I'm Baaack!

Hi everyone!

I am BACK! - been gone and away from my wonderful blog and all of you for over a year now! Can't believe it's been so long and I am so super glad to be back and so stoked to be able to be posting again.

This past year has been, so busy and it's been a tough one. I wanted to stop blogging mainly because it was my final year in university so I could focus on that, but as the year went on more and more things happened which demotivated me from taking it up again. It has been so tough getting through all of the pressures, stresses, disappointments and anxiety I have experienced this year, I wont go through it all in detail but, thankfully I did get through it thanks to my amazing family and friends who supported me and stood by my side throughout.

Major shout-out to the squad!

All that is behind me now, I've finished university, which is so unbelievably exciting, and thanks to this year I've come out a much better, stronger, happier person.

I have some really exciting posts coming up, along with some pretty cool ideas I'll be experimenting with. I am so excited to get back into posting and sharing my likes, dislikes and everyday life topics with you all again. I have missed this so much! So keep your eyes on this space and there will be some amazing and cool things coming your way very soon!

The main difference of my blog is that I will be now posting twice a week on Monday's and Friday's. The posts will vary in content, form fashion pieces to makeup, to everyday life and rants, as well as anything I am finding super interesting and want to share with all of you. Head over to my Instagram to keep up with any daily posts I make. https://www.instagram.com/quinnzellie/

I didn't want my first post back to be too long so I'll keep it short and sweet. Don't worry, there is plenty more to come!

So strap in and get ready guys! I have a feeling this is going to be a fun ride.

xoxo

Quinnzell

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I'm Baaack!

Taylor Swift Made Me Do It!

Hey guys!

So I think its pretty obvious that I love make-up, but you guys don't know where my love for it came from. I thought I'd do this post and let you all know, because unlike most girls, I didn't get the love of it from an older sister or my mom, it was someone I didn't know at all, Taylor Swift.

I didn't actually get into make-up until around 2007 and this was right around the time Taylor Swift appeared - I'll get to that in a little bit. I was a little later than some of the girls I was in school with, they all had make-up from their moms or from older sisters. The top reason for me not wearing make-up was because when I was a teenager I was a competitive swimmer, so makeup wasn't something I ever used because it would just wash off in the pool. I would stick on some mascara every now and again, but it was rare.

I didn't know how to use makeup or what to do with it really until I was about 16, but I couldn't do anything with it really until i was about 18...so late bloomer is an understatement! Despite my incompetence in cosmetics at the time I was a pretty big TS fan, ever since she emerged. I remember the first time I ever thought make-up was something cool, it was when I saw Taylor in the 'Teardrops On My Guitar' music video, The look was so incredible, flawless skin and amazing sparkle on the eyes, with the added gems on the outter corners and down the cheekbone, remembering this was at the time that 'brows' were not a thing. I feel in love with it and since then she has been somewhat of  make-up muse to me, her statement red lip, perfect skin and liner is a look I adore and wear a lot all the time.

After I became interested in creating new looks and using makeup more, it was mostly Taylor's videos I took inspiration from, some of my favourite looks are ones from the 'Our Song' and the 'Picture To Burn' videos. I was so interested in re-creating the looks and seeing what they were like on me, you could probably say I wanted to be taylor Swift, but who didn't? It was so much fun doing the looks, even though I was no good at them to start with. I had so much fun doing it and I kept playing around with the cheap make-up I got for my birthday and Christmas every year. It wasn't until I was given my first, expensive mascara from my aunt that I really got addicted. It was the Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara and to this day it is still one of my favourite mascaras for getting amazing volume!

So that's where my infatuation with anything make-up related came from, and since getting into more expensive as well as drug store makeup I have grown out of the TS genre and gone into more mainstream make-up artists and also some avant guard artistry, I love Pat McGrath, and all her work, it's just insane! So much beauty, creativity and totally mind-blowing stuff. She is truly the greatest makeup artist of our time. I look at someone like her and other make-up artists like the ones on Instagram or who work for Vogue and feel s glad to see the work they do. It makes me happy, my happy place is at my dest playing with all the make-up I have, going crazy with the colours and glitter, creating something new, different or sometimes just creepy. I find making yourself into something or someone else by just using make-up amazing and so inspiring. You could be anyone, anything, you wanted, there are no limits, unlike other things in life. Nothing makes me smile as much as a great flawless foundation does, I say that with true sincerity. You may all think I'm crazy or weird but I know you all have one thing that makes you smile no matter what! 

