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One of this month’s advertisers, Miss L J Beauty, is here to talk beauty blogging! Enjoy…

What inspired you to start your Blog?: I have always loved reading blogs. To be honest I never thought I’d get any followers I just wanted somewhere to share my passion for all thing beauty.

Why did you chose Beauty as a topic?: Beauty is my passion and in my day job I’m not able to wear much make up and I love it so it’s nice to be able to chat about my passion. I share my make up looks on my blog.

What are your top tips on starting a Blog?: Just do it! I am a new blogger and I am learning everyday. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, the beauty blogger world is full of amazing and helpful people.

What are your blogging targets for this year?: To be honest I don’t have goal and it was a huge surprise when I hit 20 followers let alone 100, so I would love to reach 250 BlogLovin’ followers by the end of this year!

Who are your favourite fellow bloggers?: Ooo I love so many… Kirsty from Yellow Brick Blog, Bethany Worrall, Tattooed Tea Lady and The Sunday Girl! Gosh I could go on for ever!

What trend are you looking forward to rocking this A/W?: Tartan tartan tartan being a highland lass I love me some tartan!

What are your favourite make-up brands, high end and low end?: Ooo I have to say Superdrug because of MUA, and for high-end, MAC. It’s all about MAC!

What’s your personal style and what do you to work it?: My style changes so often I love experimenting but if I’m honest with my hour glass shape, I am restricted to more flattering pieces. You can’t get better than a skater dress!

Make sure to check out Miss L J Beauty here: BLOG//Twitter

Before you start reading, I thought I’d just say a HUGE thank you to everyone who nominated me for the Company Style Blogger Awards! The shortlist will be revealed on Friday, so I am really excited! *Fingers Crossed* Anyway, I saw a tweet that MUA (Make-Up Academy) had ‘copied’ a top nail polish brand’s, Essie, packaging. I didn’t think it would be exactly the same, but I was wrong. MUA have completely taken the Essie bottle design and made it to their own. You might think that it’s not that big a deal, but I was shocked. They haven’t just taken the Essie design, they’ve also taken MAC’s highlighter ‘swirl’ design, as well as Clinique’s Chubby Stick design. Take a look…

Essie Bottles: As you can see the glass bottles both have the imprinted brand name, which shows you straight away that they have almost copied the product packaging. There is also a rectangle around the brand name, which is the same on both, as well as the lid being white as well. I think this is definitely ‘copied’, and I think it’s a bit ridiculous as Essie are far better quality, and to take a higher end brand’s design choice, is not on.
MAC Highlighter:The swirls in the two highlighters are very similar. Although they may not be the same, MUA have definitely taken the idea of which MAC released last year, which shows that they have taken the concept once again.
Clinique Chubby Sticks: This is the one which I am actually shocked by. The packaging is pretty much identical. The ends are both metallic, the writing is both metallic (I do admit that the MUA writing is different style), and the pencil applicator is the same shape and style. The colour choice is also very similar too.

It is not just the three above of which MUA have taken ‘inspiration’ from, it is also the Urban Decay Naked palette of which MUA have taken the same colours and put them into there palette the ‘Undressed’, which has the same meaning in the name? Naked and Undressed?! Now, I do understand that brands want to let their customers have the ‘best over the rest’, with MUA trying to make everything cheaper, but I do feel that they have made things a bit too similar. Most of their stuff has been taken from other brands, and I am starting to feel that they are just like every other brand. They are not unique any more, and I think that should change. I’m not saying that they’re products are bad, as I have tried and tested them, and they are quite good for the price, but not only are MUA taking ideas they haven’t been on the right track for a long time now. Early this year, their site was down due to so many people browsing their stock, which lead to problem with customers orders. The Customer Service team tweeted and Facebook-ed rude tweets which offended many customers, which they deleted shortly after. After this and now seeing what MUA are actually producing, my thoughts have changed with the brand. I don’t want people to read this and just see ‘HATE HATE HATE’, I want people to recognise what brands really are, and I also do realise that MUA are not the only brand that take inspiration from others, for example the Chubby Stick has been changed to suit other brands too.

