The Sunshine Blogger Award

Hi Everyone!

I recently got nominated for this Award tag by Hoi Yin Li, who like me also blogs about beauty and some stuff about her life. I’ve particularly enjoyed looking back through her old posts about her university studies in Fashion. She’s really lovely; you should totally go check out her posts!

Rules:
1. Thank blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.

3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.

4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Without further ado, here are my answers to Hoi Yin Li’s questions!

Do you have any nicknames that your family and/or friends call you by instead?

Swan is my nickname! The entire blog persona revolves around it! My parents call me by my real name, and my siblings call me by the respectful term for Oldest Sister in Vietnamese. However in public they call me Swan too and so does just about everyone who has known me since secondary school. Anyone who has known me longer probably calls me Swun or one of the many other variations.

What’s the most recent song you listened to? 

As I type this, it’s ‘White T-Shirt’ by Jonghyun. I’ve been listening to his posthumous album, Poet/Artist as well, particularly ‘Shinin’ and ‘Only One You Need’. I haven’t been able to make it to the last track of the album when I listen to it – I hear the first few piano notes and completely nope out of it. I didn’t expect to be so upset over his passing, but I realised that I really understood where his actions came from and it really shook me up for a while.

What do you normally order at the coffee shop? (It can be non-coffee if you don’t like coffee.)

At the Waterstones Cafe in Birmingham, I order a pot of peppermint tea. At any other place it’s usually a latte of some sort. Since I’m relatively new to coffee shops, I like to mix it up and try new things.
I also order a Pumpkin Latte once a year from Starbucks just to remind myself why I don’t buy coffee there. It doesn’t have a special taste to it at all.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

There’s nothing in particular. I haven’t made any huge plans yet. I really should, though. I’m really looking forward to the longer nights and I just want to spend more of my evenings outside!

What are your pet peeves?

This is one of those questions where I have plenty of answers and forget them all as soon as I am asked. Er, I hate short jokes when they’re made by tall people. I am annoyed by blog designs with tiny light grey text on a white background that’s difficult to read.

Do you have a daily morning ritual before you officially start your day?

Not particularly. I head straight to the bathroom to wash my face, then I head back to my room and apply my skincare. This is my eye cream, emulsion, lip balm and if I can be bothered, my sunscreen. Then I get dressed and head down to have breakfast and head back up to do my makeup. I don’t like rushing and will usually end up running a little late (although since I always plan to leave early, I usually end up right on time…).

Where is the furthest place that you have traveled to so far, and why?

Việt Nam, definitely. That’s on the other side of the world and depending on the layover time can be 14+ hours of flying. I went to relax and spend time with my family after I finished retaking my exams, and I totally meant to blog while I was there and that just didn’t happen.

If you can acquire the skill of any language fluently, what would it be?

I’m learning Japanese and Korean at the moment, so obviously one of those two. If you asked me to exclude those languages, probably some form of Chinese…

Do you have any unpopular opinions? (i.e. an opinion that isn’t in agreement with a general population.)

Not that I can think of!!

Do you have a film that you really want to watch, but haven’t got round to watching yet?

This is yet another one of those questions I always forget the answers to. Baby Driver is one of the few on my list, as well as the new Kingsman film. Out of the ones currently showing at the moment, definitely The Greatest Showman!

What is your favourite quote? (It can be from a film/book/song/speech etc.)

I’m not really one for quotes, normally. At the beginning of the year when I was mustering up the determination to carry out my Lipstick No-Buy, Q told me to
‘waste your money on things that are worth it.’
That is now on my wall.

 My nominations
They’re almost all beauty blogs, I think! I’ve really been on a kick with reading these recently.

1. Crystal Tan of The Crystal Cut
2. Hannah Amethyst Beauty
3. Hannah Poon
4. Katie Emma Beauty
5. Alice of SPRALLICE
6. Holly of Thimbles and Spoons
7. Emma Louise of Owls and Stags
8. Anna of Kirakiratsu
9. Morgie of Morgiereacts
10. Jad Kurumi
11. Louise of Pretty Polly Beauty

My questions:

1. What do you like most about your appearance?
2. What’s the most recent song you listened to?
3. If you were only allowed to use one lipstick for the rest of the year (I know forever is too much of a long time!) which one? ONLY ONE, guys. I know, it’s hard.
4. What was your very first makeup item?
5. What is the one song that you could probably sing along to perfectly (most times…), whether or not you like it?
6. What game, movie or book universe would you love to live in?
7. When people come to you for help, what is it they normally want help with?
8. What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
9. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
10. What’s the best thing that happened to you last week?
11. What song or artist do you like but rarely admit to liking?

I hope my nominees enjoy answering their questions. They’re supposed to be fun to answer and require some thought, perhaps. I think those kinds of questions result in the most interesting answers!

Lots of love,

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