It's Been A While...

Hey lovely people!

Oh how I've missed writing to you all. I'm so sorry I've not posted, but I have been ill... and I have quite literally not been able to lift my head off my pillow, never mind use a computer. But I am back to full health, ready and raring to go with some fresh new blog posts... as well as catching up on my Instagram Photo-A-Day Challenge! 

So to ease me back into it, I have decided to do the Lip Product Addict Tag. I watched Amelia Liana & Essie Button's collab video on youtube and just thought it was the perfect tag for me, seen as I am a self-confessed Lip Product Addict. 

Enough of the jibber jabber and onto the tag:

1. Favourite balm/ treatment?

I'm a girl with simple taste, and you don't get more simple and brilliant than Vaseline. I love the plain old original you get in those enormous tubs and I love the dainty little tins, with rose or aloe vera. They are brilliant little budget products that do a great job for me. 

2. Best eye-catching red?

This is my absolute fave red lipstick. I wore it on my Wedding Day and it cost £1. It was a random purchase when I was in Superdrug one day... and it is still my absolute favourite. It's an MUA lisptick in shade 13. I have gone through several (as you would imagine with a cheaper product) and it never disappoints. Is it cheap? Yes! Does it have good staying power? Well... certainly not as much as a luxury brand. How's the pigment? Amazeballs!!! Need I say more???

3. Best luxury & best drugstore?

Ok so aside from the above lippy I was talking about, my other favourite "Drugstore" product is from Bourjois. It is their new Shine Edition Lipsticks in the shade Beige Demographic. It's a super shimmery lipstick with lip balm qualities so your lips feel really plump and nourished when you're wearing it. I love it. 

As far as luxury goes I don't really know if this would qualify as luxury, although it certainly feels luxurious on my lips. It's Liz Earle's Sheer Lip Gloss in the shade Guava 02. It's really a beautiful product that glides on your lips and doesn't have that horrible tacky sensation. It's pretty and long lasting and feels just lovely when you're wearing it.

4. Best MAC lipstick?

Ok, so I don't actually own any MAC products whatsoever and this is due to the fact that they haven't confirmed that they don't test their products on animals. They are owned by Estée Lauder, who DO test on animals, therefore I do not, and I will not ever buy a MAC product. 

5. The most disappointing?

Mmmm... this is a hard one. I can't say I've been disappointed by many lip products, except maybe some tacky lip glosses I happen to have collected over the last few years. I love the look they give... but I hate the feeling they leave on my lips! :(

6. Liner, yes or no?

Yes! Not only does it make your lips look better when you apply your lipstick... but if you apply your liner all over your lips, it acts as a sort of primer and means your lip colour lasts longer! It's a win win!!! :)

7. Best gloss?

Has to be the Liz Earle one I mentioned above! 

8. Something extra?

I decided to use this last question to mention my most lusted after lip product. It is (of course) the beautiful Classic Cream Lipstick in the shade Red 620 from Dolce & Gabbana. I have been in love with this lipstick since seeing it for the 1st time in Vogue a few months ago. It is everything I would want in a lipstick and more. I can't describe how much I want it! I just hope my hubby keeps that in mind when my birthday comes round next week. :)

So that was fun lovelies. :) I hope you enjoyed reading my ramblings. Again I am super sorry for my disappearing act and I vow to try my hardest to keep up with my blogging.

Take care lovelies. x

May Instagram Photo Challenge

Hey lovely people,

So it is now June!!! Does that mean it's summer??? I don't know... I always associate the month of June with being the start of the summer... and it's my favourite month of the year because it's my birthday month! :) Yayyyyy!

So anyway, this past month of May I took part once again in an Instagram photo challenge brought to us once again by the fab Alice at www.supergorgeous.co.uk. She has a fabulous little beauty blog so get yourself over there and check her out... and follow her twitter and instagram too. :)

But anyway, I took part in my 2nd monthly photo challenge and I've got to say, not only has it been fun taking my pics, but it has been super great to discover all of these fab new instagrammers to follow. I'm a big fan of pretty images and my newsfeed is literally now absolutely jampacked with amazing photographs ranging from fashion to flowers, makeup to food, landscapes to animals. :D It is just my absolute favourite place to be now, and I have fallen away from most of my other social sites because of how much I am enjoying Instagram. If you think I would enjoy your page then by all means let me know! :D

So anyway, here are my submissions in their entirety for May:

So if you want to partake in this months challenge then please get yourself over to Instagram and follow the founder of this specific challenge, the lovely +Alice M (Alice from Supergorgeous)... and while you're over there give me a little follow on Instagram - my username is @onceuponapic_danni. :)

Take care lovelies. x

TGIF!

