Liebster Award

One of the things that inspired me to start writing about all the things you see on this blog was simply reading what many others had to share about their favourite beauty products, music, food, health, lifestyle, and thoughts in general. Most blogs I have come across, whether they have garnered a huge following or they are just starting out, have one thing in common: passion. People who take the time to pen a post, take photographs and respond to comments truly care and are passionate about whatever topic they write about.

So I really value the premise of the Liebster Award, which is to allow people to discover as many new blogs as possible (usually with followings of less than 200) by letting bloggers nominate each other. In doing so, you also find out a little more about these bloggers and what makes them tick. There is no big award at the end of it, but I love the idea behind it. I was nominated by Kammi whose blog BeautyBookBlog reflects that passion I mentioned earlier. Her blog is filled with beauty-related posts interspersed with book reviews, and I like that she combines both her interests in one medium.

The rules:

1. Link back to the person who nominated you.
2. List 11 facts about yourself (optional).
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.
4. Nominate 11 other blogs, preferably blogs with under 200 followers.
5. Compile 11 new questions for your nominees to answer.
6. Notify the bloggers whom you have nominated.

11 Questions answered:

1. What is your favourite lipstick shade? I think Chanel Rouge Allure in 104 Passion suits everyone and is an all-rounder shade of red.
2. What is the most recent book you read? Aside from all the academic literature I'm swamped with for my dissertation, the most recent book I read was 'The Diary of a Nose' by Jean-Claude Ellena.
3. Do you have any pets? If so, what do you have? I don't have any pets.
4. What colour are your eyes? Brown.
5. What inspired you to start blogging? I kept raving about the same products to my friends, and thought I should write about them. Also, reading other people's blogs made me want to start my own.
6. Favourite fragrance? This question is a bit like asking me what my favourite song is, but I'll go for the one scent that makes me do a double-take and sends me to olfactory heaven every time I smell it. L'Eau d'Hiver by Jean-Claude Ellena for Frédéric Malle.
7. Dream career? When I was a kid, my dream job was to be a perfume maker, or a 'nose'. Unfortunately, my inaptitude for Chemistry (or anything science-related) showed early on and dashed my hopes of becoming a 'nose'. 
8. What do you do to relax/chill out? I like to run myself a bath and watch a TV series while I relax in the warm water. I follow this up with a steaming mug of tea or hot water with lemon juice and honey.
9. Favourite song? Ahh, seriously? (see answer to Q. 6).  Jokes aside, my favourite song at the moment is F for You by Disclosure.
10. Do you have any tattoos? If so, how many? I don't have any tattoos. I have a feeling that, if it came to getting one, I would regret it soon afterwards. 
11. Favourite superhero? I haven't read anywhere near enough comic books to properly answer this question. But after a bit of research, I've come to the conclusion that Spiderman is the superhero I like the most. He seems to have a strong moral compass and sense of responsibility (although he overdoes it sometimes), but also retreats into loner-ism, instead of puffing his chest out and placing himself at the centre of attention (did someone say Superman?) Also, I don't care much for Batman's gadget-loving ways. A spiderweb will do just fine, thanks. 

The blogs I am nominating: (Since the Liebster Award has done the rounds in the blogging world, and I'm very new to blogging and discovering other blogs with smaller followings, the pool of blogs I can nominate is suddenly quite small. So, I have decided to initially limit the nomination list to five blogs, all of which I think are well-designed and written. I would rather not go on a following spree solely for the sake of this post, and I really want to take the time to read blogs as much as I can instead of skimming over a number of new blogs. If I find any new blogs over time, I will definitely add them to this list as I go along.)

Northwestern Beauty
City Whispers
Lauren's Beauty Stuff
Daisy Meadow
Fusels

Questions for the nominees to answer:

1. If you could make an impact on the world in one way, what would this way be and why?
2. What is your favourite film?
3. What gadget are you currently coveting?
4. Describe something you have learned recently.
5. What is your pet peeve?
6. Which decade/era would you like to have lived in?
7. What is your all-time favourite skincare or beauty product?
8. What is your favourite cuisine?
9. Where do you like to shop? (This can be a shop, website, or a department store.)
10. If you were to travel anywhere and money is no object, where would you choose to go and why?
11. What is your favourite drink?

Many thanks to BeautyBookBlog again for this nomination.