The Liebster Award

Waaaay back sometime when, the lovely 'has the best fringe' Claire Ann tagged in me for The Liebster Award. Its a blogger award traditionally awarded to those with under 200 followers, however Aoife Blake also informed me via her blog that the rules have changed slightly over the months / years so it isn't necessarily for those with less or more than 200 followers.

Having quite the inquisitive nature, I really love reading other peoples answers. Sometimes you think a blogger is x,y,z in your head only to read their answers and realise they're all of the alphabet with a cherry on top and that you've also learned a little more about them along the way. Sharing is caring you guys!

So in true Liebster style, I'll attempt to answer the questions Claire Ann has set out for me below and then tag some of my favourite blogs to see if they'll respond too! As always, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts afterwards

1: If you could have one job for the rest of your life what would it be?

I am 100 and 55.8 million percent struggling with 'a career' right now and have done so for about...erm, since I left college perhaps? It also bothers me (quite alot) that I'm not working in an area or field of work that I am totally, head over heels in love with. We spend such a huge amount of time physically at work, shouldn't it be all kinds of amazing?

When I was younger I desperately and still kinda do, if I'm honest, wanted to work in visual display. If you're unsure of what that is, well when you go to fancy big stores and you see their window displays and interior design concepts and layouts, there are talented visual display teams behind those ideas. That's the area I wanted to work in. Problem was, back in the day when I was completing my leaving certificate, the points for said course were really high. I wasn't the highest of academic achievers and so it was never a reality that I would get into that course.

As recently as last night, I was out in Manchester and walked past Primark (Pennys) and the visual display team were working on the window display. My heart fluttered. I wanted to be that person. I have to admit I love 'displaying' items in my home, putting items on show and I like to think I'm half decent at it too. So there you go, there's my dream career...arranging stuff!

2: Favourite book you read this year?

Is it really bad to say that I generally don't read books. I probably haven't read one in about 4 years! I've just never been a bookworm and if I'm honest yet again, I'd say that reading makes me sleepy. Honest.to.god! Weird, I know.

3: What’s your biggest obsession of the moment?

Skincare and skincare products (and chasing rainbows...always the rainbows!). Skincare products have always been a mini obsession of mine, but more so in the last few years. I was taught the art of cleanse, tone and moisturize at 14 and I continued ever since. However, in the last two years I've really begun to notice the aging process starting to kick in. I'm 31, so it was bound to start sooner or later, but I am lucky in that people generally tend to think I'm 5 - 7 years younger than I am. I like to look after my skin (alot!) and am always on the hunt for a new lotion or potion to try!

4: Favourite season?

Autumn for the colours and the simple joy of kicking crunchy leaves around. Winter soon follows though and with that I tend to feel a little more cloudy. Seasonal affective disorder definitely affects me and my mood. Even today I was feeling blue.

5: Heels or flats?

On a night on the town, which as I get older are becoming less of an occurrence  I'll wear skyscrapers. Never underestimate the confidence a pair of heels can give you, but in recent years I've taken to wearing flats every day. I've lost count of the amount of pairs I've bought.

6: Cosy night in or mad night out?

I'm more of a cosy night in girl. As someone who has held busy full time jobs over the years, I really appreciate my time off and with that, my relaxation time too. Today the rain fell hard and the thunder rang loud around Manchester, and I was happy, chilled and cosy with a blanket as I read blog posts and listened to mother nature. It was bliss.

7: Your one helpful tip to give a fellow bloggers?

Ohhhh, I've been blogging on and off for about 3 - 4 years now and I certainly don't think I own any pearls of wisdom. Alot of people put themselves under heaps of unnecessary pressure to post every single day and create as much content as possible for their readers. Personally, I try to post interesting content rather than post for posts sake. I will say, enjoy the process of blogging, it shouldn't be hard work or feel like a chore and if you need to take a break for a while, then take a break. When you get back to it, you'll see that things were just as you left them.

8: To date, favourite moment of your life?

The first one brings me back to the age of 14. I was selected as 'Best Junior Certificate Art Student' and it made me happy for one main reason. I watched a student win it the year before and  said to myself 'Next year, I'm winning that' and so I worked hard and made sure I did. I still have that trophy....somewhere!

Secondly,  getting my degree and masters results. I got a 1:1 in both and the anticipation of waiting for those results nearly killed me as did all the work I put in to getting those firsts. I always get a little proud when I see those results on my CV.

9: What piece of advice would you give your teenage self if you could?

"Those that mind, don't matter and those that matter, don't mind" -  I was under confident as a teenager. I believed the popular girls and wanted to be them. I thought they were the bees knees and what they said ruled the day. I wish I didn't spend so much time wanting to be them and more time, being more of myself!

10: What in your mind is the best purchase you have ever made?

This is a toughie, as I'm not really sure. I've never made a really big purchase like a house or a car, so I'd probably say a number of holidays because of all the lovely memories I have and of course all that cleanser, toner and moisturizer I've been buying since I was 14!

And so, with that, I tag;

- Lola Dee

- A Thrifty Mrs

- Luv4Fashion

- Lets Talk Beauty

- Ella Masters

- Manchester Foodies

- Zie Darling

Any my questions..

If you could be any colour, what would you be and why?

Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years time (career, location, other?)

Why do you blog?

What's your biggest fear?

How would you describe your personal style?

Favourite food and drink

Tell me about the great loves of your life

Dream holiday, do you have one?

What irritates you, gets your goat or makes you angry?

Best piece of advice you ever received?

Thanks Claire for tagging me!