The Liebster Award 2016

I was recently nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Emma. I'd never actually heard of this before, so I thought it was a really great idea. I'm still a fairly new blogger, so I'm always looking to meet and discover other bloggers. 

If you are nominated you must follow these rules:

1. Post 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions that your nominator has asked you.

3. Nominate 11 other bloggers.

4. Ask them 11 questions.

5. Let them know that you have nominated them.

11 Facts About Me
1. I recently turned 19, however I also get told how I look a lot younger.
2. I study sociology and criminology at the University of Stirling.
3. I was born in Germany but I moved back to England with my parents when I was still a baby. I then moved to Scotland when I was nine.
4. I am a total dog person and would love to get a Cocker Spaniel one day.
5. I rent a flat in the centre of Stirling.
6. One of my all-time favourite films is Matilda. I used to watch it on repeat when I was younger, and I've seen it so many times that I pretty much know it word for word.
7. My favourite TV series is Gilmore Girls. I can't wait to find out what happened for the girls in the new episodes.
8. My star sign is a Virgo and I think it fits me quite me well. .
9. I have an unhealthy addiction to crisps. I really do eat far too many, it's a little bit out of hand.
10. My dream is to travel the world, so I'd love to get a job in the future that enables me to do so.
11. I currently work part time in a jewellers and I absolutely love it.

11 Questions by Emma
If you were a ghost who would you haunt/spy on? ;)
Probably just my mum, as I bet she's not really as tidy as she leads us all on to believe.

 Favourite time of year? 

I always used to think that Autumn was my favourite time of year as it's so pretty and picturesque, but now I'm almost always cold and having to wrap up warm, so I'd probably say summer.

 Favourite clothing brand?

I genuinely don't think I have a favourite "brand." I'm not really into brands as it is, and I tend to change my favourite shop from season to season. At the moment I really like River Island, though.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

I really like my name to be honest, so I'm not sure that I would. But my mum once told me that if she hadn't called me Jade, she would've called me Amber.

What is/are your guilty pleasure/s?

My guilty pleasure is probably reality TV.  I love spending my evenings at home watching TOWIE, Made in Chelsea, etc. I also have a total soft spot for Keeping up with the Kardashians. 

Halloween or Christmas?

Definitely Christmas. I love dressing up for halloween but it's never been all that big a thing in my family.

Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

I've been trying to think how to answer this for ages now, and I've still no idea. I can't think of any actresses who I look like, but I would love Emma Watson to play me. I've always loved her as an actress.

Bath or Shower?

I only have a shower in my flat, but nothing quite beats a bath when you're cold or stressed with a deliciously scented Lush bath bomb. 

What is the farthest you have traveled from home?

The furthest I've ever traveled was to Florida with my parents when I was 8 years old.

What is your go-to breakfast?

To be totally honest, I never really eat breakfast. But when I do, I usually stick with my good old toast.

Who in your family are you most like?

I found this question really hard to answer actually. I'm like my mum in so many ways when it comes to my character, but I think I get my passion for travelling and exploring from my dad. I'd like to think that I also take after my Grandma in many ways.

My Nominations

I actually found it quite hard to think of 11 bloggers who haven't already been tagged, so I apologise if I've tagged you again, but here are some of the lovely ladies who's blogs I love to read;

Sophia Violet Blog

itsbeccajayne

Jems Journal

Juniper Daze

Words of Quigg

Lauren Matthews

Born to Blend

This Charming Life
Kimberley Jessica
Life of Sapphire
Call Me Caz

My 11 Questions

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

What is your favourite film?
What is your ultimate dream job?

What do you love the most about your life right now?

Are you a cat person or a dog person?

What is your favourite thing about Autumn and why?

What is your most embarrassing moment?
What is your favourite quality about yourself?
What is the number one thing on your bucket list?
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Do you have any hobbies or interests beside blogging?

Lush Livingston's Blogger Event

Last night, I attended the exclusive bloggers only event at the Lush store in Livingston. I've been shopping in that store for years, so it was really interesting to go back after hours and learn all about the company and the products. The theme of the night was "fresh matters," so we were taught about how important the use of fresh produce and ingredients is to Lush when making all of their products. We also got to learn a bit more about their "naked" range, which meant all of their products with no packing.

