Beauty by a Sparrow

Ok so you know how sometimes it takes you a while to get on board with something? Whether that be smashed avocado, matcha green lattes (still not quite there guys, give me time), Game of Thrones/Stranger Things/Black Mirror/- insert latest Netflix obsessive show here – or exfoliating with chemicals (still embarrassed about that one), sometimes it takes time to come around to something new.

That’s kind of what happened with La Mer and I. Not that I disliked the brand or anything – don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a luxe brand featuring a fish tank in David Jones – but not unlike, say, myself and a model working Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, we just never crossed paths. I might’ve passed on my way to Priceline and taken a glance, but never had a chance/opportunity/means of going to a La Mer counter, or visiting the shelves at Mecca in Myer.

Enter; The Mother of All Reactions. Ooh boy.

I’m not entirely sure why or how my skin felt the need to freak itself out over a light Argan oil blend, but BOY HOWDY did I hear that freak out loud and clear.

My skin felt like it was cracking. So dry that no amount of my normal serum or moisturiser could help. Make-up? Not an option. My face just hurt. I can’t even really describe it; I just know that at one point I cried to Mumma Sparrow about how bad it all felt.

I knew I had a little sample of Crème de La Mer that I’d been holding onto for Mumma Sparrow, having read and heard all about its regenerative, healing properties. After consulting with Centaine (glossco.com.au) and sussing out whether the La Mer would worsen the situation (she assured me it wouldn’t) I decided to give it a crack.

The photo speaks for itself really. 

A week after using the original cream my skin was unrecognisable. I couldn’t believe it. Gone were the dry patches, and the redness, the uneven texture, and my face didn’t hurt anymore. Break outs… eh not much can be done about them when I’m unable to use AHA’s or any kind of spot treatment (skin dealing with a reaction shouldn’t use anything too active because the last thing it needs is something full-on to contend with) but the inflammation brought on by a break out most definitely died down.

As winter wound its way through Melbourne I came back to La Mer again and again, eventually getting onto the Renewal Oil and I think it’s the main reason my skin didn’t totally collapse on itself during a harsh, cold season. La Mer is a brand I now trust absolutely and completely for my skin, and will probably have an everlasting love with til the day I forget what skincare is.

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Change is as good as a holiday, right?

Remember way back when, when hope was high and life worth leaving? When I dreamed that love would never die? And God would be forgiving?

March 2015 guys, March 2015. Remember when I said I’d fallen in love? It never died. When it comes to chocolate brown hair, my HEART WILL GO ON AND OOOoooOOOooON. I didn't let go, unlike Rose #Jack5ever

So come May, my gorgeous friend @hairbyprue helped me take the plunge. 

And the cut. it was a tad Kylie J but I loved it, and still do! Going brunette was a little tricky considering how light my balyage and blonde were, but Prue did an amazing job getting the colour down. We went short because I basically said “cut off the dead hair” not realising HOW dead my hair actually was. 

In the end, I had a colour, cut and vibe that was very much needed for #kickass2016.

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So Dr Dennis Gross MD is a pretty rad guy. Dermatologist in the Big Apple, the best of the best for radiance, clarity, and just plain good skin.

He developed his Alpha Beta Peel Pads for his clients, as a way of maintaining their skin in between clinic visits. I could get super science-y here, talk about AHA’s and BHA’s, acids and neutralizers, but let’s keep it basic (like my blonde in January, HA!)

Ultra Gentle Peel Pads – 3 types of acids to exfoliate + coconut oil. Easy peasy.
Original Alpha Beta Peel Pads – 5 acids to exfoliate
Extra Strength Peel Pads – 7 acids
Medi-Spa Peel – 12 acids. Twelve! OH MAMA.

For the record, I use the Ultra Gentle range because I’m really sensitive, and if there’s even a chance my skin could freak out, it’ll do it ANYWAY because it’s thoughtful like that.

The pads are pre-packaged in sachets; you tear one, use it all over until it’s dry, wait two minutes (and scroll through Insta @beautybyasparrow) and then use the second pad to neutralise the acids eating all your manky dead skin. Follow with your normal serum and moisturiser, and boom! You’re done! Yay!

In case it wasn’t clear, these peels chemically exfoliate the skin. The acids dissolve all of the dead skin cells and are able to get deeper into the pore to exfoliate. Some skins can handle daily exfoliation. Mine cannot. Believe me, I tried. (It was not pretty.)

When using peel pads, I go 3-4 days a week. So Monday, Wednesday and maybe Friday or Sunday. They tend to send me quite red, but it calms down by morning. If you hate scrubs (put DOWN the St. Ive’s!) or struggle with break outs and pimples (YO) then these are an amazing option for you.

I love them to pieces, they’ve changed my skin for the better!

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Silver Dreams & Silver Hair

March was a mixed bag this year. I went back to full time study (“WHY?” you ask, ‘I STILL DON’T KNOW’ I silently scream in my head) and that wasn’t exactly an easy transition for me, or my skin.

Suddenly the heavens parted, angels sang, the dream like candlelight like a dream you can’t quite place twinkled down, and I met ARgENTUM Apothecary. No literally, I got to meet the founder. Joy Issacs is exactly how I imagine the Faerie Queen would look and speak.

