Hello August! Summer is in full swing now, and we are excited to welcome our brand new Blogger of the Month. Say hello to Katie Rose! Blogger at KatieRoseLoves, shes a super sweet darling, who is not only a fantastic blogger, but also has a gorgeous creative flare and she's got a passion for helping others through her own struggles. And, did we mention shes got the best brows maybe ever! Swoon!

Lets get to know Katie Rose a little better...

1. Hey Katie! Tell us a little about yourself and your blog!
Hey hey, Bella & Bear! Thank you so much for choosing me as your Blogger of the Month. I'm so honoured! Mwah! Well as you know my name is Katie, I'm a 31-year-old blogger from Liverpool, UK.  I'm a beauty and skincare junkie with a passion for craft projects and I consider myself to be a compassionate animal and nature lover. I'm also a vegetarian but I'm hoping to take on a new challenge and be completely vegan one day. I have a skin disorder known as psoriasis and my aim is to raise awareness and inspire the psoriasis community. My blog mainly focuses on hair and make-up and beauty and skincare reviews but I do post a lot of DIY beauty and craft projects and I also share stories with my followers, about how I live and cope with psoriasis.

2. You use a lot of natural skin care products, and as a brand that makes vegan and cruelty-free products, we admire that. What are your fave natural brands and what advice would you give to someone making the switch over to natural, cruelty-free products?
Oh, I have so many! A couple of my favourite brands at the moment are Pure Potions, Palmers, Dr Botanicals, Greenfrog Botanic, Westlab and 7th Heaven - I've also recently come across a vegan brand called Mayka Skincare which is a new favourite brand of mine. Not forgetting Bella&Bear too - I love ya! The main advice I'd give to anybody who was thinking of making the switch is to do your research. Before I decided to make the switch to natural beauty products, I read up on cosmetic ingredients and those that should be avoided, so I knew what to look out for before purchasing. I make sure to look on the back of a product for the cruelty-free bunny or the PETA logo to know for certain that the product is cruelty-free and not tested on animals. It will also state on the packaging if it is vegan-friendly product or if it has been made with natural and organic ingredients.

3. You might have seen from some of our blog posts that we love a bit of DIY, so we were so excited to learn that you do too, and we absolutely love your DIY posts (your glitter storage box is our fave!). What are your top tips for getting DIY inspired?
Ah, thank you! I love a good DIY craft project and I browse Pinterest and search YouTube for craft tutorials to get my inspiration juices flowing. I also subscribe to a few craft and sewing magazines and I enjoy reading craft books for ideas.

4. Your psoriasis story touched us, and we love that you aim to help others through raising awareness. Your message about beauty being skin deep is so important. What is the main piece of advice would you give to someone else suffering with self-confidence issues?
Ah, it's quite deep huh, it was so hard expressing my true feelings with my followers but I hope it's inspired others to speak out. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it. For a couple of months now, I have been having weekly therapy sessions with a CBT therapist to help me recognise, observe and change any negative thoughts I'm having about myself into positive ones. I would definitely recommend anybody with confidence issues and low self-esteem to give therapy a try. It's truly amazing how much it has helped me gain confidence and overcome anxiety. My therapist made me realise that our appearance has nothing to do with our self-worth. It's how beautiful we are deep down in our hearts that matters. Cliche, but true! I really love the quote by Steven Aitchison on your homepage too. 

5.  As someone who takes good care of their skin, what would you say is the most important part of your skincare routine?
Cleansing is a must-must for me, I cleanse about 2-3 times daily and I never go to sleep with makeup on. I always wipe the dirt, makeup and pollution off of my face at bedtime as it helps to prevent clogged pores, a dull complexion, blackheads and pimples. I also love a gentle exfoliating scrub to remove dead skin cells and I indulge in a weekly face mask to deeply cleanse my pores and keep my skin looking it's best.

6. What is your favourite Bella&Bear piece?
First of all, let me just say how much I LOVE the iconic Bella&Bear shabby chic, floral print - it's so pretty! I own a couple of Bella&Bear products but my favourite has got to be 'The Pluckers' 3-piece tweezer set. They are so precise and can be used for absolutely everything, they are amazing quality too but totally affordable. I also love the little floral pouch which is perfect for travelling or popping into your handbag! I've heard some great things about the Bella & Bear make-up brushes too so they are definitely next on my to-buy-list for sure.

Isn't Katie just so lovely?! Positive thinking, inspiring and caring. Some of the best qualities a young lady can have! If you'd like to get to know Katie and her work some more then check out her lovely blog and her Twitter and Insta feeds!

We'd like to thank Katie for giving us her time for this interview, so as a special treat we are offering her readers - new and returning - a special 15% off any Bella&Bear order! Simply enter code 'KATIER15' for 15% off of any order in our online store through the entirety of August!