I have been... nominated?!

I'm pretty sure I've heard of the Liebster Award before. It's been floating around out there in the periphery of my beauty knowledge, I'm sure of it. Still, you can imagine my great surprise and happiness to find that Sophie Lauren of Yves-Soph-Lauren nominated me! Thank you, Sophie!

The Liebster Awards aren't an actual "awards program" in the same sense as, say, the Logies or the Academy Awards -- it's about blog recognition and spreading the word that the blogs you nominate are definitely worth visiting! It certainly gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling to know that I'm part of that circle, as every new blogger on the block fears that theirs will never get read! (And trust me, if mine can get hits, there's no reason why yours won't!)

There are a couple of rules for the Liebster Awards, and they go a little something like this:

• You need to link back to the person who nominated you -- otherwise, it defeats the purpose!
• You must answer the 11 questions set for you by the person who nominated you.
• Once you've answered them, you need to nominate another 11 blogs and give them a series of 11 questions to answer -- these blogs must have less than 200 followers (but 200 followers on where, exactly? I have no idea, I'm going with Bloglovin'.).
• You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.
• Let your nominees know that you've nominated them, and link them to your post so that they, too, can learn about the Liebster Awards!

Without further ado, here are my answers to Sophie's questions!

1. What is the meaning behind your blog name?

I decided that it might be fun to make a blog documenting my trials and tribulations related to makeup and cooking (of which so far there have been surprisingly few!). I'm a newbie at this business, a person trying to teach herself stuff that everybody else already knows -- hence turning myself a "Beauty Padawan"!

2. What is one item in your wardrobe that you couldn't live without?

My jeans. Seriously. I wear them all year round, even in the hot Australian summertime -- albeit slightly less often -- because, hey, I don't get sunburned if I do!

3. Where is one place you want to visit and why?

I'd love to go to Cornwall in the UK. A good chunk of my ancestry is from there, and I'd love to spend some time digging around in the archives and finding out first hand about the people who used to live there.

4. Favourite Disney movie?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, hands down. When I was little, I'd watch it on VHS on a loop -- the video player would rewind itself then restart automatically, something I apparently picked up on very quickly!

5. If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

I was originally going to give the clichéd answer of Jane Austen, whom I adore, but upon further thinking I think it'd have to be one of my ancestors. Her name was Elizabeth and she was an unmarried mother in the 18th century -- a definite no-no, believe me. I think I'd like to find out what happened, if I could, and see how she overcame the stigma to later marry twice.

6. Favourite song at the moment?

"Indian Giver" by The Shoe. It's in my head and it won't stop!

7. Do you have any hidden talents?

I don't know if this really counts, either as "hidden" or a "talent", but I'm really good at researching genealogy. It's not a hobby I can always spend my time doing, but when I get stuck into it I can dig up information like a cartoon dog can dig up dinosaur bones.

8. What is your favourite season of the year, and why?

It's winter for me. I love the rain, the storms, the excuse to stay indoors -- you can always make yourself warmer in winter, keep piling on the layers of clothing, but you can't do the opposite in summer. Surprisingly, I don't actually own many winter clothes.

9. What is your guilty pleasure?

Oohh, it's Desperate Housewives! I know it's long since finished, and I've only got the first two seasons on DVD, but I love it. That, and Pretty Little Liars -- which is basically Desperate Housewives for teenagers.

10. If you could be granted 3 wishes, what would they be?

Are these the kinds of wishes with strings attached? No? Okay, sweet. I would wish for...

1. The heater in my room to magically move over in the roof so it's above my bed.
2. A decent teaching position in the UK.
3. A pair of warm socks that won't disappear in my bedsheets during the night.

I could've said things like love, good health, money, world peace, cat food -- let's be honest, though, I think everyone wants those things.

11. Which decade would you liked to have lived in?

Argh, I'm really torn! I'd really love to have lived in the 1810s -- so I could get my paws on a first edition Austen novel and be all up in that literary atmosphere! -- but I think I could've done equally well in the 1950s or 60s.

With those over, here are the 11 blogs that I've nominated! If you've already been nominated, then I apologise -- it's so freaking hard to find blogs with under 200 followers!

The nominees are...

1. Danielle Rowe || Confessions of a Beauty School Dropout
2. Alex Marshall || Love Life Lexi
3. Emma Payne || Emma -- The Bravest Individual
4. Katrina || Warm Vanilla Sugar
5. April Campbell || Thinking About April
6. Rosie Mason || Ohh So Rosie
7. Celine || Celine Avenue
8. Sammy Smeth || Blinkered Barbie Life
9. Jenny || Caramel and Cats
10. Reanne May || ReeBeauty123
11. -- I'm really sorry, I wasn't able to find an eleventh blogger!

Here are your questions...

1. Would you prefer to eat caviar or raw tuna?
2. You have the opportunity to win a $500 (or local currency equivalent) gift card to your favourite store but you have to walk a 50 metre stretch over either eggs (in their shells) or hot coals. Which do you pick?
3. Name one superhero (or villain!) you'd trade places with for a day.
4. Is the glass half empty or half full?
5. What name would your parents have given you, had you been born the opposite gender?
6. Your country is facing perilous times, and you and your loved ones' best chance of survival is to travel to another continent of your choosing -- but it's the 18th century (thus, 1700s) and that means having to go on a dangerous sea voyage that lasts up to several months. Do you do it? And, if you do, where do you go?
7. Tap water or bottled water? (You can tell here I'm struggling for interesting questions.)
8. What's your favourite thing to eat for breakfast?
9. You land in a Disney movie and accidentally KO the main character! What movie was it, and do you try to stay true to it?
10. Which singer/band is your dirty little secret?
11. What would you name your blog if your current name were unavailable?

I would love to read your answers, so leave me know when you do so that I can!

Sarah xo