Showing posts with label NARS. Show all posts

OCTOBER

Keep it simple, stupid.



October arrived far too quickly for my liking this year. That said it was probably because October saw me submitting my thesis, my brain baby, a piece of work ten months in the making, without doubt one of the biggest, hardest things I’ve ever done.

So why oh why would I complicate one of the trickiest times of my year by having an overly complicated beauty routine?

By October I’d perfected the ‘I’m-maybe-wearing-a-bit-of-make-up-but-it’s-so-minimal-I-could-also-not-be’ face for uni, days in the library, and days where a full face wasn’t immediately needed.

For all my skincare picks, flip back to the last post of blogmas.
Following my Too Faced Hangover Primer (ultra hydrating coconut-water based make-up prep) I usually turn to the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette. 












Sometimes I’ll prime, sometimes I won’t; I go for a mix of the two matte shades, Heaven and Nudie, as I find they colour correct my purple-toned lids and the Heaven shade (a light cream) brightens my eyes so I look awake. Then it’s time for brows – lightly filled in with the Hourglass Arch in warm brunette. A waterproof wax pencil that makes them look a little less sparse and a little more Brooke Shields. 





The one thing I refuse to give up or compromise on, even on days off, is mascara. Nope, not happening, NOT TODAY SON – the bigger and bolder my lashes, the more doll-like, the better. Lately I’ve been favouring the Perversion Mascara by Urban Decay (star of blogmas July), as it is the blackest black mascara imaginable.

















After eyes, I use my fingers to apply Bare MineralsComplexion Rescue in vanilla. The formula is an oil-free gel cream that gives medium coverage with SPF 30+ UVA/UVB protection, and a really dewy finish. 

Always followed by an under eye concealer – my pick being the Smashbox CameraReady BB Cream with SPF 15 (all the SPF possible) which brightens and colour corrects under the eye. The amazing thing about Smashbox is that all of their products – even the ones with SPF – don’t give a flashback when photographed. 



If I’m having a bad skin day (common in times of extreme stress, like thesis submission) I’ll conceal with Nars Radiant Creamy concealer in vanilla. It contains turmeric which helps any blemishes to heal, as well as tone down any redness.







For cheeks, I pop on a little Stila Convertible Colour inPetunia. A bright, happy pink that always makes me smile. Over the top of this I blend – you guessed it – Josie Maran Argan oil Illuminiser along my cheek bones, a tiny bit on my cupid’s bow and the tip of my nose.














Everything is set with Luminous Light by Hourglass and that’s it! My simple face, daily, easy-as, glowy, hydrating and all-round “Yes I do that Natural Beauty Thing” appropriate.

If you can’t do something simply you can’t hope to master it!

Tweet tweet xx

AUGUST

Do you guys remember when I was all about mattes? Matte shadows, matte contour, matte base, matte lip (still loving those though) and matte everything, essentially?

Let’s all laugh together, shall we?

This year was the year I not only learnt how to strobe, but how to do it properly, and all the joys that come from having THE LIGHT OF APOLLO ON YO FACE.

Highlighters. All the highlighters. ALL OF THEM.

Liquid. Cream. Powder. Eyeshadow (hear me out) – you name it, if it gives the skin a glow, I’ve used it on my face. August saw me swapping my beloved Sheer Glow for the Nars Velvet Tint; a satin finish, medium-full coverage skin tint that made for the perfect base for all kinds of highlighting and glow. And it wasn’t something I restricted to a full-face kinda day – even study days saw me whipping out the Josie Maran Argan Oil Illuminiser, as the Argan oil base gave that bit more hydration and protection to my skin on long library days.

So here are my top fave highlighter/illuminators – for the time being, of course!

Josie Maran Enlightment Illunimiser – liquid crème with a rosy gold

NARS Illuminator in Copacobana, and Super Orgasm

NARS Dual Intensity Blush in Frenzy – used with a wet brush for a POP like you wouldn’t believe!

