Showing posts with label #urbandecay. Show all posts

The January Edition

Hello

We’re eleven days into January and I’m pleased to report I’ve accomplished two of the things I really, really wanted to do in 2017.

First; Zoe Foster Blake acknowledged my existence via emoji and it was glorious. I posted via @beautybyasparrow on Instagram about aiming to complete more Teeny Tiny Acts of Love (#ttal) this year and the ethereal @ZoTheySay seemed to like that sentiment quite a bit. As you can imagine on the third of Jan I was pretty chuffed, borderline hysterically excited over it all. EEEEE!





Second, I finally did exercise that wasn’t incidental (i.e. wasn’t just me running for the train/running on the shop floor/squatting to reach into drawers) and swam laps at my local pool. Got myself some schmick new bathers from Speedo (chlorine resistant and a built-in shelf bra!) as well as cute new goggles and did the thing. The swimming thing. Swimming, swimming, in a swimming pool… breaststroke, sidestroke, fancy diving too, oh don’t wish you never had anything else to do but.. I digress.



Point is, both of these things have contributed to my overall idea for 2017 – not a resolution, or a goal, because they come with pressure and guilt and other shitty things – that idea being just to be healthy in 2017. Properly healthy! Not super fit or a clean eater or ripped body or any of that business, just healthy. In every way, too – I’m one of those people that get so caught up in whatever it is they're doing that physical activity, mental health breaks, and sleep, become second priority. I’m guilty of it especially when I’m studying or trying to do too many things at once. And maybe a teeny part of me didn’t feel like it mattered if I didn’t eat right or work out enough, because maybe I didn’t matter.

Well that attitude is staying the heck back in 2016. I like me (and I hope you like you too!) and I need to start treating myself a bit better. Beauty can be a handy shortcut to small acts of self-care. Each time you choose to take care of yourself, whether it be as simple as washing your hair, or as big as a full body massage, or even just painting a new colour on your tootsies, you’re deciding you’re worth looking after. And I sincerely hope you always feel like you’re worth caring for, and that your health – as well as your beauty routine – is a priority.

TO MORE FUN THINGS!









This month is already flying on by, and I’ve already had to repurchase some faves. “Which faves?!” you ask. “I’m telling you now!” I shout back, srsly guys learn to scroll…

HOURGLASS
Mineral Veil primer, because it’s been FREAKIN’ HOT and water resistant primer is your friend. Sweat can take a backseat to my foundation when I’ve got that guy on. SPF 15 because again, it’s been FREAKIN’ HOT, and light colour correction. Ah, the love I have for this primer!
I’ve hit pan on Luminous Light Ambient Powder (which is so totally devastating), so I went ahead and got the Ambient Lighting Wardrobe to replace it. Three more new Ambient Light Powders to play with, yay! Mineral based, glowing, and foundation setting. What more could a gal want?

URBAN DECAY
I went through my All Nighter setting spray so quickly in this heat, so I wasn’t surprised I needed a new one so soon. This time I opted for Chill, which is a hydrating setting spray that leaves the skin with a frosted sheen. Hoping it’ll be as make up securing as its predecessor.

FRANK BOD
Do I even need to tell you? Do I even need to explain how much I adore this scrub? And Frank knows I adore his body cream. I’m on my fifth tub. I think I’m going to have to stock up because if they ever stop making it I’m screwed.

BUMBLE & BUMBLE
Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Conditioner – for starters it smells like happiness. I bought the mini for my swimming bag (yeah guys I have a swim bag now, it’s a thing). The theory goes that if you wet, and then smother your hair in conditioner, chlorine can’t penetrate the hair shaft as easily, thus minimising the damage. I tried it at my last swim and when I got out of the pool my hair didn’t feel totally horrible and stripped, so I’m tentatively confirming the theory works?

And that’s all for me! What are you favourite, must-replace-ASAP-products? Tell me, let me snoop in your make up bags…
Until next time,

Tweet tweet xx

DECEMBER



Y’know how you watch someone do something you can’t, and aside from your first thought being HOLY SHITSNACKS THAT’S COOL, your next thought is, “Oh I wish I could do that”.

Well I get that every time I watch Natasha complete a make-up application.

So at the end of this year, after watching her (not in a creepy way, like, in an admirable/we work in the same space way) talents she asked if I wanted a make up shake up session and I said a wholehearted all capslocked YAS because I have zero chill (literally zero, ask Tash and all of my friends and family).

