Finding the time between baby, house, life etc to blog is becoming harder and harder. I try to keep up with Instagram as much as I can – which is kinda easy as it’s from my iPhone which is always with me – but I can’t blog from my phone. Well I could I guess, but typing something longer than a Insta caption just becomes too tedious and time consuming. I have quite a number of photos taken and edited ready for posts – some that I’ve taken more than a month or two ago – so here I go, ready to add some words and finally upload one.
Monochrome Love
I do love me a cool, crisp monochrome look, whether that be in fashion, decor or the way this post is going, in packaging. Here are some of my more recent favourites, along with a tried and true oldie.
The oldie is the Makeup Forever Mist and Fix Makeup Setting Spray. This is my second (and a half – I had a mini) and rarely a day goes by I don’t douse my face in this after makeup application – I try not to apply powder to my complexion as it just exacerbates any dry bits. Reasons I love this? It’s not drying on my already dry skin and it does the job of keeping my makeup on my face as much as is possible with a baby who like to rub his face, head, hands all over me as often as possible. I’ve tried the Urban Decay All-Nighter (and in the interests of not wasting I did finish it up) but it’s far too drying on my face and I believe this one is alcohol free so….. much better for the drier peeps among us.
A birthday gift that I received was a travel/half size of the Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator, which is basically a hydrating mist/toner. God damn this smells good. It is packed full of organic goodness – just see the list below I very lazily lifted from I Am Natural Store (a brilliant Australian online store for all those niche organic brands from around the world)
Organic Vitamin Infused Aloe Water – lowers surface tension, enhances penetration to deliver hydration and nutrients, heals, treats acne, softens and protects.
Almond Oil – highly moisturises, heals, softens, protects.
Sunflower Oil – moisturises, firms, calms, reduces redness.
Bilberry – reduces pores, firms, supports cells, improves circulation.
Chickweed – brightens, firms, detoxifies, supports cells.
Alfalfa – hydrates, smoothes, tightens, assists collagen production.
Fennel Seed – firms, increases elasticity, calms, supports cells.
Calendula – heals, reduces redness, soothes, calms, assists moisturising.
Marshmallow Root – brightens, tones, firms, supports cells.
Neem – reduces pores, balances oil, firms, protects.
Skullcap – stimulates collagen, reduces dark/age spots
St Johns Wort – calms, heals supports cells.
Hawthorn Berry – supports collagen production, firms, protects.
Green Tea – firms, clears, tones, brightens, boosts collagen.
Slippery Elm – heals, calms, soothes, supports cells.
As you can see Mr Rosebrook packs absolutely everything he can into this beautiful mist and no doubt I will be picking up a full size of this when I run out – which I anticipate will be sooner rather than later seeing as every time I walk in my bathroom I mist myself with this. Oh, and one more thing – the mist is so very fine and delicate you can spray this at anytime either in your skincare or under/over makeup – it will not ruin a thing – only make your skin feel just that much more gorgeous and nourished.
Speaking of incredibly beautifully smelling things…. Byredo has released a new (well maybe it’s not new… but it is new in Australia at Mecca) fragrance – Byredo Toile. Technically it’s not one of their ‘perfumes’ as it comes in the same packaging that the Byredo Hair Perfumes come in which is an aluminium can and its proper name is a ‘Parfum Pour Textile’ or in english speak – a Textile Perfume. Great for spritzing on clothes (or you can apply on skin) to give that just laundered, soft, fresh scent. I am loving this so hard right now! Having a young bub, I don’t particularly want to be drowning myself in strong smelling perfumes on the daily, but I still like to apply something you know? It easily layers with any other perfumes on top or just freshens up that sweater that you may or may not have worn one time too many in between washing. I assume… I would *never* throw on a sweater out of the laundry basket.
Onto some makeup and it’s a one brand bonanza – Marc Jacobs. Hearing every blogger and their cat go on and on about the new Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara I had to try it. And it does not disappoint. Yup, there’s definite major volume in this decadent mascara tube – just the right amount of thickening and with a few coats it gets just the right amount of clumpy. That is, thick and full and just sitting on the right side of the fence as clumpy. If you want long wispy lashes this is probably not your go to, but if you want drama and fullness – then look no further.
Lastly from Marc Jacobs is the Re(Marc)able Full Cover Concealer – I have shades two and three – two for for under eye brightening and 3 as more of a skin concealer. If you are after high coverage then look no further. I have to say I don’t use shade two quite as much as the three, as it can look a little heavy under the eyes especially for daytime – which lets face it, lately I am only wearing daytime makeup – having a six month old doesn’t really gel with having a nighttime social life. Shade three I use quite often when I want some extra cover across my cheek and nose. My cheeks and nose flush quite red/pink, some days mores than others so I find a good concealer very handy indeed. I apply to the areas I want maximum cover with a small concealer brush and then tap it in with my damp beauty blender which aids in it not sitting too heavy on the skin and looking caky. I have found that it can be just a little drying on my already drier skin, so a good moisturise/prime before hand is key, along with the damp beauty blender method of tapping it in. Seriously – is there any product the beauty blender can’t improve? It is definitely one of my ‘can’t live without’ tools.
Thanks for reading – I know I’ve said this multiple times in the past six months – but I promise I’ll be better at uploading posts!