                         

I love it so much at this stage that looking at the abundance of make-up I now own mades me feel so happy that I have it. It's my way of getting out what I'm feeling, telling my stories, being creative and feeling free. Everyone I know will tell you, I'm never happier than when I'm doing my make-up. My collection is forever growing and it is my dream to show my work to the world one day, to share it and inspire young people all over the world. It may never happen, but I;m a dreamer so in my mind the possibility is always there. I made this blog so I could share my loves with you all and make-up is most certainly one of my all time true loves. 

That's the story of how I fell in love with the artistry of make-up, thats how it happened and how it grew into the, oh-so-fabulous, obsession it is today. 

Taylor Swift made me do it. 

That's it for this post guys, I hope you enjoyed it. 

Let me know what makes you happiest down in the comments, it could be friends, family or make-up like me, I'd love to know! If you want me to post more about make-up or anything else let me know too, I always love getting feedback from you! 

I'll be back soon with another post, stay tuned! 

xoxo

Quinnzellie

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Taylor Swift Made Me Do It!

Daily Make-up Routine

Hey guys!

So I thought today I would show you all my go-to everyday makeup, never lets me down and it takes less than ten minutes, super convenient for us lazy gals!

Ok, so obviously I start off early in the morning, face is a mess and I look tired as hell (so I'm not gonna show you a picture of that) I usually wash and cleanse my face before bed so all I do in the morning is take a wipe and give it a quick cleanse to get rid of any oil or dirt that might have built up during the night. I'll give my face a quick moisturise then, cuz my face is hella dry! After all that I get down to the good stuff!

THE FACE:
Prime! I either use the Inglot makeup primer or the nivea men's post-shave balm (thank you nikkietutorials)
Foundation! depending on the day, I dip into my multitude of foundations, but at the moment I'm loving either my NARS sheer cover foundation in Mont Blanc or my Rimmel 16 hour lasting perfection foundation. I use a beauty blender to buff in my foundation because I find it gives the most flawless application.
Concealer! No question here, always, ALWAYS the collections lasting perfection concealer in fair.
Powder! Rimmel stay matte pressed powder in transparent
Bronzer & Contour! NYX highlight and contour pro pallet.
Blush! Benefit's dandelion.
Highlight! either MAC's soft and gentle or Sleek's barekissed illuminator in Monaco.

*I know this seems like a lot, but its my makeup on my face and that takes me less than five minutes to do*

THE EYES:
(get a good blending brush and its all you'll need!)
Put a warm nude colour in the crease to start, then once that's down build up the depth with a darker warm brown colour.
Get a darker brown and use it to create a V shape on the outer corner of the eye, blend in with the second warm brown you used to deepen the crease colour.
Repeat these steps under the lower lash-line of your eye too for that smokey effect.
If you want to, tight-line your upper and lower waterlines with a dark brown or black eyeliner, totally optional!
Place a nice golden colour directly on the lid where you haven't put any shadow yet and..... your done!
Mascara! Benefit's roller lash.

THE BROWS:
Usually Anastasia beverly hills dip-brow pomade in soft brown but I use a cool toned taupe brown eye shadow from Inglot too sometimes.

THE LIPS: 
This is the thing that takes me longest, because I can never decide what lip colour to wear. It totally depends on my mood that day! I find myself reaching for MAC's viva glam 2 a lot recently though, I just think it is the most perfect nude!

(Hey look, its me!)

There you have it guys! That's usually what I do to my face in the morning and how I do it. Try it out and see if it works for you!

I hope you enjoyed this new post! Let me know what you thought and leave comments for what you'd like to see next!

Talk soon

xoxo

Quinnzell

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Daily Make-up Routine

Staying Positive & Dealing With Negativity

Hey guys!

A little while ago I posted a small blog on negativity and it was really well received so I thought I would do this little post on how I personally deal with negativity or anything like it that may get me down during my day or week. I thought it would be a good idea to do because I know a lot of us have problems staying positive, I defiantly do form time to time, when we face negative people or situations and I'm hoping this post on how I deal with it will help some of you face it a little easier.

So here are some of my tips for staying positive, make sure you let me know what you think in the comments and if you have any of your own tips I'd love to hear them!

Firstly, when someone or something has become very negative towards me my brain kind of finds it hard to understand why, I get very confused as to why someone would purposely be mean or unfair to me. Don't get me wring here guys, if I have done something to bring on the negative behaviour then I don't get confused as to why its happening, but a lot of the time I do. i'm not sure if it's just me but I find it hard to comprehend why someone would be disrespectful or hurtful towards someone else without just cause. It's a part of human nature I don't think I will ever understand. I know we are all guilty of it, I'm not sating I'm the perfect person and I'm nice all the time, because I know I'm not and I do know its not possible to be nice all of the time, especially on those days where life is just testing you and you're just down right fed up! I get that we all have days like that, because I have them, so I know you all do too.

