Empties #1

Is it weird that I've blogged for almost a year and yet have never posted an empties post? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I have the tendency to throw something away as soon as I've finished it up, however over the last few months I've tried to keep a few things aside to blog about them! It hasn't quite worked -- I managed to save a few things, but twice I've cleaned out my bathroom cupboards and thrown some old stuff away, completely forgetting that I could've held onto them for this post!

Darn those Padawan skills.

Anyway, here are a few things that I've used up over the last few months and have, mostly likely, made repurchases of.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer || Oddly enough, I've never been the biggest fan of this primer. A lot of people rave about it, and while I concede it to be good, it's never blown me out of the water. I've bought a replacement of this primer, because it does help my makeup last a bit longer.

Maybelline Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner || My favourite eye liner in the whole world, used up at last! I actually used this up a while ago and bought a replacement immediately. There was a short period of time where I stopped using and went back to gel liner for a bit, but nothing can replace this liner in my collection!

MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF15 Foundation in "NW20" || I used this one up a while ago too, but I haven't yet bought a replacement. I want to, but 1) MAC foundation isn't cheap, and 2) my nearest MAC counter is in the city -- so, y'know, not easy on my wallet and not in walking distance. I really like this foundation, and I do want to buy another, but sometimes I've been slightly paranoid that it's a little too orange. It's most likely just me, we all know how my mind works.

Rexona Women Invisible Dry Diamond Deodorant || While it's not a bad deodorant, I can't say it's the best I've ever used. It does alright in terms of yellow marks, but white marks on dark clothes can be something of a different matter (ironic, I know). Looks like I need to keep shopping around!

Batiste Dry Shampoo 200ml in "Floral & Flirty" (not pictured) || I'm very fond of this dry shampoo for keeping my roots looking fresh if I'm starting to push it with how long I go without washing my hair. It smells nice and doesn't leave any white marks unless I decide to overload my hair with it -- and I honestly find that I don't need to.

That's it for my first-ever empties post! Let's get real, I probably won't have another one for a while, but I will try to keep a hold on stuff as I finish them. I feel kind of odd to be in this sort of predicament -- I'm usually something of a hoarder!

Tell me all about the things that you have used up recently!

Sarah xo

Best Dressed | 87th Annual Academy Awards

And, spoiler alert: there's a lot of them.

So you know that I'm not hugely into fashion. I like clothes well enough to want to update my wardrobe every now and then, but my general apathy means... eh. I can mend a hemline, (poorly) stitch up a tear or sew on a button, but don't ask me about cuts or fabric or streamlines (is that even a term used in fashion?) because all you'll get in reply is a blank stare and a giant question mark.

Dresses, though.

I love dresses. Whether elegantly pretty or distractingly hideous, dresses are the highlight to the awards season -- and, let's get real, one of the reasons everyone watches them. I can't really tell you why I think they're so nice, only just that I liked how they looked -- and it's not necessarily got anything to do with whether or not I like the actress, because there were many actresses I liked in dresses that I wasn't all that keen on.

And is it just me, or did there seem to be two main makeup trends at this year's Oscars? I found that older women tended to have rather glossy lips, where as the younger women tended to go really matte, as though they were wearing a liquid lipstick (okay, Margot Robbie, I'm looking at you especially) -- but maybe that's just me.

So here it is: my favourite dresses from yesterday's Oscars! Fair warning: there's a lot of them. (I love dresses, 'kay? No judging.)

America Ferrera (in Jenny Packham)

I see her name and I think, "Where's she been for the last few years?" and then I remember, "Ooh, yeah, How To Train Your Dragon!" That's the funny thing about voices: it's so hard to identify them unless you know them very well. While I'm not a huge fan of what the underdress thing (is that what it even is?) is doing for her chest, the colour itself is really, really nice and I just think she looks awesome.

Anna Faris (in Zuhair Murad)

How gorgeous is Mrs Chris Pratt? That's all I can really say about her and her dress. She looks beautiful.

Anna Kendrick (in costume from Out of the Woods)

Was this not one of the greatest parts from the entire show?! I haven't seen Out of the Woods, but I have seen pictures of the costumes and I always loved this one. The opening of this year's Oscars was one of the best that I've ever watched (okay, to be fair, I've seen two) and I've heard whispers that it's pretty much going down in history.

Anna Kendrick (in Thakoon)

And how beautiful she was on the red carpet? I remember reading something about how she was one of the first and how apparently this was unusual for her, but it isn't really if you think about it. After all, she had to have enough time to change into her dress for the opening number -- and that takes a hell of a lot of time!

Cate Blanchett (in Maison Margiela)

To be fair, though, Cate Blanchett could've arrived in a dress knitted by Maureen McCormick and she'd look amazing.

Cheryl Hines (although I don't know who she's wearing)

I don't know who Cheryl Hines is -- I'm assuming an actor, but you never know -- but that dress? It's so glitzy and glamorous and Hollywood. It wouldn't work well on me, but on her it is stunning.