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Incandescent Strobe light – silvery pink that sits beautifully with a blush, and best used with a sponge

Too Faced Candlelight Glow – Rosy Glow

Stila Kitten Eye shadow Single – when used with an extremely light hand, this is the ULTIMATE glow-getter. I’m obsessed. And a multipurpose product that’s so so easy to travel with? SOLD!

Stay tuned to @beautybyasparrow on Instagram for swatches and daily looks with these bad, bedazzling boys!

Tweet tweet xx

THE 12 DAYS OF BLOGMAS

Hello little birds!

 A thousand, million, repeated, gross-sobbing, sincere apologies for being MIA this year. Turns out when you start a new job, and start writing a 15,000 word thesis, it gets a little impossible to do aallll the things you want to do. 

 So to make up for my shocking absence I've organised THE 12 DAYS OF BLOGMAS!
glitter
A blog a day, per month of 2016, with the best tips, things, lessons, fun facts and just cool beautyful things I've learnt this year, from January-December. Like a Calendar Girl! 

 Stay tuned for a-blog-a-day, and a Insta-post-a-day too, leading up to December 24. 

 FOR NOW, however, here's a few quick little updates;

 I'm now a full-on, unapologetic chocolate headed brunette, and if you've been here for a while you'll know that's a MASSIVE change after being a bubbly blonde for four-five years. Blonde was fun, but as we'll see tomorrow it comes with its own challenges and quirks. Being a brunette has been kinder to my hair, cheaper, and honestly just feels so much truer to my personality. 

 I work in beauty, specialising in skincare, and I am LOVING IT. Each day I work is literally living the dream. I've learnt so, so much this last year that I can't wait to share, and, bonus, I've made amazing amazing friends in the industry (like Natasha Ribeiro Artistry - go and follow her Instagram and be inspired! @natasha_ribeiro_makeup) and Centaine of glossco (glossco.com.au). Two amazing beauty babes to check out ASAP if you're serious about anything and everything beauty.

 Between livin' the dream and plain livin', I went back and completed my Honours year of study in Ancient Worlds (ancient civilisations, Greece and Rome, and Egypt and Mesopotamia) and experienced one of the most intense love/hate relationships between myself and the written word, in the form of my thesis. My brain baby/bane of my existence. Graduating this week and Imma need y'all to cross your fingers and hope I don't trip up, OR down the stage stairs.

 Aaaaaannd that is it! Please come back and visit these next twelve days, I promise I've put in the best beauty bits, lots of pictures, and as many puns as one human is allowed to get away with in a singular blog post. 

 Tweet tweet xx

A note: new adventures

Hello my little birds,

I know I've been a little MIA lately so I wanted to take a quick minute to explain what's been happening.

Around September I decided to make a job change, a pretty big one too. One that I never would have even considered if it weren't for this blog and its little legion of followers and supporters. I'm now working in the beauty and cosmetics industry and it's honestly one of the best things I've ever done.

I'm feeling happier and healthier, I'm pursuing a passion, and it's been amazing so far. I'm learning so, so much, that I can't wait to share with you all, and I'm finding my skills and confidence growing every day. This blog is still my baby and my happy place, and I'm going to try and keep it updated as much as I can going into 2016! 

(AH IT'S NEARLY 2016 HOW DID THAT ACTUALLY HAPPEN NO SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THIS)

So here are a few of the looks I've been sporting at work, my next few posts will be what I'm loving and how I follow the three-colour-rule (an eye, a cheek and a lip) day-to-day xx



Gotta love a good contour!

Until next time,
Tweet tweet xx

Step into Spring: New Skincare & Beauty Loves

Hello my little birds!
Let's not talk about the fact it's almost the end of November and I'm convinced some cosmic giant pressed the 'fast forward' button on 2015 haha - instead, let's talk about SPRING, because it has indeed sprung, and it's gorgeous thus far! Trends including crisp whites, co-ord sets, full brows, coral lips, and of course, Spring Racing colour and florals are making me all kinds of excited for the Spring/Summer season ahead.


