! 
2. If you could never fail, what would you do?
   Isn't the universal answer to this 'everything'? I'd want to do anything and everything I was ever afraid to do! 
3. Favorite quote?
   My favourite quote comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald, speaking about Zelda, his wife; "I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity and her flaming self-respect and it’s these things I’d believe in even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all that she should be. But of course the real reason is that I love her and that’s the beginning and end of everything. You’re still a Catholic but Zelda’s the only God I have left now."
4. Instagram or Twitter?
   I love both, but I am addicted to Instagram. I could spends hours on that app!
5. What are you looking forward to most in 2014?
   The thing I'm most looking forward to about 2014, is the fact that it's a new year, we're only two months in, and anything possible could happen!
6. What are you most proud of?
   That's yet to be determined.. 
7. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
   I can be either depending on the people I'm around!
8. If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
   Spend the first twelve hours fighting for the greater good, and the last twelve hours following Zac Efron around.. for research purposes obviously! 
9. Favorite place?
   Oh, that's a tough one! It's a toss up between Limerick and California, LA to be specific! Two very different places, but both have their moments! 
10. How do you stay inspired?
    I get inspired from other bloggers that I follow and from what I see online & in magazines! I stay inspired with the hope that I can do something even a fraction different to what they are doing, even if the content or subject is similar.
11. Favorite bloggers and YouTubers?
    Some of my favourite YouTubers include Zoella (I love her blog too!), Gabi (or velvetgh0st), Nicole Guerriero, Tess Christine, Jimmy Tatro, Louise (or Sprinkleofglitter), Lauren Elizabeth, Meghan Rosette, the list could go on! A lot of my fave YouTubers have blogs, so they would be in my favourite bloggers too, along with Ashley over at Ring My Bell, Chloe at Converse & Clicqout, Lily Melrose, of course the lovely ladies that I've tagged below, the list again is endless!  

Nominees:

Lauren
Sarah
Rosaleen
Sinead
Cat
Georgina
Marlee
Abs
Em
Eimear

My Questions: 

1. What's your number one holy grail beauty product? 
2. iPhone or Android?
3. Has blogging changed your life in any way?
4. Is this your first blog? Or have you made other attempts?
5. What's your favourite season?
6. One item of clothing/accessory you couldn't live without?
7. You can have dinner with 5 people dead or alive. Who are they?
8. How do your family/friends feel about your blog?
9. Dogs or cats? 
10. Who is your ultimate style icon?

There you have it! Leave a link to your post below, if you do this, girls, I can't wait to read your answers! 

Until next time,
Elle.

Find me on:

Twitter - Tumblr - Instagram @ellebolger - Bloglovin'

TAG | My Beauty Urges

When I saw that Lily Melrose had created this tag, I HAD to do it! While I am quite adventurous when it comes to beauty, there are just some things I can't wrap my head around. Most involve horror stories from my younger years, if only I'd known then what I know now! I tag you all to do this, leave links in the comments if you do!

Snip Happy
I will admit that I get a little scissor happy when trimming my fringe, but there are times I've been tempted to just cut it all off! I did it once before, aged 7/8 -  it was at this point, scissors were banned from my possession! When cutting myself a fringe, I cut a bit too much off, and had to have a bob cut in. If I'm being honest, I resembled Patty & Selma from The Simpsons. Not good! So, I'm not sure if it's the fear of looking like that again, or the dreaded feeling of cutting my long locks that stops me from taking the plunge.

Dare To Go Nude
I tend to steer more towards bright, bold lipsticks. I love vibrant pinks, reds, purples, but one of my biggest beauty desires is to be able to pull of the perfect nude! The 'Your-Lips-But-Better' perfect nude. When it comes to nudes, I don't think the suit my skin tone. It turns out looking like a bad case of concealer lips. Uh oh! Could be that I just haven't found the right shade yet?

Bad To The Bronze 
My very first foray into the world of bronzer was all wrong. I had used my mother's bronzer, so it was the wrong match for my foundation/skin, and I was way too heavy handed with the application. I think I may still be scarred from it, which explains why I tend to shy away from bronzers. There is nothing I want more than to be a bronzing queen, contouring to my hearts content. Maybe I could be hypnotized to forget the horrid trauma in the past!

What are some of your beauty urges? 

Until next time,
Elle. 

Find me on:

Twitter - Tumblr - Instagram @ellebolger - Bloglovin' 

LIFESTYLE | What's In My Bag?

At the beginning of every New Year, I like to buy myself new handbag! Nothing extravagant, just a little treat, to start the year off on a good note. When I saw this bag in the Primark sale, I fell in love. Everything from the colour and size to the structure and finish drew me in, and at just €5, I COULDN'T leave it there!

I tend to over pack my bags. It's why I adore big bags, I can have everything I need for every eventuality/weather condition. It can get quite weighty! So this year, I am going to try keep my bag clutter, and junk, free! Let's see how long I last! Here's what I think are handbag essentials at any time of the year..

(Clockwise from top left) 
Umbrella. It's Ireland, chances are I'll need it at some point in my day!
Purse. Never leave home without it! I like to choose funky purses, especially if my bag is plain.
Perfume. You never know when you'll need to respray. I find perfumes nowadays have no staying power anyway, so they need to be reapplied! I always carry a deodorant with me too! The American brand Secret has been my favourite roll on for years now!
Notebook. I love making lists, whether it's shopping, packing, to do! This one is from Target, it's quite streamline, so it doesn't take up too much space! A notebook is also great if you get any ideas for blog posts, you can just jot them down! Which is why I always have several pens to hand!
Headphones. I love listening to music on the go, so headphones are essential in my handbag at all times!
Keys. Well.. for obvious reasons!
Compact Mirror. I got this mirror as a gift years ago, and I never leave home without it. It's great for on the go touch-ups, and saves me from using my front facing camera!
Lip Products. I never leave home without at least one lip balm in my bag. I am loving the Rosy Lips Vaseline and Maybelline's Baby Lips in Quenched at the minute! There's usually a lipstick or gloss floating around too!
Glasses. I don't need my glasses all the time, but it is good to have them to hand if I ever need them!

What are your handbag essentials? Let me know in the comments! 

Until next time,

Elle. 

Find me on:

Twitter - Tumblr - Instagram @ellebolger - Bloglovin'