Yesterday, the lovely Iris from Get Up and Out Blog nominated me for this award (thank you so much lovely!) so I thought today was the perfect time to do this post. (You can check out Iris' blog by clicking the link above)

Also make sure you check out the creator of this award - Okoto Engima - by clicking just here

The rules for this award are:
1. Put the award logo on the post.
2. List the rules.
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
4. Mention the creator of the award, and provide a link to their blog as well.
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
6. Answer the 5 questions asked by the person who nominated you
7. Nominate 10-20 people.
8. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog.
9. Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice, with one weird or funny question (specify which one that is).
10. Share a link to your best post(s).

So three things about myself (p.s. this is really hard so sorry if you already know these things about me!) :

1) When I was younger I used to love writing stories and that's what gave me the idea to start a blog!

2) My 3 most favourite films are Dirty Dancing, Grease and La La Land

3) Autumn is my favourite season!

Now onto the questions asked by Iris

1~ What are your favourite foods (one for each season)?

This is so hard! For Spring, I love having a barbeque (I mean depending on British weather aha), in summer ice lollies are a must. Then in autumn, chicken pasta bakes are the best. Finally in winter, what's better than a Christmas Dinner?!?

2~ What is/was your favourite part about going back to school?

I always love seeing which teachers I have and seeing who's in each of my lessons!

3~ What is your favourite part about blogging?

My favourite part about blogging is getting to interact with you all! I love seeing what you think of my posts and how I can improve them for you!

4~ What is your favourite time of year and why?

I love Autumn because everything just looks so pretty! (and you can get the best instagram photos)

5~ Funny question ~ Would you rather: read one book series for the rest of your life or listen to one artist for the rest of your life? Why?

I don't know this is so hard, because one artist can keep releasing new material whereas a book series you can only go over and over the same bits! I'm gonna have to go with one artist because I'd get bored of that one book series very quickly!




I nominate...

Life as Tilly Rose
Marti (from Pink Smarties)
Emsi Rose
Olivia Grace
The Batch of Beauty
Girl Abroad
Life as Najida
BethxKate
The Lifestyle Blogger
Beauty Obsessed

My questions for you are:

1- What is your all time favourite film and why?

2- What encouraged you to start blogging?

3- What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging?

4- What do you find most frustrating about blogging?

5- Funny Question - Would you rather have 4 feet or 4 hands?

Three of my favourite posts of mine are : My 2nd Anniversary Post
                                                                   My 1st Anniversary Post
                                                                   S'mores Cupcakes

So, thank you so much for reading this slightly different post, I hope you enjoyed it and I will see you soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

So, today is the day my blog turns 2 and I can't quite believe that it's happening to be completely honest with you. I started my blog as a past time one summery august day and I didn't know how long I was going to stick at it and where my blog could take me. My blogging experience has been absolutely incredible and I can whole heartedly say that's down to you guys. I couldn't ask for a more lovely or genuinely nice bunch of people. I can't thank you enough for your support, just reading my blog posts twice a week means the world to me. A couple of days ago I asked you guys to ask me some questions over on my Instagram (@louloves01) so I'm here answering them for you all!

@lifeasnajida - What motivated you to blog for so long?

I'm not completely sure. I think it's mainly down to the fact that I love writing so much for you lot twice a week and that you all support me. When I first started blogging I would get really disheartened when I spent a long time on a post for it to get 4/5 views. But when that did happen there was always the few people who would leave really lovely comments and make me keep trying to produce more and more better content for you all.

@bethxkate - Did anything/anyone inspire you to start your blog?

I wouldn't necessarily pin my inspiration down to one person but I saw loads of bloggers genuinely enjoying what they do. Before I made my blog, I had been thinking about it for a while and that day was just the final push I guess. Another thing I really enjoyed growing up was writing, weather that be stories or diaries, I just really enjoyed it and I think this was a way to rekindle that passion.

@artisticanimalblog - Favourite blog post you've been made?