Hey there lovely people,

It's that beautiful time of the week where my hubby comes home to me for 2 whole days and we get to relax and unwind, go shopping, play with our dogs and all that general loveliness. 

This week has been a quiet one with not a lot on, so I've had some time to relax and catch up on some of my fave things, some of which are included in this weeks list, so without further hesitation here we go:

1. An old TV fave!

So I started watching this show when it first aired on tv and I got hooked... and for one reason or another I ended up watching it half way through season 1 and then forgot all about it. Until this week! I watched it from start to finish due to the wonder and delight of Sky On Demand and I remembered why I loved it. Even my hubby loved it. He has always had a thing for country music (passed on to him from his grandparents) and he and I both agreed that if we were American, we would be country music enthusiasts. Lol! So if you haven't watched this already, get your behinds in gear and get it done. It is quite literally fabulous!!!

2. Good Food!

So I actually have a post coming up that explains why this healthy food is part of my diet now, but in short, this week I have been enjoying eating super healthily. I've cut out wheat & gluten and all sorts of other things from my diet and I've been eating loads of fruit and vegetables and it's been delicious. Don't get me wrong, I am a big bread girl, and that has seriously been difficult to cut out, but needs must... and it's better for me in the long run (still trying to convince myself of this fact).

3. Flowers (surprise, surprise)

These were 2 very quick snaps I took of my freshly bloomed tulips and carnations yesterday. How beautiful are they??? I know I post images of my flowers a lot, but I seriously think they are some of the most beautiful sights in the world. I always feel better about my home when I have fresh flowers dotted all over the place. They give me a sense of calm and well being and they truly make me a happier person. 

4. Photography

Cindy Crawford - Vogue Jan 1990

Claudia Schiffer - Vogue May 1991

Emma Stone - Vogue Aug 2012

Kate Moss - Vogue June 2013

Kate Moss - Vogue Sept 2010

Scarlett Johansson - Vogue Oct 2006

This week, and more than I usually do, I've been admiring the work of some of my favourite photographers. I've been thinking about how I would like to decorate my home studio as right now it is very plain and boring, and I've been thinking about having some of my favourite photographers images blown up and put on my walls as inspiration. These are some of my favourite images by the ever so talented Patrick Demarchelier, the renowned French fashion photographer. These have been taken directly from his Vogue archive, and you should all know by now how much I adore Vogue magazine!!!

5. Blog Of The Week

http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/blog/

I am absolutely loving this blog this week my lovelies. I've recently started a health kick and I discovered these fab ladies on Instagram. This blog is filled to the brim with brilliant recipe ideas and the most beautiful images of deliciously healthy food. I seriously recommend you go take a look. You will be hooked instantly! Get following them on Instagram too, because let me tell you, there is nothing more pleasant than gorgeous photographs of delicious and healthy food popping up on your news-feed when you're hungry... it will encourage you to stay on track and not reach for the chocolate cake!

So that's my faves this week. It's a good mix of things for a change, as the previous weeks have been a little beauty heavy, and that is certainly not the type of blog I aimed to create when I started, so I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! 

Take care lovelies. x

Another Friday Faves!

Hey lovely people!

It's FRIDAY!!! And its the beginning of the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend! I am so excited!!! Can you tell from the overuse of the exclamation marks??? Eeeeek!!! 

Anyway, it's just a quick little post today because the sun is shining and I am just home from a lovely walk with my dogs and I intend on heading back out with hubby... perhaps to a beer garden somewhere! So here goes:

1. My hubby!

I love this guy soooooo much and I get to spend the whole weekend and Monday with him. You have no idea how happy that makes me. He is quite simply the best person I have ever met in my whole life and he makes my life so much better. :)

2. This weather!

Blue skies and the smell of fresh cut grass, it is the ultimate spring weather and there is no better way to spend the day, than with my gorgeous doggies and my handsome hubby! :)

3. New makeup!

It's always a good week when I get to play with new makeup! :) And not only that, but the price I paid for the makeup was outrageously cheap that it made it all the more fun. As well as that, i've been trying out my new Models Own nail polish, and it is fab! 6 for £20... how can you go wrong! 

4. Instagram!

I have been taking part in a photo-a-day challenge throughout April and it has really made me appreciate how great Instagram is all over again. It's been super fun, and I think I will make it a regular thing every month. Not only do you get the chance to see everybody's fab pics, but it encourages me to get my camera out everyday... even if I'm not working! :)

5. Blog of the Week!

http://www.onestopsavvy.co.uk

This fab lady is a mummy and a brilliant little beauty guru, delivering posts ranging from makeup reviews to parenting advice. She is a super sweet lady, with an obvious passion for blogging, and after only having recently met her via twitter, it has become a part of my daily routine to check her tweets and admire her instagram images. You should definitely follow her and keep up to date with her fun and interesting blog posts. 

