Blogger Recognition Award

Hi guys! This Summer I've been nominated twice for the Blogger Recognition Award by the amazing ItsElla and girlonrainbow! I'm so excited and thankful for the nomination :) Thanks girls!

Here are the rules:

1. Write a post to show your award.
2. Acknowledge the blogger that nominated you.
3. Give a brief story about how you got started blogging.
4. Give two pieces of advice for new bloggers.
5. Nominate 15 bloggers for the award.

How I started blogging

I'd been writing my Harry Potter fanfiction saga for 8 years intermittently and it finished at the beginning of January 2016. I missed writing and sharing my words so much! Then, I read Girl Online and Girl Online 2 and it gave me the idea of starting a blog. Since I finished my fanfiction, it took me less than a month to look for a page and create my blog, I just couldn't help it hahaha I started it without ever having followed a blog before and I had no clue what blogging was about, to be honest, but you figure it out with time!


Two pieces of advice

1- WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE. Of course, you never have to forget that you have readers because it's thanks to them that you can keep sharing your words, but don't think that you have to write a certain thing for them to follow you. I've been really surprised with the response to posts I really liked but thought nobody else would. When you write about what you're invested in, that's when you write your best and people notice it.

2- Be considerate towards your followers and never, never take them for granted. It's really sad to see that someone you follow, and whose blog you always comment on, never comments back. Of course you might be extra busy during your exams or holidays, but you have to appreciate them and show your appreciation, because we're all a community and we support each other :)


That's it! I nominate Beth May, Lily Mae, My Life As Marina, Laura from Blossomofhope, Iris, Amy Rose, Leigh, Rosie, Izzy from ThePastelStyle, Marti, hp20508, Jess from wellwellgirls, sweetreats, Frances and Ambi!

I hope you liked this post! I can't wait to see all your award posts!

A big big hug,


Acqua

The Happiness Tag

Things that make me happy:

(Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...)


Scents

New books
Rainy days
Peach
Baking goods!
Tea


Books

Harry Potter: this just has to be the number one influence on my life since I read the first book when I was 7! I've made so many amazing friends thanks to Harry Potter and I've always been really active on the fandom. I've written fanfiction, read the books up to 7 times... I just love it!

The Fault in Our Stars: okay, I know this is supposed to be "things that make me happy" and you must be thinking TFiOS is a tear jerker... well, it makes me cry a lot, but it's also one of the things that brings the most joy to my life. I just have a connection with that book. It speaks to me on such a deep level! It's also one of my favourite films, but I've decided to put it just once so it would make room for more things :)

The Little Prince: I've said it before and I'll say it again: everybody should read this book! Adults more than children. We need to go back to the roots and see what's important in life. Sometimes we get so obsessed over the unimportant things that we get lost. To me, that book is solid ground. Is me knowing what I have to value.

All My Friends Are Superheroes: THIS IS THE CUTEST BOOK IN THE WORLD. It wasn't on my favourite books post, but I love it. It's actually Carrie Hope Fletcher's favourite book! So there's that. If there's a word that defines it is endearing. It just leaves me with a warm feeling and makes me so happy.

Malory Towers: talk about throwback! I've read these thousands of times and I love Enid Blyton. It actually inspired me to write a story when I was 10 and I still have it hahaha I still find myself going back to them every some months!


Miscellaneous

Singing
Swimming
Children
My village
Playing theatre

Music (artists, songs, musicals...)

Les Misérables: IT HAD TO BE SOMEWHERE. As with TFiOS, it's one of my favourite movies too, but I've decided to put it on the list just once. Do I really need to tell you again how much I love this musical?

Danielle Bradbery: my favourite "mainstream" singer, winner of The Voice US season 4. She has a huge voice and needs to be more promoted, because even though her first album was average, she's been getting new amazing songs out and I can't wait to see the studio versions on a new album!

Lea Salonga: my favourite musical theatre singer. If I could just listen to her live... I'd be the happiest person on the planet. I admire her so much, and her skill is undeniable. She's such a funny person too! And her daughter is the cutest! (Let me say I wanted to put Carrie Hope Fletcher here so badly but I wanted to talk about different categories and she fell on Lea's... but I love her too!)

