First Look Fridays Interview Series: Beauty Blogger Kristina Vieweg of The Feminine Files

There are just those blogs you discover that you immediately love. That's how I feel about The Feminine Files. Beauty blogger Kristina Vieweg is such a fantastic writer, she takes fabulous photos and she has a knack for making me want every single product she writes about! Read on to find out how she started her blog, the foundation she can't live without and so much more.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I moved around a lot as a kid, but I grew up mainly around the southern New Hampshire area and I ended up in Hudson where I attended high school. I took a 2 year Culinary Arts program in high school and I went on to earn my Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts from Southern New Hampshire University. I also interned at a resort in Maine and another one in Cape Cod which were both very fun and rewarding experiences. After doing the cooking thing for a while, I had kind of had enough (the hours were crummy and long). I ended up taking a job at Hannaford, where I met my now fiance through a friend. We started dating and a year later I was pregnant with our first child. Fast forward 7 years and we now have 2 beautiful girls ages 5 and 3! These days I am a stay at home mom/beauty blogger by day and I still work at Hannaford part time at night. I love the way my life is now, and I wouldn't change it for anything!

How did you first become interested in beauty, and what led you to create your own blog?
I have always been interested in beauty, more so than most of my friends I think. I remember sneaking applying my makeup on the way to school, haha! In my adult life however, I had been following a lot of beauty blogs and I kind of just thought, “This is something that I would really like to do myself.” I think it’s fun and I love to think that my blog helps people make informed decisions regarding their makeup purchases. Plus, chatting with other bloggers and readers also helps keep me connected to the world outside of being a SAHM!

I love the name of your blog! How did you come up with it?
It was fairly easy for me to come up with the name of my blog. I wanted it to be a collection of all things womanly and feminine, so The Feminine Files was literally the first thing that popped into my head!

What are your top 5 favorite beauty products?
Oh boy, my top 5 beauty products...this shouldn't be hard, right?

clariSEA Clarifying Sea Salt Scrub. Recently my number 1 favorite product. It has pretty much changed my acne prone skin for the better and I am never looking back. Plus it’s all natural and affordable!

Revlon ColorStay Makeup. I have purchased this foundation time and time again. It is very affordable, gives fantastic coverage and really does last all day, especially with a setting powder. (They make versions for Oily Skin or Normal Skin.)

Lancome La Vie Est Belle L'Eau de Parfum Spray. From the second I smelled this I was completely smitten! It is such a beautiful, feminine fragrance and I’ve gotten a few co-workers hooked on it too. That reminds me, I need a new gift set for Christmas...

Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Lipcolor Lipstick in Love It. Literally the perfect everyday pink shade that really makes any look polished and put together. I will never run out of this makeup staple!

The Real Techniques line of makeup brushes. They are very affordable and well made. Sure, they aren’t the most luxurious on the planet, but I find myself using mine 80 percent of the time.

What are your top 3 beauty tips?
1) Be true to yourself. This isn't really a tip or “hack” but if you feel good in your makeup, you will probably look good too. I rarely wear a liner on my waterline because I don't particularly like it on me, but when I do wear it I always feel a little bit weird. Just do what you feel comfortable doing. If that means just BB cream, or a full face of makeup with blue lipstick, then just rock it.

2) Don't over pluck your eyebrows (like me) as a teen or an adult for that matter. Just don't. There isn't much I can do with them now and I am totally missing out on the gorgeous full eyebrow trend going on right now!

3) Use a setting powder. Unless you are really aiming for a dewy look, a setting powder is a necessity! It helps keep shine at bay all day and makes makeup last much longer! I never used to use one, but now I can't live without them! My favorite? Too Faced Primed & Poreless Pressed Powder. I only use a tiny bit and it is lasting me forever!

Being a blogger must be fun, but what do you do in your spare time?
I really do enjoy blogging, but even that can start to feel like a job and get a bit overwhelming. In my spare time I LOVE to garden or just sit outside and watch the kids play. We are also a big camping family and we usually go about 2-3 times a year, this year we are up to 4 times! When we get time away from our lovely children, my fiance and I love going to concerts. We have only been to 1 this year though ... the ticket prices are becoming outrageous! Other than that we just like to relax on the couch and watch TV shows or movies together after the kids go to bed!

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