Ahh this is so hard! I love posts where I get to interact with you guys so I really enjoy writing Q and A's for you but I also really enjoyed the two brand collabs that I did with Emma as well as with Heart and Home because they offered a relaly new experience for me!

@martistelling - Have you ever felt discouraged by anything and wanted to stop blogging?

Yes, of course! Especially when I was first starting out, it could be really discouraging look at your view number and comparing it to other more successful bloggers. If this is you at the minute, my best tip for you is to just ignore the views as it doesn't really correlate to how good your content is, you just need some more exposure. I also got quite discouraged recently as well. Back in January/February I went through a major view surge and was getting 200/300 views a day and then in April I think it dropped really dramatically (to about 20 or 30 views). I still haven't got back to where I was but now I don't look at the amount of viewers I lost, I look at how far I've come from the start of my blog and it makes me really proud of how much I have managed to grow my little corner of the internet!

@daisyjaneblog -Have you experienced any hate and if so how do you deal with it?

I've been really lucky and haven't had any hate so far but I know a lot of bloggers that are even smaller than me have but I guess I just got really lucky.

@words_with_el - What have you gained from your experiences as a blogger?

Oh wow, I cant even explain how much I've gained from blogging. The main thing that I have gained though is that in the blogosphere everyone is so supportive of everyone and there is just the best community feel that literally can't be beaten!

@artisticanimalblog -Any advice for starting a blog?

My advice to anyone thinking of starting a blog is to produce content that you would personally want to see. I went through a phase of writing posts that I really didn't enjoy and it think that negativity cam through in my posts so that's when I started posting what I'd want to read and it made me rekindle that love of writing/

@bethxkate and @lifeaskatiex - What have you learnt in your 2 years of blogging?

This is a tricky one... I'd have to say that my follower count and page views don't necessarily reflect how good my content is/ I always make sure that my posts are as good as I can make them and even if the post doesn't get many views, I know it was still good content.

@words_with_el - What's your favourite part about being a blogger?

My favourite part of being a blogger is being able to interact with you all on a pretty much daily basis. I love reading all of your blog posts and seeing everything you post on instagram!

@thebatchofbeauty - What's been the best thing about starting your blog?

The best thing so far has been being able to interact with my readers on a daily basis. Every single one of your comments have been nothing but positive and I cannot thank you all enough for that! I just love blogging in general and this has been an amazing journey for me so far and I can't wait to see where it take me in the future!

@artisticanimalblog - Something you wish you'd known before you started your blog?

I wish that I'd known just how much work it takes to produce content that's up to standard 2/3 times a week. When I first started, I definitely underestimated just how much you had to do and it came as a bit of a shock to me to be honest!

Thank you so much for all you support of these past 2 years, I can't believe the time has gone so quickly! I love you all so much and I'll see you again tomorrow,

Lou Loves
xxxx

As you'll all probably know by now, I have a true passion for baking and I know that some of you out there do too! So, I'm sharing with you my top 26 recipes!

Apple and Rhubarb Crumble (let me know if you want the recipe for this)
Blueberry Scones
Candice's Cornflake Tart
Doughnuts (again, let me know if you want a post on it!)
Easter nests
Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake
Gingerbread Cake
Hot Cross Buns
Iced Gems
Jammie Dodgers - with a secret twist...
Kit Kats
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Melt in the Middle Chocolate Pudding
Nigella's Cookie Dough Pots
Oreo Cupcakes
Pumpkin Pops
Quick and Easy Risotto
Reindeer Cookies
S'mores Cupcakes
Tanya Burr's Triple Chocolate Cookies
Unicorn Ice Cream
Viennese Whirls
White Chocolate and Nutella Pinwheel Biscuits
Xylophone Cake
Yoghurt Ice Pops
Zesty Orange Drizzle Cake

Congrats you made it to the end! So, that's all for today but make sure you subscribe to my blog to get updates of when I post. I hope you all enjoyed this post, thank you so much for reading and I'll see you very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxxx

I don't know about you guys, but I lovely a good scroll down Pinterest. I'm constantly finding new brands and products that I wouldn't have necessarily have found before, so today I'm sharing with you my favourite of those discoveries!