So in keeping with the whole, spring-is-a-new-season-ergo-I-need-to-get-new-things vibe, I thought I'd give a little update on my skincare routine, and what I'm loving colour-wise as we move into warmer weather (YAY! SUMMER!)

actual footage of yours truly in summer

SKINCARE

Now you long-time sparrows will notice a couple of old favourites in this photo, and some newbies. My faithful Cetaphil SPF 50+ Daily Moisturiser took a back seat during Autumn/Winter this year, but as the mercury creeps up and the days grow longer, I'll definitely be reaching for my 50+. I'm going to attempt to NOT get sunburnt this summer, and whilst I know the likelihood of that succeeding is low, I'm hoping with a little help from some wonderful SPF+ friends I can make it!

Speaking of SPF, my current moisturising duo tick that little box too. The two Clinique jars with green lids are from the Youth Surge range, designed for dry/combination skin. Whilst my skin has behaved fairly well these last few months, exposure to artificial air and heating has dried it out something shocking. I picked these babies out of Mumma Sparrow's stash (sorry Mum) and I've found them to be really effective. The day cream contains SPF 15+, perfect for overcast, wintry days, and the night cream is buttery and feels luxurious on the skin. I don't know if I'll repurchase this duo in future, simply because there are so many products I'm wanting to try and experiment with. I think around this time next year though, if my skin is again feeling damaged and dried out, I'll definitely come back to them. 

The Garnier Gentle Cleansing Milk has also become a fast friend of my poor, dried out skin. I often use this as my 'second step' following a trusty Johnson's make-up wipe. Whilst wipes aren't the best thing in the world for your skin, I find they remove a majority of that 'top layer' make-up that usually comes off quite easily. The Cleansing Milk, with cotton pads, is great for getting rid of the stuff you maybe can't see. I also find it really gentle to use on the eye area, and very effective at removing waterproof/eye make-up. Whilst the idea is that you can leave your skin after using the milk (as it's also a moisturiser on its own), I'll often follow this with my Swisse Cream Cleanser, because as nourishing and luxurious as the milk is, it can feel a little heavy if I leave it on my face. 

Lately when I feel like I need a good, deep cleanse, or I want to do something a little more relaxing and ritualistic at the end of the day, I've been turning to the Eve Lom cleanser. THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. Eve Lom is a facialist, honing her craft in L.A., and created the balm for clients who wanted the same effective cleanse and treatment at home, between facial appointments. The balm is a cleanser, an exfoliant (when used with the accompanying muslin cloth), and a moisturiser, if you choose. For starters it smells incredible, so right off the bat you receive aroma therapeutic benefits. Following the instructions included with the pack, I found it easy to give myself a facial massage, which felt incredible. Even more exciting, it removes make-up so, so easily and quickly, including eye make-up. Unlike the Garnier milk, the balm doesn't feel heavy on the face. Out of habit I'll still rinse after cleansing, but I could leave the balm and just not moisturise, if I wanted to. A really, really beautiful product that I highly recommend for anyone looking for a more pampering, relaxing way to effectively cleanse x

Last but not least, primers! Yay! I recently re-purchased the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, with SPF 15+ and I've fallen in love with it all over again. It feels like silk on the skin, and causes make-up to become water resistant, something that I know I'll really appreciate when those sticky, hot summer days come around. I've also been using the Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye make-up primer, and again, it feels so silky and wonderful on my eyelids, as well as preventing my shadows from creasing or fading. and evens out skin tones as well. 


COLOUR

First things first (I'm the realest), I know there's a lot of Nars happening in the above image. After having such amazing success with Sheer Glow, however, I felt I should give a few more products a try, and it's been terrible because now I love them and I'm never going to be able to NOT have them in my kit because I love them infinite amounts!

