The March Beauty Edit ‘19

It felt like March came and went in the blink of an eye. We spent the earlier part of the month travelling around New Zealand’s South Island (I shared ou full itinerary for the trip HERE), and the latter part catching up with old friends who were staying at our place. Perhaps as a consequence, I ended up finding myself reverting back to my old favourites for the most part so my March Beauty Edit is going to be pretty light compared with previous months.

The Makeup Edit

NARS Skin Deep Eyeshadow Palette (also here) | I am a bit of a sucker when it comes to NARS eyeshadows. The quality is consistently good – pigmented and highly blendable – and the shade selection in NARS palettes tends to have a pretty good balance between shimmer shades and mattes. What drew me to the Skin Deep Palette was how neutral the shadows were compared to some of the others I’ve seen in the past. It’s mostly bronze and brown hues, which I figured would be perfect for me given I have an olive-toned complexion and I opt for neutrals day in and day out.

If you already have the ‘Wanted’ Palette from NARS in your beauty stash, then you could probably do without this one. While I do like it and the shadows have lived up to my expectations, I do find that they pull a little too warm on me across the board – something I tend to try and avoid. Overall, it’s a beautiful neutral-toned palette, and a great one to travel with as the larger shadows in the top row can be used to highlight and contour.

MAC Eyeshadow Palette (also here) | The other eyeshadow palette I’ve been reaching for this month is my MAC Eyeshadow Palette. This I curated myself, and it’s a mixture of peachy hues, matte browns, and a few pinky-purple tones. There’s not much more that I can say about MAC eyeshadows that I haven’t said in the past. The formula is lovely; they’re build-able, not too pigmented (great if you want a lighter wash of colour), and they are powdery – there’s no fall out in my experience at all. I’ve been dipping into the same two shades for the latter part of the month. ‘Naked Lunch’ across my lids, with ‘Wedge’ blended into the crease.

Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Prism Cream (also here) | I’ve been trying a few products from Peter Thomas Roth, and surprisingly, this illuminating cream has turned out to be my favourite pick of the bunch. I’ve been using this a couple of different ways; applied all over my skin as a primer before foundation, or dotted and blended along my high points as a glossy highlighter. This has a pink undertone to it with little shimmer reflects, which I find really helps to breathe life into my complexion and instantly brightens up any darkness. On its own, it has a dewy finish and it brings some serious glow. This is something I’m definitely going to be using on repeat a lot.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in ‘Bourbon’ (also here) | Aside from my regular beauty favourites, one of the other products I’ve found myself inserting into rotation this past month has been this ultra creamy eye pencil from Urban Decay. I went to a masterclass with Mecca and Urban Decay late last year (I did a full brand review here), and this eye pencil kept popping up as a product to try. The shade ‘bourbon’ is a warm medium to dark coloured brown with subtle silver flecks throughout. I personally love this for adding some depth and dimension along my longer lash line. Brown is usually my preferred for this as it’s a bit less confronting than using a dark black (which can seem stark even on my olive complexion). This smudges out really nicely, has great lasting time, and it’s very smooth to apply – the pencil doesn’t drag across your skin at all.

The Haircare & Skincare Edit

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask (also here) | I think it was Anna Newton who put this mask from PTR on my radar a couple of years back, and honestly, I’m not sure why it took me so long to give this one a go. I’ve only been using this for a couple of weeks now, but it’s already made such a difference to my complexion. My skin has been looking healthier and brighter and I’m looking forward to seeing how this changes my skin as I continue to use it long term. This has a delicious pumpkin scent that seriously smells good enough to eat, and a wobbly gel-like texture. I apply a thin layer all over my face (avoiding the eye area), massage this in gently, and wash it off after leaving it to sit for about five minutes. Depending on how sensitive your skin is, you can feel the AHAs at work, so if you are using this for the first time, patch test it on a small part of your skin to start with.

Aveda Tulasara Wedding Masque (also here) | This may be the third time in the past four months that I’ve mentioned this moisturiser, but I wanted to include it again just as it was the only moisturiser I reached for the entire month. I’d been trying to finish up a tub so I took this as my moisturiser of choice to NZ, and it’s just been habit to use it daily since I’ve been home. This is a great option for both day and night. It’s not too rich or heavy, but feels incredibly nourishing and sinks into the skin relatively quickly on application. I think I might branch out a little when I use up the remainder of the tub (possibly this week), but this is always a moisturiser I will come back to and one I can’t recommend highly enough.

Aveda Dry Shampoo (also here) | I’ve shifted away from aerosol dry shampoos a little this year for no real reason in particular, aside from enjoying experimenting with powder dry shampoos as an alternative. This one from Aveda is loaded with natural ingredients such as Corn Starch and Tapioca Starch, which make this a good option if you’re trying to reduce the number of chemicals you’re putting in your hair. It’s a little trickier to work with that your traditional dry shampoo, but I find that this gives me more volume at the roots and is really effective at keeping my hair looking fresh in-between washes.

The Beauty Edit

Jo Malone ‘Willow & Amber’ and ‘Cade & Cedarwood’ Colognes | Finally, I wanted to share two perfumes that I’ve had on rotation this month from Jo Malone. These two fragrances are part of a limited edition collection, and I feel pretty lucky to have gotten my hands on them. Cade & Cedarwood is more of a woody, earthy scent, where as Willow & Amber is slightly lighter and has more of a fresh musky aroma. This duo is a great pairing if you like to layer your fragrances, but they’re beautiful just on their own too.