“What is this Liebster Award you speak of?” 
Well, Liebster is a German word that literally translates to ‘dearest’, so this award is given by bloggers to other bloggers whose blogs they enjoy reading. Shout out to the beautiful Andrea Tiffany for nominating my blog! (Dollar for every time I said 'blog' in that paragraph $$$)

Each nominated blogger must answer 11 questions set by the nominator, and then nominate a few more blogs to answer 11 questions that they set. I hope that made sense.

 Without any further adieu, here are my answers to Andrea’s quirky questions.

1. Name the one food you cannot live without and HAVE to eat every week
I know Andrea was looking for something more juicy (no pun intended) when she made this question, but I’m gonna have to say cereal. I love my weetbix and I don’t think I can go without it for a week.

2. Are you more of a coffee or tea person? 
I'm more of a 'hot chocolate' person!

3. What is/are your favorite(s) Netflix show to binge-watch? 
To be honest, I don’t watch too much Netflix. The shows I do try to keep up with though are Quantico, Orphan Black, Jane the Virgin, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and New Girl.

4. What is the craziest/wildest thing you have ever done? 
I jumped out of an airplane last year over Lake Taupo, New Zealand. [picture]

5. If you had the opportunity to travel and vacation anywhere with all expenses paid, where would you go and who would you go with?
I’d do a Europe trip with my P-pals (they know who they are).

6. If you got lucky enough to get your blog featured in a magazine, which would it be and why? If not a magazine, what about through social media by anyone? Who would it be? 
This is a hard question. I thought about having my blog promoted by huge fashion names like Vogue or Elle, but realistically speaking, I don’t think my blog has much to offer them. I think I’d rather be featured on Buzzfeed because its audience is more similar to mine, and as a whole, Buzzfeed content is more relatable to the average person than Vogue.

7. How far ahead in the future do you see yourself as a blogger?
Since I am studying full-time and have several other commitments, I try to stay in the present. Blogging is my hobby; it’s my creative outlet. Whether or not my career in medicine allows for it in the future is not up to me, but I’ll take each opportunity as it comes.

8. Name the top 3 songs you most listen to currently.
Exchange – Bryson Tiller
Drunk – Zayn
Say it – Flume

9. How did you come up with the name for your blog?
Vera is actually my last name, not my first name, as most people think. I wanted my blog to involve my name but not in an outright way, so I chose ‘Vera’. I then chose ‘Vault’ mainly because of the alliteration, but also because my blog is a little vault containing my fashion and beauty adventures, that until recently has stayed pretty private from people I’m not close to in real life.

10. Do you see yourself more as someone who uses their left brain or right brain more? 
Scientifically speaking, there’s been no evidence to suggest dominance of either hemisphere as leading to traits such as rationality and logic, over intuition and creativity. However, I did take this fun little test and I am more ‘left-sided’ so to speak - http://braintest.sommer-sommer.com/en/

11. Of all your blogposts, which one is your favorite, and why?
None of the posts really stand out as my favourite but I personally like the ones that have a positive impact on others. For instance, one of my friends was quite inspired by my ‘5 reasons why you should have a minimal closet’ post and changed up her wardrobe. My ‘Halloween Makeup Tutorial’ was also quite a popular one, that has inspired a few people I know to try out that look, and has been recognized by some brands, such as Cotton On and Clarria Cosmetics, which was really exciting for me.

And here are my blog nominations:
Carina - http://www.carinavardie.com/ 
Alina - http://www.beautywithcharm.com/ 
Danielle - http://www.daniellesbeautyblog1.blogspot.com.au/ 
Nita - http://www.beingnita.com/ 
Kayla - http://www.kaylasvibrations.com/
Kimmy - http://lifestruetreasures.blogspot.com.au/

Instructions for nominees:
1. Thank the person who nominated you (me) and link back to my blog
2. Answer my 11 funky questions (down below)
3. Nominate 5-11 blogs and set 11 questions of your own choosing for them to answer

Questions for nominees:
1. List all the places you've travelled to. What's your favourite one and why?
2. What do you do when you're not blogging?
3. What are your absolute makeup essentials?
4. Why did you decide to start a blog?
5. Tell us an embarrassing story!
6. What's your favourite cuisine?
7. What does a regular day look like to you?
8. What are the most used apps on your phone?
9. What is your biggest pet peeve/s?
10. What are the qualities you most love about yourself? #loveyourself
11. What is your favourite quote and why?

Hope you guys have fun answering them; I look forward to reading your answers!

Everyone else who is reading this and has made it this far, you're a champion.

x

I haven’t made a blog post in what feels like decades (but really is a month or so) because I’ve officially started my medical degree. And, I have to say, I’m quite enjoying it. It’s a refreshing change from all the cramming and irrelevant lectures of undergrad. That being said, it doesn’t leave much time for blogging. But I’ve definitely missed it. So I’m back with another New Zealand throwback.

Dunedin is a large city off the east coast of South Island, with many great attractions to offer. I only had a few hours to spare in this wonderful city but I made sure to visit a few of these great places:

Minimalist fashion has been around since early 20th century and takes many pointers from the ever so prominent 'Modernism' movement of the time. What sprung it into the limelight was not it's ease of execution but its extrinsic simplicity, which was well-received, presumably because it transcended traditional ideologies of art, religious faith, and social organisation.

Now over 100 years later, let me share with you my take on it. Minimalist fashion to me involves greys, whites, blacks, nudes, khaki's and even includes your occasional burgundy or mustard top. It means more basic shirts and jeans or light blue denim outfits. And here's why you should get on it.

1. Neutral tones mean you can go crazy with colour
Having whites, blacks, and light blues in your wardrobe means you can really go for that pink or purple hair you've always wanted. Or maybe that black to blonde ombre. And if you're like me and are obsessed with all the glorious shades of matte lip creams, you don't need to hold back anymore.

2. You can dress it down or up

In the spirit of Christmas, I thought I'd make another New Zealand trip post. While these are in no such order, be sure to check out my last one 'Christchurch to Queenstown'!

I'm sure you've heard of New Zealand's sulfur city, Rotorua, before, but don't worry if you haven't. You've probably smelled its air when you took a good whiff of those rotten eggs in your pantry. Because that is what it smelled like 90% of the time. So I haven't set the best standards in introducing this city, but trust me, it will blow you away in every other way. The reason for the sulfur smell is the high geothermal activity in that region, meaning volcanoes, hot springs, and magnificent geysers. The photos shown below were taken at Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland, worth a visit if you want to see the Lady Knox geyser erupt and some colourful natural sights.

The Lady Knox geyser in the process of erupting

Bubbling hot mud pool