So that's my Friday Faves this week lovely people. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will hopefully be back tomorrow with another post... but please forgive me if I don't... I may get carried away with this weather. 

Take care lovelies. x

April Photo Challenge - Day 9 - "...Bright Lips..."

Hey lovelies,

Just another short post to update you with today's April Photo Challenge submission.

This was in no way, shape or form particularly challenging for me today as I am a sucker for bright and vibrant lipsticks... and any excuse to get my lippy on is a good thing in my book!

So I went with a lovely bright pink lip today... with a little bit of gloss over the top to make it pop! 

Hope you all like it. 

Take care my lovelies. x

April Photo Challenge - Day 8 - "...Spots & Dots..."

Hey lovely people!

So today's theme for the April Photo Challenge is "Spots & Dots"... And on that note I give you today's pic! I don't own a lot of polka dot items, but I do have a black and white polka dot top, which is what I chose to wear today. 

Take care lovelies. x

April Photo Challenge - Day 7 - "...Metallic..."

Hey my lovelies!

I just wanted to share my April Photo Challenge submission for today. The theme, as shown above, is Metallic. This was a hard one for me, as I generally don't own a lot of metal jewellery or metallic products in general, so I had to rake through all of my makeup & jewellery collection and came up with the following image...

Ok so from right to left you can see my eyelash curler, tweezers, a Sally Hansen HD Metallic nail polish, my little metal compact mirror, my MUA Lipstick & my Benefit Concealer, Blending & Angle brushes, as well as a little metallic & crystal bracelet draped over my LOVE bookend.

Hope you all like it! :D I'll be back tomorrow with another "Snap Happy" post, as well as tomorrows photo challenge post which concerns all things "Spots & Dots"!!!

Take care lovelies. x

April Photo Challenge - Day 4 - "...Vamp..."

Hi there lovely people!

Ok so today will consist of this one post. I have my niece and nephew coming to stay and trust me, the energy I will have at the end of the night will only be enough to pour a glass of wine.

So onto today's post then... 

Today's theme is "Vamp" and when I saw that my first thought was "Yeahhhh... A good excuse to wear some red lippy", my second thought was "Mmmm... what about a VAMPire crossover theme"! So I know what you're thinking... I'm getting way too into this challenge! And yes you are probably right, but It's fun and a great way to exchange photos and ideas among a fairly large group of people. It's so interesting to see how other people translate their ideas through their images. That might just be the photographer in me coming out... but I seriously find it fascinating. 

You know it's not too late for you to get involved - just catch up with the last 4 days of pics and get to the same stage as everybody else and start sharing your photos. Get involved on Instagram or Twitter - but just remember to use the hashtag #supergorgeousapril. That way everybody else who is participating can keep tabs on the other challengers and can share the likes and faves among each other. 

Here is the April challenge again, just in case you fancy it.

Hope to see some more of you getting your cameras/ smartphones out and getting involved. 

Take care lovelies. x

April Photo Challenge - Day 2 - "Arm Candy"

Hey lovely people!

So today's submission theme is "Arm Candy" and initially I thought about taking a photograph of my super handsome husband (any excuse to show him off), but then I thought I would be more literal and actually take a photo of his arm - his tattooed arm to be exact!

So this might seem like a rather strange thing to want to show off - but I have a thing with arms. You know how some women like muscles, or eyes or a tight little toosh??? Well I am into arms!!! Lol... And believe me, I understand how that sounds. But I'm really not being bias (maybe a little) when I say that my husband has the most amazing arms I've ever seen. 

Ok, so I'm going to leave it there, because I have a feeling I have shared far too much already! Look out for tomorrows submission which is "Brushes"...  So you can rest assured it shouldn't be too creepy like this one! 

Take care lovelies. x

April Photo Challenge - Day 1 - "What I Used..."

Hey lovely people! 

Starting from today, I have decided to take part in a photo-a-day challenge for April, created by the lovely Alice from the blog Super Gorgeous.

I have always wanted to do one of these challenges, not only because they are fun but because it encourages me to get my camera out EVERYDAY as opposed to just when I'm working, and it's a chance to really hone my skills and try to be as creative as possible with my daily entries. 

So on that note, here is the monthly challenge in all it's glory, along with today's submission.