Rose Quartz Coasters - Currently Sold Out but are from Polyvore
Minimalistic Coffee, Tea and Sugar Pots - DIY from The Lovey Drawer


White Bathroom Ladder Shelf - £295 from The White Company


Dottie Honey Pot - £20 from Anthropologie


Geometric Faux Suede Cushion - £23 from Ethical.Market
Cloud Shelf - £30 from Urban Outfitters

Crescent Moon Bowl - £25.46 from Liquorice Moon Studios on Etsy


Copper Terrarium - £20 from JOY


Copper Stationary Set - £5 from Primark
"She believed she could so she did" Quote - £6 from FleurtCollective on Etsy


Marble Pillar Candle - £28 from Nordic House


So, I hope you all enjoyed my Pinterest picks for you and I'll leave a link at the bottom of the post to the board where this lovely lot are pinned. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you all agin very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

"My Pinterest Finds Post" Board
My Pinterest

All images sourced from www.pinterest.com

I've been on holiday in sunny Portugal for the last ten days and I thought this would be the perfect chance to show you what I took with me make up wise!


The make up bag I took it all in was this gorgeous one from Being by Sanctuary Spa and it's available in pretty much every boots store and online. I chose this one because 1) it fits my Naked palette in (win-win all round I'd say) 2) it's wipe clean so it won't get really messy and 3) it fits in a lot more that it looks like it does!

Eyes:


Primer - Smashbox Photo Op 24 hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer




Palettes - Urban Decay Naked (original)
                Tanya Burr Hollywood
                Smashbox Mini Trio (discontinued)


Single Shadows - NYX Lid Lingerie (shade - 01 sweet cloud)



Mascara - L'Oreal Baby Roll

Brows - Shade "naked" from Urban Decay

Face:


Moisturiser - Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Moisturising Day Cream



Concealer - Rimmel Match Perfection 2-in-1 (shade - 010 ivory)
                   17 Stay Time (shade - extra fair)


Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte (shade - 001 translucent)


Highlight - NYX Illuminator (shade - 04 ritualistic)

Lips:


Lipliner - "Pose" by Barry M


Liquid Lipstick - Tanya Burr Matte Lip (shade - martha moo)

Lipstick - "Pink Cocoa" from Tanya Burr
                 MAC's Mehr (matte formula)

Gloss - Tanya Burr gloss in cotton cane (Christmas limited - no longer on sale)
            Soap and Glory sexy mother pucker (shade - charm offensive)

So, I hope you enjoyed this little insight into the products that go with me pretty much everywhere! Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you again soon,

Love Lou
xxxxx

(Please request and prices of the products mentioned in the comments)

I always love sharing with you what I've been loving each month, so I'm back again to talk all about my favourites in July.



The first thing that I have loved through out July is Sleepy body lotion from Lush. This product was originally in the Christmas 2016 range but due to high demand it's now back for good! It's scent is lavender and gingerbread which, as you can imagine, makes the most relaxing scent you could ever imagine. The product soaks in pretty quickly but you can still definitely feel the richness of it on the skin which I think is actually quite nice.



All through July I've found myself constantly reaching for the Tanya Burr Hollywood palette. This is the most gorgeous nude gold palette you could ever dream of. I've been loving applying gold coin all over the lid and then adding bookworm into the crease to create a shimmery slightly smokey eye look and I've been completely loving it! This palette has it all - it lasts all day and the pigmentation is incredible!



The L'Oreal Hydra Genius has been another staple for me recently. It instantly refreshes and moisturises my skin and it claims to lock in moisture for 72 hours which I've gotta say is really true. This s a water based moisturiser so it doesn't leave that horrible greasy sheen on the skin like some other oil based moisturisers sometimes do. This also has aloe water and hyaluronic acid in it, both of which are great for your skin!