Txarango: you probably won't know about them, but they're a Catalan band which has been touring all over the world. And to me, they are the definition of something that makes me happy. Their music can always lift my mood. There isn't a grey day when they're around. I've also heard them live a handful of times and you have such a fun time.

Haven't Met You Yet: This song is by Michael Bublé and never fails to make me smile! I love the whole feel of the song!

(Sidenote: I have my "Favourite Musical Songs" playlist on while I'm writing this post and "My Favourite Things" has just started to play! This is perfect!)


Films & TV

DOCTOR WHO.: Just freaking Doctor Who. I love how it celebrates the wonders of the smallest things human beings do, the smallest acts of kindness that make us human. It makes me cry and laugh at the same time and it's such a special show to me.

Mary Poppins: This was my favourite film growing up and it holds a special place in my heart! It's so endearing and fun and funny. I love it :)

Hercules: I wanted to say "Disney Films" in general, but I felt it was like cheating... so I decided to write my favourite one instead! But if I say it maybe that's cheating too... Oh dear! Well, I'm sure you all know how special Disney films are to our generation :)

Castle: I'm still in denial over it ending. Castle's character is a joy. A writer investigating crimes... I love his out-of-the-box way of thinking and his different abilities. The other characters and the stories are also phenomenal.

The Big Bang Theory: Just funny! The characters are so well-rounded and they have the craziest ideas. I love it!


And that's it! Thank you so much Beth for nominating me, this was so fun to do! You can go check Beth's post here ^^ I want to apoligise to whoever invented this because I know music wasn't on the original, BUT it didn't feel right to leave it out! So I just had to add it hahaha I nominate Laura, Iris and Jess! I hope you'll enjoy doing it!

A big big hug,

Acqua

The Lip Product Tag and the Get To Know Me Tag!

Hey hey hey! How are you doing? I've been nominated for a couple of tags, so that's what I'm going to do today! But first of all, I want to thank everybody who commented on my last post, it was really hard for me to write and seeing that I have your support means the world to me! I won't forget it :)

Before I start these tags I'm going to answer a couple of questions some of you have been asking! I wanted to keep where I'm from private because I was so obsessed with being anonymous, but given that I'm gonna be talking about products that are found in my country it wouldn't make sense to hide it! And anyway you all must have had a growth in Spanish visits in your blogs hahaha so yes, I live in Spain, but my mothern language is Catalan, since I live in an area called Catalonia, and it has its own language, traditions, history, and so on. But I can speak Catalan and Spanish equally! There you go hahaha you know something more about me now!


The first tag I'm gonna do is the "Get to know me" tag! I've been nominated by El the bookworm, whose blog I absolutely love, if you haven't, go check it out!


What is your favourite way to style your hair?

I usually wear my hair down (I have really long hair), or I take some shorter strands from the front and pin them back with bobby pins! It's halfway through a half-up half-down style hahaha In Summer either one or two braids. What you'll NEVER see me wearing is a ponytail or anything that puts all my hair back and leaves my face completely free, since I have a wide face and it does NOT look good on me! And I always wear a tiny braid lost among all the hair!


What is one movie you could re watch over and over again?

Probably The Proposal! I love me some Romantic Comedies, and if Sandra Bullock's in it... I'm sold! I'm quite a Drama Queen and I love dramatic movies, but some times I'd rather see a lighter plot, and I don't get tired of it!


Do you have any pets?

Yes! I have a white kitty... insert picture here! She was spoiled by an old woman who later sent her out, and we kept her... but she's so annoying now! I hope we'll calm her down!

 


What's on your nails right now?

Right now, I'm wearing shade 04 Keep Calm & Go For A Walk, from Essence's collection "Hello Autumn" (I know, Autumn is far away, but the shade is gorgeous!). It's a really cheap thermo changing nail polish, and it goes from nude pink (cold) to orangey pink (hot) depending on the temperature!


What's your favourite thing about blogging?

I think it has to be the comments I get, and also seeing the list of countries from which people are reading my blog. It's mindblowing! I love languages and cultures and diversity, and the fact that my words can reach someone on the other side of the world is amazing to me! So thank you, all of you, so very much!



Bold eyes or bold lips?

Bold eyes! But that's coming from someone who isn't to be trusted when it comes down to make-up hahaha


If you could blog about one brand's product, which brand would it be?