Face - BodyShop Moisturising Foundation, Sheer Cover Concealer, Victoria Jackson Blusher, Avon Pressed Powder
Eyes - MUA Undress Me Too Palette, NO7 Brown Eyeliner
Lips - MUA Matte Peachy Keen, Carmex Lip Balm
Nails - Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby, Rimmel Finishing Touch Ultra Shine

This may seem like a lot of makeup for one face - but my foundation gives a very sheer finish and the powder I use is almost translucent. The eyeshadow can be as light or heavy as I want, all I have to do is build up the colour, and add as much or as little of my eyeliner. The peach matte lipstick is so subtle that it improves the natural colour of the lips and makes them look fuller. 

As you can see, it's not super heavy. It's really more of an everyday look, easy to do and effective enough that my skin isn't exactly bare, but certainly not caked in products. 

Anyway,  just so you know, you can expect an extra post each day, showcasing that days photo challenge, with a short description of how the photo came about, much like this post.

Take care lovelies. x

My Fave Youtubers

Hey lovely people!

Today I thought I'd share my favourite Youtubers of the moment with you all.

This is a super exciting world filled with super creative people, putting themselves out there and sharing their lives with the world... and let me tell you, once you dip your feet in the Youtube pool... you will end up knee deep before you know it!

So without further rambling here are my top 5 favourites and a little bit about them and their channel:

1. Jaclyn Hill - Professional Makeup Artist

She is a super sassy lady from Florida, with an infectious personality and a tremendous talent for applying makeup. She has an abundance of amazing makeup tutorials and haul videos showcasing her extreme shopping addiction. She's funny and really entertaining and you really can't help but watch video after video.

Jaclyn also has a twitter account >>> Jaclyn Hill 

a Facebook account >>> Jaclyn Hill

and an Instagram account >>> Jaclyn Hill

So be sure to check her out. You won't be sorry you did!

2. Lily Pebbles - Lifestyle, Fashion & Beauty Blogger

Lily is a trendy, blogger from London, who provides makeup tutorials, product reviews, style guides and sooooooo much more. She has a way of drawing you in with her effortless charisma in front of the camera and her knowledgeable chats about beauty products and fashion in general. She is super normal, so it feels like your just listening to a friend when she talks... and that's what I like most about her.

Lily also has a twitter account >>> Lily Pebbles

a Facebook account >>> Lily Pebbles

and an Instagram account >>> Lily Pebbles

She's totally worth a look so go ahead!

3. Hannah Maggs - A Little Beauty Vlog

Hannah initially started this channel as a beauty blog, but fell pregnant with little Grayson and decided to share her pregnancy experience with her viewers. She is so open and honest about her experience that it's simply refreshing. Her most recent post takes on the ever controversial topic of breastfeeding.

Hannah also has a Twitter account >>> Hannah Maggs

a Facebook account >>> Hannah Maggs

and an Instagram account >>> Hannah Maggs

She is a sweet, lovely girl, sharing her life with us lucky people. Go see what I mean!

4. Jim Chapman - A Fun Lifestyle Blog

Jim Chapman is one of a fairly sizeable group of youtubers and bloggers providing entertaining videos where he shares his day to day living, some funny and interesting tags and loads of funny collaborations with his friends. He is the brother of Sam & Nic Chapman (the genius makeup artist sisters behind Pixiwoos), the boyfriend of Tanya Burr (the gorgeously, sweet makeup artist with her own lipgloss and nail polish line just out) and the twin brother of John Chapman (the body conscious, personal trainer who is one half of The Lean Machines). He is super sweet and funny and truly loves his audience - welcoming his viewers with his greeting "hello best friends" on every video post! I seriously can't get enough of him.

Jim also has a Twitter account  >>> Jim Chapman
a Facebook account >>> Jim Chapman
and an Instagram account >>> Jim Chapman

You'd be crazy not to give this guy a visit. He will quickly become your online best friend!

5. Matt Granger - Get Your Gear Out



Matt Granger is an Australian Photographer, sharing tutorials on all aspects of photography and reviewing all of the cameras, lenses and equipment you can possibly think of. He is super talented and really easy to listen to and if you're new to the field of photography he can help you perfect your skills with more ease than you could imagine possible. He has a motto - "Get Your Gear Out" - which is way of encouraging fellow amateur and professional photographers to get out and shoot as often as they can. He is just brilliant and makes his art looking so easy. I highly recommend you makes his videos a part of your Youtube viewing!

Matt also has a Twitter account >>> Matt Granger
a Facebook account >>> Matt Granger
and an Instagram account >>> Matt Granger

He is well worth a watch so get clicking on his page lovely people!

I'd just like to say that these amazing Youtubers are only a small selection of my favourites, and I will continue to share the other wonderfully talented people I follow as well as any new ones I discover along the way. I honestly recommend that you nip along to a few of their pages and have a good look for yourselves. They offer so much in terms of the mixture of areas they specialise in and I believe that like me, you will get a lot out of their posts. 

Take care lovelies. x