Upon arrival at the store, myself and six other bloggers were greeted by the lovely ladies that work at Lush and were handed a drink. They then told us the plan for the night and we were split up into small groups and sent to different stations. The first stop for my group was the spa station. The lovely Fiona talked us through one of the treatments that the Lush spa has to offer, and she made it sound like a total dream. The treatment was called "The Comforter?" and we were treated to a hand and arm massage, giving us a little taster of what the treatment would be like. "The Comforter" is a full body treatment lasting 60 minutes and is priced at about £85, but from the little taster that I had of it, I definitely think it's worth the price. I think I might have to add it to my birthday wish list.

This is the invitation for the "The Comforter?" spa treatment.

 Fiona added the liquid to the candy-floss and it created
the sweetest tasting drink I've ever had. Definitely a sure
 fire way to get a sugar rush.

We then moved on to learn about Lush's "naked" range of products. These are all products that come with no packaging, such as their solid shampoo and massage bars. Last year, by selling their "naked" range of products, Lush stopped a whopping 16 million plastic bottles from being thrown into waste. How amazing is that? We were taught about their solid shampoo and conditioners, which can last up to 80 uses. Both products come in a solid form and require no packaging at all. They would be perfect for travelling if you need to bring down your luggage weight! I've tried one of their shampoo bars before, and I really liked it, so I was interested to find out they now have conditioners in the solid form too.

Here are some of the solid shampoo bars that Lush have to offer.

These are the solid conditioners. The one
that we sampled was called "Daddy O" and
was actually created by the CEO of Lush.

The flagship Lush store is down in London on Oxford Street, and they have many products that are exclusive to the flagship store. We were lucky enough to get to see some of the them and watch them in action. The one that we got to sample was the "Cyanide Pill" bath bomb, which fizzed around the bowl with tonnes of silver glitter. Some of the other exclusive products were a variety of bath bombs, a shower jelly and two fragrances, one of which had the same scent as the popular "Snow Fairy" range. 

The part of the night that I was most excited about was making our own face masks. Our group made one called "Catastrophe Cosmetic" and was packed full of blueberries, calamine and chamomile, which help to soothe and repair the skin. Lush use only fresh and pure ingredients, and never test on animals. They also make sure that all of their suppliers are also cruelty free and do not test on animals. The other group made a mask called "Cupcake." which contains rhassoul mud and cocoa powder to cleanse the skin and draw out any dirt that may cause impurities. When I got home, I got Jordan to try out one of the face masks with me. Jordan tried the "Catastrophe Cosmetic" mask, and I'm pleased to say that he was really impressed with how his skin felt afterwards. I was also really impressed with the "Cupcake" mask, and I'm looking forward to using it again and seeing the affects it has over time.

Crushing up the blueberries ready to add
to the mixture.

Mixing the ingredients together before the mixture
was added to the pots.

To finish the evening, we were taught a little bit about Lush's cosmetics and the thought process behind them. The range is called "Emotial Brilliance," and each of the products is named after a feeling or emotion, which is supposed to represent the mood you are in on that particular day. To test this out, we did an "Emotial Brilliance" reading to find what our colours were. Mine were calm, passionate and fantasy. I thought this was a really cool concept, and I was pretty impressed with the colours that I picked and the thought behind them.

 As we left, we were kindly given a goodie bag tied up in one of their knot bags. These were beautiful pieces of fabric that were used to tie up all of our goodies, but can also be reused and worn as scarves. The pattern on mine was beautiful, so I'll definitely be re-using it.

We were kindly given a small pot of each of the face masks we made on the night, a pot of the Angels on Bare Skin facial cleanser, a bar of the Daddy-O solid conditioner, a block of their new Sea Salted Caramel hand soap and my personal favourite, the Creamy Candy bubble bar.

I had such a fun evening at the Lush Livingston store, and it was really clear to me just how much the staff at Lush truly love the company that they work for. This made the whole evening feel a lot more sincere, and it's obvious how much Lush genuinely care for the planet and it's future. I'd like to thank the staff at Lush Livingston for such a great evening, and I'll definitely be back soon to purchase the long list of products now on my want-list.