When this happens to me I find myself thinking 'why the hell am I letting this happen?', it makes me miserable and I don't want to be miserable. So the first thing I do, if its me who has caused the negativity is apologise for causing it and try to resolve the issue. I hate fighting with my friends or family, I am a very open and honest person, if you hurt me you will know you have and if I hurt you I prefer to know I have so I can say I'm sorry and move past it. I know that not every thing can be fixed with sorry but in my mind its a start. Sometimes you think people have hurt you beyond repair, but I believe in second chances, because God knows I've been given a few in my time, you cannot underestimate the power of an apology, I never do and I never will! That is one piece of advice I think everyone should have.

Sometimes no one causes the negative feelings I experience, so when this happens I try to distract myself from it for a while, I watch movies, youtube videos, tv programmes, write in my journal or do a blog post. I know some of you may think distraction only makes the problem go away for a little while but it is a temporary fix for me and it works. It may not work for you, but give it a try and see. It really isn't a permanent solution but I think it helps, for a while at least.

One of my favourite things to do is write, I write down what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling and it really helps me to get the feelings out and put them somewhere else. When I write it down I feel like I don't have to carry it around with me anymore and the day just seems a little brighter, like I've locked those negative thoughts away somewhere else and I don't need to go near them again. I don't know if thats just me... But if it works, it works, right?

Talking about the negative people or thing in your life to a friend or family member really helps too, because if you keep them all to yourself they are just going to keep getting worse and worse until the turn into full blown depression or anxiety. Don't let that happen, it's just not worth the stress... we don't want to be getting grey hairs too early now do we?

Lastly, and my favourite, try to smile. Even when its been a shitty day, try to do something to make you smile. I don't believe its possible to go a day without a smile so you should all keep that mantra too, make sure you get your daily fix! Look up funny videos of cats or dogs or people falling over - I know you all laugh at them! - do anything you like to make sure you smile during the day. It's so important, plus you use less muscles in your face to smile then you do to frown, so why not make less effort?

That's it for this post guys, I hope you enjoyed it and it helped you out in your day a little. Remember these are things that I find helpful to me, so give them a try and if they don't work for you, that's ok, you probably have your own methods of dealing with negativity in your life. I'd love to hear your tips too! Let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Talk soon

xoxo

Quinnzell

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Staying Positive & Dealing With Negativity

Cleaning Make-up Brushes

Hey guys!

So I wanted to do this post because a few weeks ago I was watching one of Desi Perkins' videos and she was showing us how she cleaned her brushes and I saw that one of her methods was to flat out use a bar of un-scented soap and just roll the brush hairs around in it. It would be an understatement to say I was intrigued, so I went out and bought a plain bar of Dove soap and tried out the method myself.

I was blown away by how fast and easy it made cleaning my brushes! It completely converted me into using this as my new method, it only took me ten minutes to do all my brushes, which is fast because I have a lot of them, and they were spotless with no soapy residue left behind.

The way I used to wash my brushes, with baby shampoo, took me forever! I would have to be in the bathroom for what felt like hours at the sink just washing away. Baby shampoo is one of the most common methods of washing brushes, but after using the bar of soap I will probably never go back to it! Now some of you might be thinking 'how did you not know about this already?' but I swear, I didn't and I have even now put it into my weekly routine because it is so fast and easy. if you haven't heard of it or tried it before, go and do it, it will change your life.

I normally wash my personal brushes every week or every two weeks if I'm being lazy, I do however keep my kit brushes for any makeup jobs clean every time I use them. So finding a fast and easy method of cleaning my brushes is always on my mind. I went into boots near where I live and bought the Dove bars of un-scented soap to try out.

When I clean my brushes I do it in the bathroom, not in the kitchen, because its closer to my bedroom, so for me it's easier. I bring all my brushes in and lay out a towel for them to rest on when I have finished cleaning them.

Before I start I like to make sure the water is at a warm-ish level, so my hands don't boil or freeze while I'm cleaning, then I take the soap, wet it under the warm water and start to clean my brush by pressing it into the soap and swirling it around. Immediately you will see all the makeup coming out of the brush and it being cleaned! I do this for a few seconds with the soap and tip of the brush under the water until I see no more colour on the soap, then I put down the soap and with my fingers I massage the brush hairs under the warm water to get any left over soap out.

