There’s been some obvious, and some not-so-obvious changes to my skincare routine over the last few months. Since finding out I was pregnant, the first thing I did was give my beauty cabinet a serious once over to check for any ingredients that might be harmful during pregnancy or breast feeding. Let’s just say, that declutter included a handful of my favourite beauty essentials. For the most part, I haven’t found the transition to a pregnancy-safe beauty routine too challenging. I’ve had to say goodbye to my retinol and salicylic acid-based products; the latter of which was always a game changer in keeping any pesky spots at bay.
In addition to shopping my stash (more on that below), quite a few new products showed up in my PO Box this month. And you know me, I can’t resist trying something new when it comes to beauty. So get ready, as this is going to be a long one…
The Makeup Edit
Peter Thomas Roth No-Filter Mattifying Primer & Complexion Perfector | In a bid to make my way through my makeup stash a little more quickly, I’ve been opting to wear primer on a daily basis – something I’d often omit from my makeup routine. This has been a great base when paired with the PTR CC Cream (more on that next). It has a slippy, silicone feel on application, and instantly smoothed out my skin and reduced the appearance of my pores. The finish is matte. Surprisingly, with this as my base, I was finally able to successfully apply base product across my nose!
Peter Thomas Roth Mineral-Matte CC Cream in ‘Light/Clair’ | I love me a good CC Cream. Anything that’ll correct redness, and just even out my skin tone is right up my street. I was blown away by how this looked the first time I applied it. The formula and coverage reminds me a lot of the it Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream; it’s very thick, and acts more like a foundation than a tinted moisturiser (like you may assume). The finish isn’t too glowy, but it also isn’t too matte. It’s somewhere in the middle, and I find that I don’t get too much additional shine to my face over the course of the day. Coverage-wise, I’ll usually still go in with a little bit of concealer if I’m having a particularly “red” day, but I find I can generally just get away with this as my base. A new “foundation” love for sure.
Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow | I’ve been curious about Kosas since it launched, so I was thrilled when Mecca kindly sent me a little beauty package which included these liquid eyeshadows from the brand. I’d actually first heard about these through illustrator/designer Jasmine Dowling, which was enough to pique my interest. She described the formula well; it is a wet, liquid formula. Application is simple, with a doe-foot applicator, best applied straight to your eye lids and blended out with a fluffy brush. A little goes a long way with this shadow. These are effectively a liquid to powder formula, however you can still play around with them even after the shadow has ‘dried’.
I found that the performance or “effect” of each shadow differed, depending on the colour. ‘Element’ a rusty brown, delivered the biggest colour payoff. There’s a lovely bit of shimmer running through the shadow which adds a nice bit of dimension to the lid. A great one-wash colour to apply.
Then we have ‘Fahrenheit’, which is a cool berry tone. This applies quite sheer when swatched, but I found it gave me adequate pigment when applied directly to my lids. This has that rich red undertone, and I liked this used most as an eyeshadow base and crease/transition shade, paired with a gold or blush shimmer shadow.
The lightest of the bunch is ‘Supreme’, which is a very pale orange. This applies basically sheer, with a faint wash of colour. There’s glitter running all throughout the shadow. Very nice if you’re after something quite subtle, otherwise I’d probably layer this over the top of a neutral matte shadow to add some extra dimension and whimsy to your eye look.
Natasha Denona Eyeshadow Palette in ‘Camel’ | I’ve been watching quite a few makeup declutters and low buy videos on YouTube recently, and was really inspired to “shop my stash”. Basically, it was time to do a beauty switcheroo. I’ve talked about this eyeshadow as part of my beauty edit in the past, but wanted to revisit it, not just because it was an expensive mini-palette, but because there’s a simple, cohesive colour story. I have to say, I’m still not completely loving this palette. Being that it’s not quite summer yet, I’ve found these have performed a lot better on the eyes with no creasing, but the shimmer shades do tend to wear off over the course of the day. Each shadow is intensely pigmented, so a little goes a long way. I like that I can do some really basic makeup looks with this, and it’s a good sized option for travel too. Would I buy it again? Probably not. I’d rather spend a little more and get one of the full palettes like the Biba Palette (currently on my Wishlist!).
Trinny London Golden Glow in ‘Jensta’ | When I was little, I remember watching Trinny and Susannah on TV with my mum; always one for a transformation show and I loved how they had a knack for making other women feel their best. So seeing Trinny come out with a makeup line was a major nostalgic moment for me. I was mostly intrigued by the fact that the majority of the products are creams. Which as you know, are my preferred, especially when it comes to base products. I’d actually been wanting to add a cream bronzer to my makeup stash since using up my last one, so this couldn’t have been better timed. The shade ‘Jensta’ is a nice, warm natural bronze for my current (fairly) pale complexion. It gives me some colour, without looking obvious. I’ve applied this both with a beauty blender and with my fingers, and both methods work well. The formula is ultra creamy, and it doesn’t apply too heavily so you need to layer it up until you’ve achieved the desired level of bronze. I liked that it didn’t feel sticky or tacky on my skin, and wore nicely. It gave a good amount of shine, and made me look like I was glowing; and not just from the pregnancy!