Hmmmm I'm a drugstore girl with not much money to spend on beauty, so I think I'll go with Maybelline or Essence!


Most used/loved product?

Actually a hand cream from a Spanish supermarket's range! (The range is Bonté by Clarel, if anyone was curious.) I was really surprised when I tried it, it smells amazing and it leaves my hands so moisturised! It also comes in a small package, so it's the perfect size to have on my handbag.


Would you rather have flawless skin and not be able to wear any makeup or never wear skin makeup again but still be allowed to use makeup?

Flawless skin hands down. I don't use make-up that often anyways hahaha


What is your most hated thing about wearing makeup?

I think there isn't a special thing to hate about it! I'd rather leave it for special occasions because I don't feel comfortable wearing it every day, but that's just me, and I totally love hearing about brands and everything. On the times I wear make-up, having to take it away before going to sleep does bother me actually!

I nominate V, nycheartsme and Girl on Rainbow!


And now, on to "The lip product" tag! I was nominated by ItsElla and, honestly, I was terrified, because I don't have many beauty-related products, just a few drugstore ones that I like and that work for me for the few times I wear make-up. But I asked a friend for help to complete the questions I didn't have my own answer for! So thanks, Ella, and you all make sure to check her blog as well, it's awesome!

Favourite lip balm or treatment

I'm currently using Rimmel's "Keep Calm And Kiss" (these people are so original with the names hahaha) lip balm from the Rita Ora range and I love it! It also has a pink undertone, which makes it  really pretty.

Favourite eye catching red.

I had to ask a friend for help with some questions and actually, all of her answers were the same: MAC's Russian Red! She's so obsessed with it she told me to put it everywhere I could!

Best luxury and drugstore product

That would be Russian Red again! My favourite drugstore product is Essence's lipstick in the shade 09 I Feel Pretty! It's so beautiful, it's not really bold (because I don't usually wear make-up I feel really weird wearing something you can see from miles away!) and it really suits my skin tone.

Best MAC lipstick

You guessed it! Russian Red! ;)

The first one is Essence's "I feel pretty" and the second one is Basic cosmetics' lip pencil!

Most disappointing lip product

That supermarket I told you about also has a make-up range called "Basic cosmetics", and I bought a lip pencil from that range in the orange shade. It's a pretty tone, but it makes your lips feel and look really dry and it doesn't really allow them to breathe!

Lipliner - Yes or No

Not really. I'm just too lazy hahaha

Favourite lipgloss

Essence's XXXL nude lipgloss in the shade 03 Taste The Sweets (wow, I've just realised there's a lot of Essence on this list!).


So that's it! I'm not nominating anyone for this one because I've seen almost everybody do it! If you haven't, consider yourself nominated!

I've been hesitant about writing a make-up related post because I'm not an expert, but maybe you'd like to see what's in my make-up bag... I'm quite happy about what I have and it's not expensive at all! Let me know if you'd be interested in seeing it! What I'm actually obsessed about is nail polish, I might make a post about that as well. I don't know... what would you like me to write about? I feel like most of my posts have been really similar and I'd like to change things up! It would be great to see your opinion, to know what you'd rather read :)

A big big hug!


Acqua

The Liebster Tag

Hi there! I've been nominated for The Liebster Tag by the amazing Nicky (nickywriteslife.weebly.com), V (blogsbyv.weebly.com) and Girl On Rainbow (girlonrainbow.wordpress.com)! Thank you so much! I honestly didn't expect this and I was planning on doing The Liebster Tag and The Lip Product Tag on this post, but if I had it would have been super long. I don't want to make this eternal, so I'll quickly tell you the rules and go on with the tag!

1. Tag the person who nominated you and thank them.
2. Answer the 11 questions you are given.
3. Nominate 11 new bloggers and tag them.
4. Give them 11 new questions to answer.
5. Notify your nominees.