After that I place the brush down on the towel I laid out and continue with the rest. You may have to repeat this again if you are cleaning a particularly dirty brush or a large face brush, but once will do a small brush like an eyeshadow brush. After I have cleaned all my brushes I place them on the towel on a shelf so that I can keep the hairs off the edge, allowing the air to circulate and dry them faster. Never place wet brushes back into your holder for them as the water could seep down into the glue and loosen it, ruining your brushes. Placing them upside down is the best way to keep them in good condition but I don't have anything to do that with so I just lie them down. If you have any ways for placing them upside down let me know!

If you really want to keep the condition of the brush in good shape you can use this method and add a small drop of extra virgin olive oil to the top of the soap before you swirl your brush in it, its like conditioner for your brush hairs, but this step isn't necessary, just personal preference. I honestly can't recommend this method of brush cleaning enough!

Voila! Your done!

So there you have it, a very quick and easy way to clean your makeup brushes thoroughly. Let me know what you think of this method if you try it out and if you have any tips of your own to clean your brushes in the comments below, I'd love to hear your feedback!

If you have any requests for what you would like to see a post on next let me know!

By the way you can now go and follow me on bloglovin!

Talk soon

xoxo

Quinnzell

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Cleaning Make-up Brushes

The Liebster Award Tag

Hey guys! So a little while ago I was tagged to do the Liebster Award Tag by Ellie Victoria and I meant to do it back then but life unfortunately got in the way, it does that sometimes and I had to remove myself from blogging for a while, hence why I still haven't done it. But I'm back now and ready to get things started again! So this is the Leibster Award Tag!

I want to say a big thank you to Ellie for tagging me in this, go check out her blog, www.ellie-victoria.com. I am so honoured to be able to do this for you guys. The Liebster award is designed for new bloggers who have under 200 followers and is such a great way for new bloggers to expand and discover new blogs. Who isn't up for that? 

Rules:

• Tag and link the person who nominated you.
• Answer the nominators 11 questions.
• Nominate 11 small blog with less than 200 followers, but I'm expanding that because there are blogs I believe deserve the award and I will link them in my post.
• Create 11 new questions for your nominees to answer and notify them though social media/blog.

Q1: What made you want to start a blog? 

I love blogs, and I had been following quite a few over the years. I started mine because I thought it would be a great way for me to express myself - as corny as that sounds - as well as write down anything i wanted to talk about that i maybe couldn't talk about with my family or friends. I wanted a fun outlet for my brain basically.

Q2: If you could have two beauty products for the rest of your life what would they be?

This question is the worst! Only two?! Your killing me! But if I had to choose, even though I would never want to, I would pick my Anastasia Brow Definer and my Benefit Roller Lash Mascara. 

Q3: Would you ever want blogging to be your job or do you see it more as a hobby?

In an ideal world it would be my job, as it is my dream job. I adore digital media and marketing and Im hoping to do my post grad in that area, but for now blogging is just a hobby, something fun i can do when I feel like it and something nice for people to read which will hopefully make them smile.

Q4: What is your favourite quote and for what reason?

My favourite quote is simple and is from my all time favourite disney movie, Pochontas "She goes where ever the wind takes her". I love it because it is beautiful and it is something I keep very near and dear to my heart always.

Q5: What makes you happy?

This is an easy one, my friends and family make me happy but I mostly find myself happiest when I'm alone watching movies, tv or youtube. I also love being by the beach and hearing the waves, sotting in my car while its raining outside with the heater and the radio on and napping, of course. 

Q6: What is you favourite fashion store?

Is it ok to have two? because I have two. I love Penneys/Primark and I love H&M, those would definitely have to be my favourites.

Q7: Where is your favourite place to go when your on holiday?

The most amazing place I have ever been is Thailand, so that would be my favourite. I haven't been there in a few years and i am dying to go back!

Q8: If you could live in any city in the world where would you choose?

For me this choice is easy but it is split into two different places! I would love to either live in New York or London. NY because I love it so much there and I feel at home with all the husstle and bussle of city life and London because its more like home and its closer so I can come home more often.

Q9: How would you describe your style?

Black. White. Tomboy. Girly. Comfortable. I'm basically a mess :)

Q10: What is your favourite film/tv series?

I'm going to answer both, because I want to. My favourite film is hands down Dirty Dancing! "nobody puts baby in the corner". While my favourite tv series is most likely Sebrina The Teenage Witch, purely because i watched it religiously as a chile and still watch the re-runs today! The also just announced a reboot of the show and I am beyond excited!

Q11: Where is your favourite place to go out and eat? 

I go out to eat quite often so I have a few places I love but if I was going to pick a favourite it would have to be Milanos/Pizza Express. I just cant get enough of that place! 