Above I've included my Soft Velvet Loose powder in Eden, the Eye shadow Duo in Portobello, and the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Mysterious Red (swatches below). I find the powder perfectly compliments my Sheer Glow shade, Mont Blanc, as well as perfectly setting my T-zone for a full day's wear; it mattifyes without adding pigment, which is so wonderful because I adore my colour match. 
The Portobello duo contains a mushroom-like brown, and an almost-nude taupe shade, which are wonderful for creating a basic day look, but can be blended and smoked out for something a little more intense when going out. 
Finally, the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Mysterious Red has toppled my favourite red lipstick of all time (Bombshell by Sportsgirl). It creates the perfect red lip, every time, without fail, and is long-wearing without flaking. An incredible red, and something I'd recommend to anyone wanting to attempt a red lip, but feeling unsure. 

Now my Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face should technically be in with my skincare, but the amount of time, care and thought put into the Mecca Cosmetica range means I'll count it in with my colour. Containing SPF 30+, I find this moisturiser a happy medium between my Clinique Youth Surge, and my Cetaphil 50+. Whilst it provides a higher level of protection than Clinique, it feels less sunscreen-like, and far less heavy than my Cetaphil. Also, as I use this as a base under my primer and foundation, I feel like it counts as make-up... sort of... not really... but I think we agree it looks good in the photo...? Hehe

 Two new picks from Stila have made their way into my collection, the CC Cream and the Convertible Colour in Gerbra. 

The CC cream is colour correcting, as well as providing hydration and brightening effects to the skin. It does come out of the tube green, but quickly adjusts to your skin tone, providing a more natural colour-match, with a radiant finish. A new go-to for days off, this stuff is foolproof, and definitely worth a try if you're looking for something user friendly!

The Convertible Colours have long been a Stila fave and staple for many the beauty junkie, and for good reason, In that little compact is your lip and cheek colour, and they're super blendable, so it's easy to achieve a hint of colour, or a full-blown natural glow. My chosen shade, Gerbra, is what Nina wears in Offspring (for any of you fellow fans out there!). Again, so user-friendly and foolproof it's not funny, this convertible cream is perfect for day-off chill, and work-day madness! 

Now, as promised... swatches!


NARS Portobello - L is the nude/taupe, R is the mushroom brown

 

Stila CC Cream - goes on green, blends and adapts effortlessly to the skin! Easy as!

To the right - Gerbra, so beautiful and peachy!
To her left - on the bottom is a swatch from a NARS blush tester, in Deep Throat
Above left - another NARS tester, the Liquid Illuminator in Super Orgasm

NARS Mysterious Red - mysterious because it's a mystery why this doesn't have its own cult following, seriously guys, GET ON IT



That's all for now my little birds, stay tuned for how NOT to contour and strobe! 

Until next time,
Tweet tweet xx

Cult Products: The Good and the Meh

Hello my little birds! 
I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long, work, life and all of that wonderful stuff has been a little intense lately.


So I’m making a comeback with my thoughts on some of the big name products I’ve been trying lately!



First up – NARS Sheer Glow. 
I know, I know, I went on about this baby a few posts ago, but now that I’m almost two months into using it consistently and constantly, I need to say it.

HOLY. GRAIL.



Holy grail foundation. I know, a big claim, but I am still so, so in love with this foundation. I’ve changed my application method from using the Real Techniques buffing brush to smoothing it on with my fingers. I find it gives me a little lighter coverage, that’s more buildable, and feels nicer first thing in the morning.
Worth the hype? Absolutely.
10/10


Last month I treated myself to the original Naked palette by Urban Decay. 
I actually can’t describe how excited I was to open up my post package and carefully take it out of its box. The packaging is gorgeous, chocolate brown velour with a magnet closure, and a lovely big mirror to go with the shadows. 