Her la potion infinie is also the stuff of the fairy realm. It’s magical. Silver is one of the most healing ingredients used in both medicine and skin care. In Argentum, silver is fused with DNA HP (a natural marine extract) in order to enhance the healing and regenerative power of the colloidal silver.

So… it’s a face cream?

No, little birds, it’s a game changer. More than that it’s a face changer. Moisture is locked down, skin is clarified and brightened, and it lifts and refines the appearance of the face and neck.

And also… Ok. Clear your mind, take a deep breath and think about your current crush. Or even like, Zac Efron. Leo. Think about that guy. Now imagine what he’d smell like. YEP. THIS SMELLS LIKE THAT.

Vanilla, sandalwood, Argan oil, and sweet almond oil. It smells incredible. Almost enough to make me forget I’m single. (HA lol jks)

ARgENTUM as a brand are also really fun, as they make the cream an experience. Each pot comes with its own Tarot Card. I got ‘The Rebel’ – prepared to challenge and change the forces that surround themselves – and I actually believe now, in hindsight, that card predicted how this year went. Don’t change yourself, change the game, and see how far you can take it.

But seriously my skin has had quite a few bad reactions this year, and nothing soothes or calms it like la potion infinie. I might not use it daily, but it’s a love that’s gonna last to infinity and beyond.

The silver obsession expanded into my hair, as my poor head had finally recovered from the Unspeakable January Incident, and I decided to play to my strengths – i.e., the cool, ashy, NOT grey tones of my natural colour. A really soft balyage with a ash bronde base, taking the cooler tones down to the ends. The change came about for two reasons; one, being a time poor and just y’know, poor-poor uni student, an easy-to-maintain colour was absolutely necessary. 

And secondly, after being bleach blonde for x amount of time I figured it was time to get a little dark. After all, I am a Rebel...

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P.S. Be sure to visit ARgENTUM Apothecary online, and in stores at Mecca Cosmetica x

ELLIS FAAS

Do you know this woman? You should. You really, really should. She is a make-up revolutionary badass who changed the way runway faces were done for all fashion eternity.

An expert in both special effects and beauty artistry, Ellis Faas created a make-up line designed to mimic the skin. Every colour in the range is a colour that naturally occurs in the body, aside from the metallic shadows and the neon lips (how cool would naturally neon lips be though?). Boundary pushing is the key theme, friends.

ELLIS FAAS IMAGE DECEMBER 2016

Think perfect, almost translucent, glowing skin as the base, with high couture, creative expression everywhere and anywhere. Eye colours as lip colours, and cheek tints, concealer as highlight and contour, literally  no rules and every rule completely broken. Think of the woman who was one of the first to use gold leaf on runway models, one of the muses of the great Karl, and an all-round badass who does beauty her way. Uncompromising, raw, beautiful.

My pick? Eye Lights and the Skin Veil foundation. 

Eye Lights re-create the effect of foiling on the lid, giving a metallic, iridescent finish to any look. Absolutely stunning on every skin tone, coming in green, silver, bronze-red, purple, silver-green – all of your goddess/ethereal dreams brought to life.

Now the Skin Veil foundation is exquisite; aside from her setting powders, every piece of make-up created by Ellis Faas is in liquid form, as she believes this is closest to us humans, being 70% water based. The foundation is liquid-crème, full coverage, and extremely hydrating. It leaves the skin with a natural glow, so it appears you’ve been running through a flowery meadow with fairies and woodland creatures. It’s lightweight but enough to cover up any scarring or discolouration in the skin, and it’s been one of my favourites all the yearlong. The mineral ingredients allow the foundation to become one, seamlessly, with the skin, and because it layers quickly and evenly it’s super ridiculously easy to build up your coverage. 

My top picks from the line-up: Skin Veil foundation S101, Hot Lips in L402 (the amount of compliments I get wearing this colour is insane and makes me feel like a Kardashian) and Eye Lights in E302, green-gold that makes it seem as though you have the gilded eyes of an ancient statue. Ah-mazing!


To the left (to the left) is Ellis L402 on yours truly headed to a soiree in March. Lip didn't budge the whole night through, even with double shots of Tequila and lemon. Somehow I think Ellis would approve....








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Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.

Desperately, the week of my twenty-second birthday, I attempted to re-dye my blonde roots by myself. Me, with no hair experience – me, who is not a hair dresser, and does not have any kind of colour or toning skills, me who is impatient as all heck…. You can imagine what happened.

So I literally rang in 2016 at my hairdressers on New Year’s Eve getting my blonde fixed, and New Year’s Day showing everyone a ‘new me’. So cliché, I know, but hey, gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do when HER HAIR IS PURPLE.

I don’t know entirely how I managed to dye my hair orange and purple, but there we go. See the pictographic evidence below and feel my pain friends, feel, my, pain.

My lovely colourist ran a toner through my hair, and essentially colour corrected the orange and purple. Little bit of a trim because I managed to fry my ends. (See when I say disaster it ain't hyperbole.)

 

The New Year inspires people to do a lot of stupid, stupid things – from drinking too much champagne, to making resolutions we all know we won’t keep, to drastic changes as a means of coping with life changing. Again, very cliché, but the lesson I learnt the hard way was that you don’t get to skip change or recovery and get right to the shiny brand new you after a tough break. You need to give it time, and space, and if all else fails, a colourist who really knows her stuff.