Friday, August 7, 2015

First Look Fridays Interview Series: Beauty Blogger Bailey Murray of I Know All the Words

Bailey Murray, I Know All The Words, beauty blogger, First Look Fridays interview series
If you're not yet a fan of Bailey Murray and her beauty blog, I Know All the Words, it's definitely time for you to get on board. This is one of my must reads, not only because she informs me of products we can't get in the States (she's from Canada), but because her reviews are in-depth and extremely well written. Plus, her swatches are to die for! Read on to find out how she got her start as a blogger, the eyeliner she can't live without and so much more.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I’m from a small town in Ontario (Canada, not California) where I live with my dilute calico Igby. I went to school in Toronto and am educated in Library and Information Technology. I’m also a certified adult educator and adult literacy instructor. I currently don’t work in either field, but do work as a freelance audio transcriptionist.

How did you first become interested in beauty, and what led you to create your own blog?
If you ask my mom, she’ll say my beauty love affair started when my nan (aka grandma) taught me how to apply lipstick when I was three. She’d give me her castoffs and I’d practice my application skills. Apparently, I was pretty good! I didn’t have a purpose in mind when I created my blog (it was almost a music blog) but my love of all things beauty took over when I posted my first review. I was new to the blog world, and didn’t even know beauty blogs were a real thing. As I began to grow my readership, I discovered the vast community of bloggers/blogs and was hooked.

I love the name of your blog! How did you come up with it?
As mentioned, I never intended to be a beauty blogger, and was thinking of starting a music blog. My blog name is borrowed from a line in the Tegan and Sara song "You Wouldn't Like Me" that I was loving at the time: "Sunshine is days away / I won’t be saved / I know all the words..." I guess I owe them a thank you as it’s worked pretty well for me.

What are your top 5 favorite beauty products?
Bailey Murray, I Know All The Words, beauty blogger, First Look Fridays interview series, Blistex Lip Medex Lip Moisturizer
Blistex Lip Medex Lip Moisturizer (in the pot, ONLY the pot). I’m not very brand loyal with my products, but Blistex Lip Medex has been one of my beauty staples since the seventh grade. It’s one of the best balms if you get really dry, sore, damaged lips. It’s an essential item if you plan on surviving a Canadian winter. It does come in a tube, which is tempting since you have to dip your fingers in the pot, but the formula just isn’t the same in the tube.

Bailey Murray, I Know All The Words, beauty blogger, First Look Fridays interview series, Lancome ARTLINER eyeliner
Lancome ARTLINER. A classic black cat eye is an essential for me, so finding a great liquid liner is always on my to-do list (you can never have too many options!). One that I keep going back to is the Lancome Artliner. The sponge-like applicator makes clean lines incredibly simple to create and the formula is an opaque black that wears really well without smudging or flaking.

Bailey Murray, I Know All The Words, beauty blogger, First Look Fridays interview series, Vichy Laboratoires Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum, skincare
Vichy Laboratoires Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum. Who isn’t obsessed with serums? They’re amazing! One of my all-time favorites, Vichy Aqualia Thermale, is formulated for dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin. It’s a very wet, watery serum, with a light texture that instantly soothes and hydrates. Plus, the formula contains hyaluronic acid, which boots the efficacy of whatever moisturizer you apply over it. Win-win!

Bailey Murray, I Know All The Words, beauty blogger, First Look Fridays interview series, Avon Ultra Color Lipstick Toasted Rose, makeup
Avon Ultra Color Lipstick in Toasted Rose. Pinky-neutral lip shades are always on my radar, and Toasted Rose is a perfect one for everyday wear. It’s a blush pink meets medium depth nude with a creamy, semi-matte finish. It’s easy to swipe on and goes with pretty much everything. Pure lipstick love.

Bailey Murray, I Know All The Words, beauty blogger, First Look Fridays interview series, M.A.C Cosmetics Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish, makeup
M.A.C Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish. I have a stack of M.A.C MSF shades, but Lightscapade is my most used. It’s a neutral white-gold type of shade that just goes with everything. It gives skin a soft glow, and natural radiance without being too intense or shimmery.

What are your top 3 beauty tips?
1) Moisturize. It’s such an old (nay, classic) tip, but such an important one. Be good to your skin now and it will be good to you in years to come. Plus, the really fun stuff (AKA makeup) looks/applies better on a well-cared for canvas (AKA your skin).

2) Powder up! For years, I hunted for the perfect under eye concealer. Something with good coverage, wasn’t drying and didn’t crease. Nobody likes under eye creasing. I’ve found it’s not the concealer formula that matters so much, it’s what you set it with. The wrong powder can emphasize fine lines and look cakey, but a smooth, light powder (I like translucent powders) will lock concealer in place all day. My favorite powders for the job include It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores and Make Up For Ever HD Micro Finish Powder.

3) Break the rules. Learn the techniques, read up on all the tips and tricks and what not, but in the end, do you. Makeup is all about creativity and expressing whatever and whoever you want to be on any given day. Be adventurous (or don’t) but be yourself and enjoy the process while figuring out who that might be.

Being a blogger must be fun, but what do you do in your spare time?
Blogging has become a major part of my days, but I’m a pretty avid reader, and am on a mission to read everything Margaret Atwood has ever written (I’m currently reading Lady Oracle). I am beyond excited that her Maddaddam trilogy is being made into a series on HBO. I collect vinyl records and am always on the hunt for another gem to add to my library. My rusty high-school French lost me what could have been a dream job, so Rosetta Stone French lessons take up a few hours on weekends. And, after years away, I’ve recently started sketching and drawing again and hope to get back into watercolors soon.

In addition to your blog, how can The Beauty of Life readers find you on social media?
You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

13 comments:

  1. How wonderful to find out more about Bailey! Bailey, I love your hair! I always enjoy reading her well thought-out and written posts (that makes sense knowing about her Library Science & Tech background), plus she has the most perfect lips for lip swatches in the world

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  2. I absolutely adore Bailey and her blog! It's so wonderful getting to know her a bit better! This is such a great series, Jamie! I always get so happy when you post these fabulous blogger interviews!

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  3. I love reading Bailey's blog! It's so clean and nicely laid out as well.

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  4. Her blog has awesome reviews, and amazing photos!

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  5. I've only been reading Bailey's blog for a few months so I don't really "know" her. This article is perfect to know the beauty behind the words.

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  6. I like Bailey because she introduce me to Canadian brands! Plus her photos are awesome

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  7. She's so fantastic! Great interview!

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  8. Thanks so much for featuring me Jamie and to everyone for such amazing comments!

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  9. It's lovely getting to know bloggers and Bailey, I love your hair!

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  10. It's so fun to learn more about the bloggers we love! Its so interesting how she came up with her blog title...I've always wondered that!

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  11. Toasted Rose is so pretty! I love Bailey's blog, so cool to get to know her better!!

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  12. Aw, love seeing her lip swatches and her fantastic photos! <3

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