Clinique Chubby Stick in ’01 Ampd up Apple’ | Another product from shopping my stash was this cream blush from Clinique. I adore their chubby stick formulas, and this was always a favourite of mine. This can be applied quite sheer, or layered up for a bolder blush look. I blend it out using a duo fibre stippling brush but you could just use your fingers or a beauty blender too. Love love love.
Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil in ‘Saddle’ | My preferred brow look is light and fluffy. Nothing overly dense, too dark, or too “perfect”. This has been such a wonderful addition to my makeup routine, and actually superseded all my other brow products. The wax formula is easy to work with – especially if you fill in your brows a little too much – and I love the attached spoolie for diffusing the product and giving it a softer look. There’s seven shades which alternate between warm and cool options. I’ve got ‘Saddle’ which is a nice cool-toned mid brown. Best part is that once you run out, you can just replace the cartridge!
The Skincare Edit
Clarins Plant Gold Nutri-Revitalising Oil Emulsion | If you follow me on Instagram, chances are you know by now what a big fan I am of the Double Serum. It’s one of those classic skincare staples you can always rely on. It may be a little too early to tell, but I’m throwing the Plant Gold Oil Emulsion into the same bucket. I have loved using this over the past month. The formula feels rich and nourishing, and it doesn’t have an oily residue, despite it being an oil-based product. I love that this is 100% natural, and it’s helped to give my skin a radiant glow. Definitely going to be sad when this bottle is empty!
IRYNA Rose Antioxidant Elixir | I’ve been wanting to add some rose-based products into my skincare routine, as I know they have such wonderful properties for your skin. This was top of the list to try once I finished up my last evening serum. It’s got a heavy rose scent, and is a light, lotion-type formula. I found that this helped to reduce redness overall, but unfortunately similarly to the IRYNA cleanser, I started to break out every time I used it. Sadly not one for my skin type, but definitely worth looking into if you have a dry complexion.
The INKEY List Rosehip Oil | The INKEY List is a new launch into Australia, with the premise being about making intelligent beauty accessible to everyone. Sound familiar? At first glance, it reminded me a lot of The Ordinary – another brand which offers concentrated ingredients so that you can customise your own skincare routine. I received a few products from the brand to try, and the first one I threw into rotation was the Rosehip Oil. A little goes a long way with this product. As someone who usually doesn’t get along with oils too well (just too heavy for my complexion), this didn’t break me out at all. It felt gentle, and left my skin feeling soft and smooth the following morning. I didn’t notice too many other changes in my skin, but overall it’s been a nice product to have as part of my evening routine.
The INKEY List Hepta-Peptide Serum | Fine lines are probably one of my biggest skincare concerns so this was right up my street. It’s got naturally derived Squalane in it (which I’ve noticed popping up as a key ingredient a lot recently), which was a big selling point for me as it helps to keep our complexion stay hydrated. This has the effect of reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as an instant blurring effect – the latter I can definitely attest to!
The INKEY List Kaolin Clay Mask | All of the clay masks I’ve previously tried, traditionally dry down on my skin. The Kaolin Clay Mask completely bucked the trend, as it remains completely wet. I left this on my skin for about 15 minutes, and washed it off using a damp cloth. Despite not having that drying effect, my skin felt softer and cleaner. I feel like this is a great option if you’re in the market for a gentle face mask.
The Beauty Edit
Aesop ‘A rose by any other name’ Body Cleanser | I decided to seriously treat myself this month to a new body wash, and for some reason, Aesop seemed like a no brainer. And I don’t know that it gets more bougie than this (and its exorbitant $50 price tag!). This has the most beautiful rose scent, with a slightly spicy undertone. It’s gentle on the skin and not too drying – exactly what I was looking for in a cleanser. In all honesty, it’s not quite in my budget to be blowing $50 on body wash, so I think for an equally delicious treat, I’ll be going to Lush when this runs out.
Aveda Sap Moss Shampoo & Conditioner | I’ve been using the Smooth Infusion line from Aveda for over a year now. It’s been my ride or die, so I’ve always felt hesitant about trying anything else. When Aveda’s new Sap Moss collection popped up in my PO Box, I figured I’d make an exception. At first, I wasn’t sure I’d love this. My hair didn’t have that same slick, velvety feel in the shower that I get with the Smooth Infusion products. But, it was when my hair was dry that I really noticed a difference. This gives more volume at my roots, leaves my hair looking fresh and healthy, as well as super soft. Definitely one I’ll be using on rotation from now on.
Ouai Treatment Masque | The final product I tried out this month was the Treatment Masque from Ouai. I’ve got one other product from Ouai (and no, it’s not a texturising spray), but it’s not been enough to really give me a good sense of the brand. I recently finished up a treatment mask from Aveda, so I thought I’d give this a go as it had been lingering in my beauty stash for a few months now. Overall, I’d say it’s a nice hair mask. The texture of my hair felt softer, but not at all weighed down after using this. I left it in for about 7-10 minutes before washing it out, and have used this as an add-on booster to my conditioner most times I’ve washed my hair. There are so many similar products on the market, that I think if you’ve got a brand you’re loyal too, it’s probably just worth sticking to it.