Thats it, all the questions Ellie tagged me to answer! 

Now I would like to tag a few Irish bolggers I'd like to see doing this next:

Tracey of www.makeupyourmind.ie

Aiobhinn of prettiesandpearlsblog.com

Lisa of lifeoflala.wordpress.com

Rachel of theinsiderdaily.wordpress.com

Ciara of theciarachronicles.com

Rebekah of www.rebekahwithlove.blogspot.ie

Aoife of fairlyfabulousblog.blogspot.ie

Amber of authenticallya.wordpress.com

Louise of beyoutyfulyou.com

Sam of www.samantha-loves.com

Amy of www.sassandshamrocks.com

These are my questions:

1. Why did you choose to blog and how do you maintain your blog?

2. What it your favourite thing to do when your sad?

3. How do you get out of a "Monday Funk"?

4. What song do you listen to when you need a laugh?

5. Where is your comfy zone?

6. What is your go-to hair style? 

7. Do you prefer the beach or the city?

8. Do you have go-to fluffy socks/PJ's after a long day? 

9. Do you ever sing in the shower? If so what song do you normally sing? 

10. What is your feel good movie/tv show?

11. What is your all-time favourite beauty product? 

I hope all of you do this tag so I can read all of your answers to my questions! Have fun!

Thats it for this post guys.

Talk soon

xoxo

Quinnzell

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The Liebster Award Tag

Primark Haul

Hey guys!

I did a little poll over on my twitter page asking what you would like to see me pst about next and those who voted chose a haul, so here it is! You'll find my twitter link in the home bar above my posts if you want to go and take part in my next poll be sure to follow!

I was in Primark recently, or Penneys as it's called in Ireland where I'm from, and I went a little mad on the whole  spending front. In my defence I only bought practical things I knew I'd wear and things I 'needed' for the upcoming season. I know it is technically already spring but its still freezing cold and raining here so we haven't been able to put away our winter woolies yet.

The first thing I picked up was this pretty simple cardigan in a nice light brown, easy to pair other items with and good for a spring or summer evening that gets a bit chilly. At €16 I thought it was a good buy!

Next up, when I walked in I saw this really cute high neck sleeveless top and i thought it would be perfect for casual days or I could dress it up too if I wanted to. It was only €5 so I wasn't going to say no! 

I wanted to find something that was a green colour to wear with jeans, something super casual and comfortable - just my style. So when I saw this top I thought it was prefect for just that! super soft material, baggy and comfortable. A perfect casual staple for the wardrobe and it was only €6!

I then saw this really pretty, burnt orange coloured long top, with two slits going up the sids so you can see the tops of whatever trousers or skirt your wearing with it and I thought it was just perfect for this time of year, because its warm enough to wear on its own but you can pair it with a jacket or cardigan if its chilly. This was €10.

When I saw this shirt I almost died, I have been looking for a good black and white flannel shirt for ages!! I couldn't find any anywhere, so I was thrilled when I saw this in Penneys. Its big and flowy, comfortable and so perfect with a black or white top underneath and some jeans! LOVE! This was only €13 too, such a steal! 

After wondering around the tops for a bit i ventured into the PJ section and I saw this set, which I thought was just super cute, it's light for spring a summer and it was only €7! It came with little plain black cropped trousers but I forgot to put them in the picture - sorry!

So I'm sure like most of you ladies out there you need yo stock up on cotton pads and lashes from time to time, right? Well that is exactly what I did here! Cotton pads were €1 each and the lashes were only €3.50. Where could you go wrong?

Next I was a little naughty and made my way to the shoe section... I just couldn't not go have a look. I didn't intend on buying any but my shopping brain had other ideas. So i picked up these van-like shoes, they are block and have a kind of snake-skin, suede vibe to them. I thought they were perfect chill out shoes ant they were only €7 so I wasn't going to leave them behind!

So if I'm honest I did actually want to buy the next pair of shoes I got, simply because one of my friends, Sam of www.samantha-loves.com got the same pair in the tan colour and I fell in love with them so I had to pick up a pair of my own, they are only €11 and so great for this time of year!

The last pair of shoes I got are these really pretty burnt orange pair and I thought they would go perfectly with the top i had picked up in the same colour. So pretty and very spring-orientated. These were €9, so not expensive at all!

That's it guys! That is everything I recently picked up at Primark/Penneys when I decided to go down and splash out a bit...you gotta do it every now and again! 

I hope you all really enjoyed this post, let me know what your favourite item is down in the comments and what you thought of it! Be sure to follow my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for updates on new posts coming soon!

Talk soon

xoxo

Quinnzell

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Primark Haul