1. One situation in your life you were really happy
   I feel sorry because I'm going to repeat what I said in my last post, but... with my theatre group, we did the musical "Fiddler On The Roof", which I translated and in which I played Hodel, one of my favourite characters from musicals ever. At the end of the first show (which got amazing reviews in newspapers) EVERYBODY on that room gave us a standing ovation. I tear up thinking about it now... we worked so hard, and I for sure would do it all over again!
2. What song was the last you listened?
   Someday by Eternal!
3. Book/movie everybody should have read/watched
   100% The Little Prince. It makes you realise of what is actually important in life. In my head, everybody reads it and understands it, but sadly... it isn't always so. It makes me really sad, because it's a really important book for me!
4. Funniest moment with your friends
   I don't know if I can pick one... I especially like having dinner with them and just talking about our nonsense ^^
5. Who are your favorite bloggers and why?
   Do you really want me to pick? This is so hard! I'm just going to name two because the more I name, the more I will regret forgetting someone. I'm going to say El The Bookworm and Rosie! I really feel like their blogs have something that connects with me.
6. What do you think about when you’re home alone?
   All sorts of things! I think about my future, my past, books, movies, youtube... I also sing at the top of my lungs a lot!
7. What wish did you have when you were little?
   I wished to fit in so, so badly. I always felt left out. Now I see it stopped me from being myself!
8. One thing you wish everybody in the world would know
   Respect. If we learned to respect each other, many problems would be erased!
9. What do you want to reach through your blog, and why did you start?
   I really don't know where I'm going. I'd been wanting to start one for a while, and I had finished writing my 8-year fanfiction (okay, yes, I'm a nerd), so I couldn't bear to sit there and not write weekly. It only took me three weeks to start the blog! I made the final decision after reading Girl Online :)
10. What is your favorite birthday present you’ve ever got?
    Last Summer was my 20th birthday and all my family gathered money so I could fly to LONDON to watch LES MISÉRABLES which, as you know, is ONE OF MY BIGGEST OBSESSIONS. I SAW CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER AND I MET HER AND SHE WAS THE SWEETEST AND I CRIED SO MUCH AND I SHould probably calm down. But I swear, it was the most perfect day ever.
11. Do you have a place to go which you love? And why do you love it?
    There is that kind of forest besides to my village. There is a specific tree I used to visit when I was having a bad time. Sadly, they cut it off! But I still visit the place some times. I love it because I can be completely alone and think.

1) What's one strange skill you want to master ?(e.g. typing blindfolded)
I want to learn Hebrew! Is that strange?

2) Have you done your homework yet? (hehe)
You know, some of it hahaha I still have the whole weekend though!

3) It's the zombie apocalypse and you only have food as a weapon, what would you use?
Banana peels to make them trip over while I run away!

4) You're phone is 1% and the only way to recharge it is to dance as weirdly as you can, what song would you use?
SHAKE IT OFF.

5) You're about to lose your beloved bed forever and the only way to save it is to trip on soap, what brand of soap would you trip on?
Okay, that question is kinda strange hahaha I guess on one I didn't like, so I could hate it even more!

6) What's your sassiest comeback? (no foul language)
Wow, I don't know... I tend to be really sassy with kids who are sassy to others hahaha They complain but they love it!

7) The world can only be one color, ugly green or hideous pink?
Well, green. As much as I love La Vie En Rose, green is the colour of nature, so I'd rather see a natural world than an artificial one.

8) You get to be a Starbucks cup, what drink do you want to be filled with?
TEA TEA TEA.

9) It's your last day on earth, what embarrassing thing would you do?
I would be with my friends and family and say everything I've been holding back, I suppose.

10) You're being chased by the cops, what disguise would you use?
I would wear normal clothes, different from the ones they had seen, and my glasses, and I would try to look as innocent as possible!

11) If you can be a Unicorn for one day, what would you do?
SPREAD THE LOVE!


1-  Favourite song at the moment?
My all-time favourite is On My Own from Les Misérables, but lately I've been loving When We Were Young by Adele!

2- What is your biggest pet peeve?
When people are extremely inactive and don't have any initiative. Like... do something! It's like they don't have blood in their veins! I understand everybody has their own personality, but sometimes it's too extreme and it's hard for me to bear having someone asking what to do all the time, or just standing there when we have a group project or we have to get something done.

3- Whats the best birthday you ever had?
I've already answered this one!

4- Favourite dream you had?
When I was little I used to dream I could fly and I ended up believing it. Those dreams were super fun!

