Beauty Blogger of the Week: Lisa Bensley

I'm very excited to announce this week's Beauty Blogger of the Week - Lisa Bensley! Make sure to follow her blog BeautyByBenz.

How did you get started blogging? 

Working on the business side of the fashion industry for the past 8 years has given me great experience, but I really felt like I needed a creative outlet to express what I thought was beautiful.  Growing up as a woman of mixed ethnicities in a small town, I didn't have a lot of other women like me to talk to about what "beauty" really meant.  I didn't have blonde hair and blue eyes, so I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere.  But then when I moved to NYC and met so many strong, beautiful women that all looked so different, I decided to start blogging about it.  I try to be honest about my struggles, as silly as they may seem, in finding the right foundations, or finding organic beauty products, etc.  This way people can learn from my experiences, so they don't have to spend all their money on products they don't like.  I really enjoy learning about some of the less well-known product lines as well, so that I can tell my readers that this product that they need actually IS out there waiting for them!  All of this has also led me to become a makeup artist so that I can help women feel beautiful every day. It's a great feeling.
 

New Beauty Trend you like? 

I'm really in to brights right now.  MAKE UP FOR EVER does brights in a really wearable, understandable way.  I'd pick up their Rouge Artiste Intense lip color in #40.  It's this aggressively bright orange, but if you just start slowly and build your color little by little, you can get so many different looks out of that one lipstick.
 

Favorite Fashion trend? 

I've always been a little Boho at heart, so I'm loving that these loose, feminine silhouettes are in style now.  I'll take an oversize silk or chiffon dress over a form-fitting bandage dress any day of the week.
 

Favorite Health tip? 

What's inside your body is going to show on your face.  Not that I'm the picture of perfect health, but as a former dance teacher I know that drinking water, eating right, and avoiding processed sugary drinks is good for your body AND your skin.  I don't drink soda or smoke, and I absolutely love eating fruit.  You can spend a lot of money on anti-aging products that are applied topically, but if you're eating a lot of berries, for example, you're getting all those wonderful antioxidants on the inside of your body where they're more effective.  

If you would like to be considered for "Beauty Blogger of the Week," or would like to do a guest post email me at opalstevensblog@gmail.com 

Weekly Beauty Blog Hop 5/23 - 5/29

<br /> <a border="0" href="http://beautybloggersconnect.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k481/opalstevensblog/lipstick.jpg"/></a><br />

I just ask that you follow these simple rules:

1. Follow Beauty Bloggers Connect and my other blog Opal Stevens (I will follow you back! Just please leave a comment below letting me know that you are following me!)
2. Try to follow as many people on the list as possible :)
   
3. Feel free to let the followers of your blog know about this blog hop!
   
4. Please only link up the network that is being hopped that specific week
   
5. No spam please. It will be removed.
6. If someone follows you please feel free to follow them back!

There will be a new list every week, so check back! :D

Beauty Blogger of the Week: Ellen Ross

I'm very excited to announce the first ever Beauty Blogger of the Week - Ellen Ross! Make sure to follow her blog Ask Away. Here she is :)

How did you get started?

My name is Ellen and I run the Ask Away Advice, Fashion, & Giveaway Blog. My blog has been around since last August. Originally, it was started as an advice blog. Over the years, my friends have always told me I give the best advice from such a neutral unbiased standpoint that I would be awesome at having an advice column. So I took THEIR advice. Then I got the urge to discuss fashion on my blog so in the fall I changed it to an Advice & Fashion blog. And then this past winter, I finally transformed Ask Away into an Advice, Fashion, AND Giveaway blog. I still post an advice question (every question is real, asked by a reader) every day and plan to keep doing that. I love my readers! They are all so loyal and nice and always give great feedback on my advice posts. I love doing giveaways because the winners are so happy and always send me pictures of themselves with their goodies!

New Beauty Trend you like?

I am in love with the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish strips. I think it’s such a great alternative to getting a manicure. They last much longer, you can put them on yourself (with a tiny bit of practice), they help protect your nails, and they make such a great fashion statement. I am really into the animal prints like leopard and zebra. I did post a review about it here. And my only advice to anyone who uses them is to put clear coat on right after you put your stickers on, and then touch it up with more top coat every other day. Also, when you put them on, don’t put them RIGHT at your cuticles. Leave a tiny bit of space so when your nails grow out, the edge of the strip doesn’t stick up and get ripped off.

Favorite Fashion trend?

I love leggings! It’s great how you can pair them with a long shirt, or a dress. Shredded leggings are my favorite. I just hate jeans sometimes because they feel so bulky and they can make your legs hot. Leggings are so easy to put on and fit into. Even for the summer, I see leggings all around town and I think it still looks great!

Favorite Health tip?

When you are trying to lose weight – portion control is everything. It’s also best to eat 3 meals a day, with 3 snacks in between. I do breakfast, AM snack, Lunch, PM Snack, Dinner. This way I can control my appetite and my cravings. Also, I workout 3-4 times a week and on the days I don’t workout, I go for a jog. I also drink a lot of water and I drink green tea to help flush my system.
 






If you'd like to be considered for "Beauty Blogger of the Week" email me at opalstevensblog@gmail.com

Weekly Beauty Blog Hop 5/16 - 5/22

I just ask that you follow these simple rules:

1. Follow Beauty Bloggers Connect and my other blog Opal Stevens (I will follow you back! Just please leave a comment below letting me know that you are following me!)
2. Try to follow as many people on the list as possible :)
   
3. Feel free to let the followers of your blog know about this blog hop!
   
4. Please only link up the network that is being hopped that specific week
   
5. No spam please. It will be removed.
6. If someone follows you please feel free to follow them back!

There will be a new list every week, so check back! :D

Weekly Beauty Blog Hop 5/9 - 5/15

I just ask that you follow these simple rules:

1. Follow Beauty Bloggers Connect and my other blog Opal Stevens (I will follow you back! Just please leave a comment below letting me know that you are following me!)
2. Try to follow as many people on the list as possible :)
3. Feel free to let the followers of your blog know about this blog hop!
   
4. Please only link up the network that is being hopped that specific week
5. No spam please. It will be removed.
6. If someone follows you please feel free to follow them back!

There will be a new list every week, so check back! :D