The brush that comes with the palette is incredible too!
In terms of the shadows, I quite like the shimmer shades, especially Virgin and Half Baked. They’re quite pigmented and give enough shine without large glittery fragments. The matte shadows are nice enough, but I prefer my Too Faced Naturals palette. I haven’t tried the darker shadows, simply because I haven’t had an excuse or reason to whip out a smoky eye lately. But it is pretty to look at, and hold… and there is a great variety of colours in the palette, some of which I haven’t swatched or used just yet.
Worth the hype? Eh, kinda.
7/10

I’m a dirty blogger. 


Last month I ordered my first, of what will be many, Frank Body coffee scrubs and OH MY GOSH. My skin feels amazing, soft and nourished, my shower is a coffee bean infested mess, but it’s so worth it. If I had one minor complaint (and I do), I hate that you need to leave the scrub on for five minutes before rinsing. Not because I don’t like waiting (I can be patient when I try), but because it’s FREEZING. Freezing, freezing cold; the pack recommends five minutes but it’s a struggle, folks, standing in the shower DESPERATE to jump back under the hot water.
Worth the hype? YES.
9.5/10 (because waiting and being cold sucks)



In terms of beauty inspo Zoe (Zoella) is kinda up there, so when she started raving about Maybelline Lash Sensation Mascara I thought I’d give it a go. 
Coles had it on special so I figured, why not? AND OH MY GOD AM I GLAD I DID. THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. It looks like I’m legitimately wearing false lashes, more so Maybelline Falsies, or Benefit They’re Real! 

 

This photo was taken about four hours after application and they still look phenomenal, and since the formula is waterproof there’s no risk of smudging or shadow during the day’s wear.
Worth the hype? HECK YEAH
10/10

It's spring! (WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN SERIOUSLY HOW ARE WE IN SEPTEMBER ALREADY??)
Aside from my shock and concern over the fact that we're already in September, spring time means that summer isn't far away, which means, you guessed it, this pasty little beauty blogger is going to start seriously tanning again soon. Whilst I'm in love with the St. Tropez mousse in Light/Medium, I don't have the time currently to be applying and waiting for it to dry, etc., so I wanted to use a gradual tanner for now. I've used the Dove Body Glow, Le Tan Gradual Tan, and Palmers' Cocoa Butter Gradual Tanner in the past. This time around I decided to opt for the Bondi Sands Everyday Tan, after reading some very positive reviews online. Before I found St. Tropez on sale (Oh, HAPPY DAY!), Bondi Sands was my go-to tanning mousse, so I figured the gradual tanner would be the same quality. 

And so far, so good! What I love about Bondi Sands is their tan is red based, rather than brown or orange. This means, for me, having a pinker skin tone, the tan looks that touch more natural. Unlike the Palmers' Cocoa Butter Gradual Tanner, which starts depositing colour almost immediately, the Bondi Sands takes 1-2 days to start clearly showing up. That being said, it's a really nice, warm, natural looking tan, however I've found the Palmers' tanner to be more moisturising. What I've been doing is alternating each day, one with Bondi Sands, the other with Palmers' Cocoa Butter, just to keep my skin nice and moisturised.
Worth the hype? I'd say so!
8/10



Now I’d like to quickly re-visit a product I reviewed a little while ago, because it’s a cult classic, and also… Well, I’ve had a slight change of heart.
When I first tried the AContour palette, I struggled. The powders were highly pigmented and good quality, but not quite right for me. I pushed them to the bottom of my make-up bag, thinking, if anything, I’d try it out again this summer when I’m tanned (by the bottle) and going out, etc.
Well HOLD YOUR HORSES, FOLKS, BECAUSE I ACTUALLY WENT OUT. SERIOUSLY. I WENT AND DID 21-YEAR-OLD-THINGS. And that involved being tanned, and a lower cut top, and I tried something I’ve never done before.
I contoured my boobs.
Yep.
That happened.
And it went… well? Really well, actually, it looked quite natural, and I have the AContour palette to thank for that! So… thank you, Australis!
Worth the hype? Actually, yeah!
8/10




Also I FINALLY HAVE A GLASSHOUSE TAHAA CANDLE MY LIFE IS COMPLETE I AM SO SO SO HAPPY AND THE VANILLA SCENT IS ACTUALLY AMAZING
Worth the hype? YES.
11/10, 12/10, ALL THE NUMBERS/10


So there we have it, a few cult classics, a few new favourites, and a couple of misses, and a whole lotta reading for those of you who've missed this bird!