5- What is something you wish was real?
HOGWARTS.

6- Where in the world would you love to travel to?
At the moment I'd love to visit Greece, Scotland and the Philippines. Also NYC to see a play in Broadway!

7- Who is your favourite youtuber?
Carrie Hope Fletcher (itswaypastmybedtime), Dan (danisnotonfire), Phil (amazingphil) and Zoella.

8- Who is your favourite Disney character?
It's like choosing between my children TT I really like characters like Rapunzel and Anna, and I always could relate a lot to Belle! I also like Mushu and Vanellope.

9- What would you erase in this world? Why?
Wars. We just need to stop hurting one another.

10-What is your favourite food?

Pasta!

11- What advice would you give to bloggers?
Just blog about what makes you happy, write about what you're invested in. Then you'll see people relate to you in ways you didn't expect!


That was a lot to answer hahaha I wanted to do a Q&A next week but I feel like we can leave it for another week because you won't have many questions left after this!

These are my questions for my nominees:
1. What is your favourite book and why?
2. Do you have any strange hobby?
3. What TV series do you recall watching when you were a kid?
4. What would you like to be when you grow up?
5. If you could re-live anything in your life, what would it be?
6. If you could choose a place and time to live throughout history, what would you choose?
7. What scares you the most?
8. What do you wish you knew when you were younger?
9. What is your favourite Dessert?
10. Who is your favourite singer/band?
11. Tell us a random fact about yourself!

So that's it! I nominate (12 people because I'm just that cool): El The Bookworm (theramblingsofmoi.blogspot.com), Rosie (rosieauthorwriting.blogspot.com), Beth May (bethmay75.blogspot.com), Girl Abroad (girlabroadblogs.blogspot.com), Ella (ellacrabb.blogspot.com), nycheartsme (everydaylivingnyc.blogspot.com), Hannah Porter (hannahporterx.blogspot.co.uk), Katherine (annabel1.weebly.com), Laura (blossomofhope.blogspot.com), Emily Maltby (emilymaltby.blogspot.com), Catriona (catrionaar.blogspot.ie), Anne (annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com).

And you, yes you reading it, you're nominated, you can't escape it! I hope you'll have as much fun as I did!

A big big hug!


Acqua

Self-love Near Valentine's Day!

Hey hey hey! How are you doing today? I hope you're amazing! ^^

Soooo Nicky (nickywriteslife.weebly.com) nominated me for the Miranda Sings Award. It's an award I found really important because it puts emphasis on self-love! And that's something I forget quite often. Here are the rules!

• Announce your win with a post and link the blogger who nominated you.
• Include the featured image on your blog post.
• Nominate 10 or as much bloggers as you can and link them in the post.
• List 7 things you love about yourself (This can be about your appearance, your personality, your achievements, etc.)
• Don’t use negative connotation.(Ex. Many say I have a nice voice. You do and are an amazing singer!) Be confident in yourself!:) 

Now, I want to tell you how this nomination has come at the right time. First of all, we have Valentine's day approaching, and if you're single like me (if you're not it's good as well!) it's a good thing to remind yourself of the good things about you :) Also, I've had a hard week and I've been really discouraged about everything, and I think I kinda needed to tell myself that I'm still worth it and I have good things going on, because in some moments I thought I just wasn't good enough.

So without further ado, here are 7 things I love about myself!

1. I'm a really creative person.
2. I can speak six different languages.
3. I love doing volunteering stuff, especially with children.
4. I have a good singing voice.
5. I can read really quickly.
6. I have a weird memory and I'll remember the most random things!
7. I try to be full of hope and light and transmit it to others, and when someone thanks me because I've contributed to their happiness it's the best feeling in the world :)

 I nominate the following people:

• Rosie (rosieauthorwriting.blogspot.com)
• Beth May (bethmay75.blogspot.com)
• Girl Abroad (girlabroadblogs.blogspot.com)
• Ella (ellacrabb.blogspot.com)
• Yashashvi (yashoi.blogspot.com)

That's it! Thanks for reading, please leave a comment telling me something you like about yourself! Let's spread the positivity ^^ Make sure to remind yourself that you're a valuable human being with amazing qualities and flaws that make you who you are. And that's wonderful!

A big big hug!


Acqua