We picked a day and I went over to her studio/house and we ate pasta with bacon, and then got stuck into changing up the mug of mine.
Natasha created two looks for me; one that was signature Tash glow, and another heavier, smokier look.

I prepped my skin with Eve Lom Hydration Serum, followed by La Mer Soft Lotion.

From Natasha;
SIGNATURE LOOK


 

I’m all about glowy skin and have a less is more attitude towards coverage. To get flawless coverage that looked minimal I mixed 1 part Ellis Faas with 1 part Josie Maran Illuminator (half foundation half liquid gold TBH) applied with a Zoeva flat kabuki.

On areas that need more coverage such as the chin and under the eyes, I buffed concealer using a fluffy domed shadow brush – this allows you to  blend the edges seamlessly and make concealer almost undetectable, it just looks like skin.

The skin always looks fresher with cream and liquid products so I always like to work with cream colours first. Stila convertible colours are my fave because they keep their shine and don’t dry matte and for cream highlighter I can’t go past Copacobana (by Nars). Skin was set with Hourglass Diffused Light (on a fluffy brush applied very lightly), warmed up with Luminous Bronze Light and extra glowed with Mecca Enlightened.

My take;
I still can’t believe that Tash took products I already used and made me look completely different with them. Natasha also gave me a very soft, semi-natural, glowing bronze-based eye that I really loved. It wasn’t overly dramatic but it was a little more lined that I’d usually go for and I loved it. Thought we did have an almost hiccup – Tash forgot I’m allergic to Too Faced Chocolate Bar (I KNOW I’M SO UPSET) and almost came at me with it haha! Luckily we went for Too Faced Sweet Peach instead (palette returning soon, according to Snapchat!) which provided all the warm, rosy-bronze shades you see below. Natasha also used a Stila Smudge Stick along my waterline to create that super sexy, not-too-overdone look.

Natasha’s Take;
DRAMA EYE

 

Black smoky eye using MAC paint pot in Black Ground. It’s super pigmented and dries fast so use synthetic brushes – natural bristles just don’t cut it here. I applied this shadow all over the lid and pressed MAC Black Track shadow on top.

The trick to making a black smoky eye non-intimidating is to blend it out with brown, so I used a medium brown shade by Inglot and Too Faced Natural Matte (Sexpresso and Risqué – mostly under eye) on the border of the eye crease I used the orange shadow in that palette. Warm tones always soften it out and make it much more wearable. Use natural bristles here if possible!
Then I used a Stila Smudge Pot for the waterline and upper lash line – no flick, winged liner ruins smoky eyes and that’s when it becomes a glamour eye.

Amp up the skin with a deeper blush shade and add a bit of contour – Paloma by Nars here!

My take;
Not gonna lie, when Tash was getting her brush worked into the MAC black pot shadow I had a teeny tiny minor freak out because I’ve never ever ever EVER put black directly onto my own lid. Minor panic. Total faith in Natasha, but black is a tricky colour. And my version of a smoky eye almost always involves a wing (that was an interesting moment, I’ve never considered my make up style glam but whaddya know?). All of the layering, blending, dabbing, brushing, smoothing, buffing and smudging was incredible to experience. Natasha made it look easy as anything, never once faltering, even when my eyes pulled their “There’s-nothing-wrong-but-we’re-going-to-water-up-ANYWAY” trick. A favourite for every and any make-up artist I’ve ever had touching my face.

When she had finished I felt like a new woman. My eyes were a different shape, by far more sultry than anything I’d done before, and my wide, big eyes were actually a benefit here, because often smoky eyes lose half their effect when the eye is open. I was a bit chuffed to hear my big ol’ bug eyes were good for something.

Tash popped a Smashbox exclusive lip on me, Phil, a beautiful, perfect pinky-nude and that was beautiful too.

We did a bit of a photo shoot and I gotta tell ya that was probably the best bit. Tash told me to be serious and sexy and sultry and anyone who has a friend knows the minute you try pulling serious sexy faces this happens;



Ten minutes later we had some great shots and a cute Boomerang to boot.

WHAT I TOOK AWAY
I’m on the right track with Ellis Faas and Josie Maran. The way I apply my concealer has completely changed, and whilst I haven’t yet attempted the smoky eye on my own, I have tried the glowy bronze look and I found it easier to do after Natasha’s tips!

THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME FOR THE 12 DAYS OF BLOGMAS! Enjoy Christmas and New Year’s, little birds, and I’ll see you for more beauty-ful adventures in 2017.


Tweet tweet xx
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