Until next time my loves,
Tweet tweet xx

Meet Kristyn!

EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND LOOK AT MY INCREDIBLE FRIEND.


Seriously how pretty is she?!!

If you don't have a friend like Kristyn in your life then I feel very sorry for you. This gorgeous girl and I met through work and we've been buds ever since, and aside from my lovely PT, she's my go-to for fitness and health. She's actually a sponsored athlete for Protein King, because that's how awesome this girl is!

So naturally, when you have an amazingly exquisite gal pal with all that fitness and health knowledge, you want to pick her brain, and luckily enough Kristyn let me do just that! I honestly believe that when you feel good on the inside, it'll show on the outside, and Kristyn is a beautiful example of that. 

Without further ado, here we GO!

Kristyn is bae <3



Sparrow: What is your pre-workout skin routine? (Make-up off, make-up on? Moisturizer or bare face?)
Kristyn: I generally go to the gym after my day has already ended so I just go with whatever make up I have left on. I’m not going to purposefully take it off but if I go early in the morning before I have work or uni, I’ll just put some tinted moisturizer on. I don’t want to scare people away!


S: What do you do post-workout, beauty and skin wise?
K: I take my make up off and wash my face as soon as I get home, especially if it’s been an incredibly sweaty session (ew, gross right?).

S: What’s the one beauty/skin trend that you hate most at the gym?K: Honestly, there’s nothing. I just let people be. If someone wants to get all fancied up for the gym, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it at all, it might make them feel more comfortable.
S: How do you think your awesome, super fit lifestyle has impacted your beauty and skin routines?
 K: My skin tends to look a bit more healthy and “glowy” if that’s even a word. Now that I’m a bit more self confident than I used to be, I love a good bright red lippy.
dat glow and red lip tho!

S: What’s your go-to make-up look for a night out?
K: Standard smokey eye (even though I’m terrible at it) and a bold lip.
(I heartily disagree, look at that gorgeous mug!)

S: What’s the one thing you wish people would stop doing at the gym?
K: Judging others! Nothing makes me more angry than seeing a group of guys or girls laughing or snickering about someone working out behind their back. 

S: I’m a rad beauty blogger who can name mascaras by packaging, but I’m almost clueless at the gym. What are the two things you’d recommend to the average girl/blogger? K: Number one, don’t be scared of lifting heavy weights and secondly, if you’re not sure how to do something – ASK! Too many people injure themselves trying to do something incorrectly!
S: What are your favourite three beauty products?
K: My MAC Rebel lippy, NARS Sheer Matte foundation and my Australis bronzer!
(a girl after my own heart, ALL THE LOVE to Australis!)

S: What are you three favourite fitness/gym products? K: Anything Nike. Literally anything. I want it all. Quest Protein bars are the bomb.com and my pre workout.
S: You have a big date tonight with your crush of three weeks. What’s one thing that always boosts your confidence before a big night out?
K: A good hair day! If my hair looks good, I feel good. My hair is scary thin so on the rare occasion that it actually does what I want, it makes me feel amazing.
 
Yeah like that!


And finally, this little sparrow HAD to ask:
Do you even lift bro?

To which the ever-lovely and brilliant Kristyn replied;
I like lifting dat pizza slice to my mouth.

Amen to that sister!



Much love and thanks to Kristyn for letting me bombard her with questions! Check out her articles and videos at http://www.proteinking.com.au
See more of her gorgeous face, fitness advice and fitspo on Instagram!

Until next time my little birds,
Tweet tweet xx
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