My favourite Instagram account recently has definitely been @hannahfgale, she never fails to post the most gorgeous shots!

Thank you so much for reading, and make sure you leave your July favourites down below,

Love Lou
xx

Sleepy - £7.95 or £13.95
Tanya Burr Hollywood Palette - £4.20
L'Oreal Hydra Genius - £9.99

I stumbled on this recipe when flicking through Tanya Bakes not long ago and it was so easy I knew I had to share it with you.


Ingredients (makes 8):

1 ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry sheet - at room temperature
75g milk chocolate chips
1 egg - beaten


Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas Mark 6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Unroll the pastry and cut the sheet into four squares. Cut each square in half so you have 8 triangles.

To roll the croissant, take a bottom corner of the pastry towards the longer, pointed end. Don't roll too tightly or the pastry won't puff up properly. Curl the ends down into the shape of a croissant.

To make a pain au chocolat, sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips at the bottom of the pastry, before you start rolling and roll it up with you as you go.

Transfer to the baking tray and brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes until puffed and golden.

Yes, it really is that easy! I hope you enjoyed this post, thank you for reading and I will see you soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

It seems like such a long time since I shared my skincare with you lovely lot and it has changed quite a bit since last time so I thought it was time for an updated version!

Morning:



Usually in the mornings, I keep it really simple and just use the Garnier Micellar cleansing water and then a bit of the Nivea rich moisturising day cream all over my face. I think that this combo makes my skin really fresh and ready for make up (I also found that the moisturiser also makes my make up last longer!)

Night:
3 days a week:





Most days, I don't have much time to take my make up off so I keepo it as quick and simple as possible. Like in the mornings, I use my Garnier Micellar cleansing water and then either the L'Oreal Hydra Genius aloe water moisturiser or the Nivea rich regenerating moisturiser. Which moisturiser I use really depends on the dryness of my skin - if it's really dry I use the L'Oreal one but if it's not too bad I go for the Nivea one.

2 days a week:








Other days when my skin is drier than normal I like to use the Garnier oil infused Micellar water and then the Garnier 2-in-1 eye make up remover to take off my eye make up. This pair is so good t getting my make up off and hydrating my skin in the process. I only started using the oil infused water a couple of months ago but I can already see a difference in  my skin. Then, I either use the Garnier moisture bomb hydrating mist or the Nivea rich regenerating moisturiser - again, the same thing with the L'Oreal moisturiser, if my skin is drier I use the Garnier one.

2 days a week:







These are the days when I really pamper my skin. First I take my Garnier eye make up remover to get rid of my eye make up. Then I use the Garnier Micellar cleansing gel wash with my No. 7 cleansing brush on the first setting to cleanse my skin. I absolutely love these two together as they make my skin really cleansed and soft. Then I use the L'Oreal Hydra Genius aloe water moisturiser as I always think that my skin needs a little more moisture adding back into it when I use the cleansing brush.

Once a week:



At least once a week, I try to use my L'Oreal Pure Clay detox mask to reduce the amount of blocked pores around my nose and chin. I didn't see much difference with this mask at first, but after regular use you really start to see a difference.

So, as you can probably tell, I am a massive Garnier fan - what is your holy grail skincare brand? Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - £7.99 - 700ml size
Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Moisturising Day Cream - £4.09
L'Oreal Hydra Genius with Aloe Water - £9.99
Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Regenerating Night Cream - £4.19
Garnier Oil Infused Micellar Cleansing Water - £5.99
Garnier Express 2-in-1 Eye Make Up Remover - £3.49
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Gel Wash - £3.99
No. 7 Cleansing Brush - £25
Garnier Moisture Bomb Protect Multi-Protecting Hydrating Mist - £9.99
L'Oreal Pure Clay Detox Mask - £7.99