This isn’t something I normally would do but let be honest reading someone Q&A is always fun to read, plus it does give a clearer overview on a person. So, without further ado, let me show you the Pretty Perfect Awards Q&A.

The Pretty Perfect blogging award aims to open and widen the perception around beauty experiences and body image and open up the hidden caverns of secret information about confidence, our bodies and how we feel about them. It explores sensitive concepts and pressures such as how to look pretty for a boy, how to look pretty naturally, how tricky it really is to look ‘put together’ and ‘perfect’ and finding great comfort within others’ experiences with beauty and body image. Society heaps pressure on us about the importance of how to look beautiful and attractive every day, all day, to be worthy of Instagram, or to feel accepted by others. The Pretty Perfect project is a celebration of how great we are, breaking down the myths around our bodies to see them in a completely different light and feel the excitement of taking ‘pretty’ into our own hands!

Here’s my Pretty Perfect Q&A:

1. What are your three most favourite features? I can only think of two:

• My laugh: Once I start laughing, I can’t stop. I get severe laughing fits; you know when you’re laughing so hard you have tears streaming down your face, and you can’t breathe. I had people tell me that my laughter is infected and once I start, I soon get the whole room started. I also suffer from Cataplexy, it’s a condition where you can laugh so hard your legs turns to jelly, and you end up collapsing onto the floor, not great if I’m holding onto a drink.
• My heart: I like to think I’m a good person. I donate to charity when its significant causes (for example, The Australian bushfires and seeing all the images of burnt Kola – oh my god I couldn’t stop crying!) and I am always there if someone need help.

2. Three places I go when I’m feeling good are

• Spa – I’m a self-proclaimed spaaholic! Yes, that is a word! Aqua Sauna, Center Parc is my little piece of heaven. It is so lovely to be away from the phone for a few hours and to chill out in nature (if you don’t know the spa is in a middle of a forest and all you hear is birds songs), I also love going into their scented steam rooms and emerging with glowing healthy skin. Every time I visit, I feel so refreshed, and my skin feels so much healthier. If I could live there, I would. I’m not joking.
• A field in a middle of nowhere – Just laying on the grass with my husband and spending that time talking rubbish stuff. You know that feeling where you are in your own little world.
• On an adventure to somewhere new – I have backpacked across Europe, and the experience was amazing! I love the thrilled and excitement of going somewhere new and taking lots of cool photos. But of course, somewhere new can mean exploring a new place in my local area.

3. Beauty tips and tricks that never worked for me are

Makeup and heat curlers. Haha.

I have super sensitive skin, and the tiniest thing can dry my skin out. When I was younger, I worked in a garden centre, and I spilt some chemical products on my skin; And I think it was the cause for all skin problems that follow throughout my 20s. Due to this, I never really wore makeup. I mean, I did experiment like any young person who was in their 20s, but it was never part of my everyday ‘look’.

Heat curlers. When I was younger, I wanted to have curly hair, so I painfully kept going through the process of getting a perm. But my curled would never last! So I tried a curling wand but had disastrous results. I also never was able to use the wand on the back of my hair so I would get tight curled at the front of my head, and then dead straight at the back.

4. In a masterclass for ‘how to look pretty for school’, I would teach

Oh, I would be a beauty school dropout (and I’d be forced to go back to high school). I’m sure I’ve told this story before but let me tell you about my experience with prettiness and fashion throughout my school years:

I went to a boarding school, and the girls would horribly tease me and bully me if I put on a dress or try to make myself look ‘pretty presentable’. So, I would be forced to wear a tracksuit and blend into everyone else. It was the fashion at the time and how everyone wanted to be Sporty Spice (Spice Girls) at that time.

Throughout my school years, I suppressed my’ fashion, dressing up’ side, and just let peers pressed take over me.

As you can imagine, once I left school and got a part-time job, I allowed my ‘fashion’ side to be free. I was finally allowed to be who I was.

5. Three features I feel most insecure about are

I’m only going to name one as my insecurity is more of a personality trait than what I can say about each feature on my body.

My weight. As it forever yo-yos. I was really proud of myself at the start of 2020 and lost a stone in weight. However, then lockdown happens, and I soon regain the weight, and I’m so damn annoyed at myself. I’m now back on the treadmill and fighting with myself to lose my regain weights.

I feel insecure as it makes me looks like a squashed jellybean girl. It really does!

6. What would I tell my younger self about 2020 beauty trends?

To ignore them as they never last. Just make up your beauty trends and rock it your own way.

7. One item that helps me to feel and look pretty without makeup isthe fresh glow after a shower.

Brushing my hair and getting all the knots out. I have long, very fine hair which just clamped together to make a long-knotted weave. I’m like one of those dolls where if you pulled the arm its hair would grow – that’s me. So, my long hair when it brushed and behaving itself.

8. I feel bad for not knowing how to

Curled my hair correctly or how to colour my hair. It sounds so simple, but it something I cannot do, and I feel so awkward about it.

9. The last time I felt insecure was

2 second ago. I feel insecure every second, every minutes and hour of the day. My insecurity is a deep-rooted psychological issue. I was deeply insecure as a child, and it has lingered as I got older.

10. Give someone a piece of beauty advice in one emoji

The hug emoji. Give someone you love or care about a big giant hug; it would mean the world to that person.

11. Where would you go if you felt all-confident? Be as honest as you can!

A fashion show or perhaps a networking event. I went to a networking event a few years ago, and I stood in front of a crowd of people and pitched myself (I was at the time working as a freelance digital marketing manager), I was so proud of myself.

12. My recurring confidence daydream goes like this… (the kookier/bigger or smaller the better!)

I’m a multi-award-winning Grammys winner, I have also won an Oscars and been given the Nobel Peace Prize. I toured the world as a world-famous superstar and married to a Spanish god. I live in the Caribbean with my cat.

That is all I’m revealing about my daydream as it’s my own private space in my head.

They say that all the characters in your daydreams are a different version of your personality and how you view your world.

13. I feel most powerful when I 

I can express myself through words. I might not be the best writer in the world, but whatever I write can have an impact, hopefully, a positive impact. I’m rubbish at expression myself verbally, I get tongue-tied and get stuck with words. So, I’m better at writing it down. This way, I can take my time and say what I want. I can let my imagination runs wild when I write and have more fun that way.

14. What memory makes you feel powerful about yourself?

I don’t want to get into the actual memories but let just say it involved a fist and a Playboy pencil case. It’s my only memories from school where I stood up for myself.

15. What does pretty feel like to me? 

When my husband kisses me and tells me, I look pretty. I also suppose on a somewhat superficial level, I feel pretty when I put on a dress and feel a little more like a lady.

16. How much does body image affect what I create?

Gosh! I have always stayed cleared of the topic of body image as I’m genuinely not the right person to speak about it. Body image, as you can imagine, is something I do suffer with. Have done all my life. I said earlier I’m insecure about my weight and that does tie in with body image. When creating and photographing ootd (outfit of the day) post for my blog, my weight and insecurity do come in to play. All I can say is, I choose my angle very carefully and as my husband is the photographer we can work together to create something where I can feel the most comfortable with.

There we go, those were my Q&A. I hope you enjoyed reading it.