Should we buying their products just because they are cheap, or should we buy it because the brand is friendly, and has a unique ethic? Make sure to leave your thoughts in a comment below…

Something very special is happening this June and July! The Posh Fashion Awards for Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle bloggers are coming to a web browser near you…

Over the past month or two, I have had the most amazing support from Daniel Sandler, he has really boosted my motivation about carrying on with my dream. He has been brilliant! (Thank You!) I asked him whether he would answer some questions for the blog, and he was happy to answer them! I was so thrilled, and I am so very grateful! Daniel Sandler is a Make-Up Artist who has his own Make-Up Brand. His Make-Up is worn and used by people like Pixiwoo, Tanya Burr and thousands of other people. His Brand has won many awards including ‘Cosmo Awards for Best Blusher & Best Brushes‘ and ‘Cosmetic Executive Women Award‘ for his Lipstick in the Beauty & Lifestyle Brand Category. (Images courtesy of Daniel Sandler)

What is it like working in the beauty world, and what is the hardest thing about it?: Because I love cosmetics and helping women of all ages to look their best, the beauty world is perfect for me to work in. Makeup empowers women to look how they really want to which helps them feel confident. The hardest thing is telling someone that the makeup they love to wear doesn’t compliment them or is badly applied.

What’s been the best thing you’ve done so far in your career?: Creating my brand Daniel Sandler Cosmetics but I have also visited some exotic and beautiful places when I was a jobbing makeup artist on fashion shoots. I was privileged to enter into luxurious private homes or fabulous hotels and see the opulence in which some people live every day.

You have a product line which is used by thousands of people and top make-up artists such as Pixiwoo, wo would you like to see wearing your products the most?: My products are worn by anyone and everyone so I guess my dream would be for everyone to have at least one of my Watercolour Fluid Blushers in their bag.

What’s your favourite product from your own range?: My Watercolour Fluid Blusher as it’s unique and is my favourite product. A blogger recently named me the ‘Patron Saint of Blusher’ and I am delighted she picked up on the fact that I love blushes and contour. My favourite shade is called ‘So Pretty’ as it’s a shade that makes a girl look really healthy and glowing.

If you were to collaborate with another brand/make-up artist, who would you like to work with and why?: I guess MAC would be a brand I’d link in with because they would understand my philosophy and would be able to compliment it. I could see me working on a Diffusion Blusher range with them.

What are your views on airbrushing throughout the industry, do you think it should be banned?: Each make-up artist has their own technique and if they get the result then that’s a good thing.

What is the best thing about working with make-up?: Being able to transform someone into something stunning has to be the ultimate buzz for me.

What is a must have for any working woman?: Products that last all day are essential because it means you don’t have to reapply them throughout the day.

What inspires you when you are creating a new look?: Mother Nature. The fish in a tropical ocean, or a beautiful butterfly or exotic birds have the most stunning colours all over them, which inspire me to put colours and textures together in a very different yet flatter way.

A quick fun question – If you were a super hero, what would be your super power and why?: To me, a super hero is either a Doctor or a Surgeon. They are out there trying to make sick people better. It’s a great gift being able to help people continuing having a healthy life, and it’s definitely a power I wish I had.

Thank You so Much for answering all these questions Daniel! It was really interesting finding out more about the industry, and what inspires you. Maybe one day he’ll be doing my models make-up at LFW! That would be amazing! And those images? The make-up is stunning! Everybody should go and try out his products, or just take a quick browse! Go!

If you are feeling nice, I would be so grateful if you could nominate my blog as Best Teen Blog in the Company Style Blogger Awards. Please use the URL: http://www.tollydollyposhfashion.com (Nominations end April 10th)

Have you ever tried Daniel’s products? Did this inspire you? Make sure to leave a comment below!

This post is exactly what it says on the tin. It is a stocking for girls who love make-up, beauty and fashion. It is really simple to create, and I have set a budget of £20, so there is still some money left over for the big prezzy! THIS IS FOR LATE SHOPPING ONLY! 😉 4 DAYS TO GO!

Boo Boo Fluff £3.00 (MUA), Gemini Nail Constellation £3.00 (MUA), Naturals Duo Of Tubs Coconut £3.99 (Superdrug), Rimmel London Kate Matte Lipstick £5.49 (ASOS)& Lipsy Bow Stud Earrings £4.50 (ASOS)

It may only be a few things, but they are a great few things! The MUA Nail Fluff has only recently been released, the same as the Nail Constellations, so they may not have it! The lipstick is great (One I also want!) and the earrings are super cute! Also, for a nice bath time treat these Coconut  Wash Tubs are a bargain! So after buying all that you’ll have 1 penny left! Few!