Melanie Griffiths (no idea) & Dakota Johnson (in Saint Laurent)

To be clear, I'm not saying I have no idea who Melanie Griffiths is. I know who Melanie Griffiths is. I may occasionally confuse her with Meg Ryan, but I know who Melanie Griffiths is. Her dress is classic and classy, and her daughter's is immensely stylish. Whatever you think of 50 Shades of Grey, you have to admit that Dakota Johnson has style.

Emma Stone (in Elie Saab)

I originally passed over this with something of a grimace on my face, but I'm pleased to say that it grew on my the more I saw it. I love these 20s-style dresses (at least that's what I'm classifying as 20s -- and we all know I might be well off the mark) because I think they suit so many varying types of figures.

Felicity Jones (in Alexander McQueen)

I wanna jump on that bandwagon that shouts, "I LOVED FELICITY JONES BEFORE ERR'BODY ELSE." After all, in my eyes, if you're in a Jane Austen adaptation, that's it. You're perfect. Felicity Jones was awesome in The Worst Witch, but she became perfect in Northanger Abbey. As deserving as the winners were of their Oscars, I'm sorry she didn't win for The Theory of Everything.

Gwenyth Paltrow (in Ralph & Rosen)

I feel like it's hard to pull off a pink as pale as that -- but Gwenyth does it.

Jamie Chung (wearing I don't know who)

It's hard not to love Jamie Chung and it's hard not to love the dress she's wearing -- in fact, I think it's my favourite of the evening. It's elegance is insane.

Jenna Dewan-Tatum (in Zuhair Murad)

I don't know what it is that Jenna does when she's not being Mrs Channing Tatum, but I absolutely fell in love with her dress at the Oscars. I couldn't really see it while I was watching the award ceremony, but it is absolutely amazing here.

Jennifer Aniston (in Versace)

Doesn't Jennifer Aniston always look great, no matter what she wears? I don't think she disappointed yesterday -- I'm only disappointed she was nominated for an Oscar.

Jennifer Hudson (in Romona Keveza)

How gorgeous does Jennifer Hudson look?! I can't lie, I didn't recognise her until I saw this photo, but then I live under a rock, so that's not a huge surprise. Her song for the In Memorandum tribute was so incredibly lovely, she did a great job.

Jennifer Lopez (in Elie Saab)

The first thing I thought was "Woah!" This dress is big, it's foofy, it's got a plunging neckline that would make Mariah Carey proud -- it was one of the best dresses of the evening! (Plus, when she sat down, those on either side of her had an instant lap blanket.)

Jessica Chastain (in Givenchy)

I haven't ever seen Jessica Chastain in anything, but I loved her dress to pieces. There's something about the style -- I don't know if it's the cut or the pattern or the fabric -- but it's incredibly flattering to the figure. Whether you have wide hips or a Kardashian butt or a bit of a tummy, I've noticed that dresses like these smooth everything out and make it look fabulous. Yes to curves!

Keira Knightley (in Valentino)

Keira Knightley looks like a perfect woodland fairy, and that's all I have to say on the matter.

Kelly Osbourne (and I have no idea who she's wearing)

I've seen pictures of women who've gotten this kind of dress wrong and Kelly is not one of them. She can take a decent dress and make it look even better.

Kelly Preston (in Gustavo Cadile)

Mrs John Travolta looked so good that there was no way her husband was getting her name wrong. Her dress almost looks like it was made of crushed velvet, but I know that can't be right -- after all, nobody's used crushed velvet for at least twenty years, right?

Kelly Ripa (dress designer unknown to me)

I don't know who Kelly Ripa is, and I don't know who designed her dress, but it looks absolutely stunning. Like McDonald's, I'm lovin' it.

Lady Gaga (from her The Sound of Music medley)

This was, without a doubt, the best part of the entire night and I have not had a single person challenge me on this. I've always liked Lady Gaga's music, but it's so quirky that I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Let me tell you something, those people who still think that this woman has no talent: find a video of this performance, watch it, and then try to tell me she can't sing.

Laura Dern (in Alberta Ferretti)

I don't know who Laura Dern is -- so she's presumably an actress -- and I originally passed over this dress, but look at it! Take a freaking look at it! It's a glitzy medieval torture device personified in a dress! How awesome is that?

Margot Robbie (in Saint Laurent)

This isn't normally the kind of dress that I like, but it just hung so well on Margot that it stuck first and foremost in my mind. She was also the one who made me realise that a lot of the younger actresses looked like they were going for seriously matte lips -- especially as I felt that her lip colour looked almost velvety. A little snooping told me that whoever did her makeup apparently used the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in "Raven" -- which is what I've got! Woo hoo!

Meryl Streep (in Lanvin)

I'd originally passed over Meryl's outfit as well, as I didn't find it all that striking, but this picture makes her look really good in it.

Naomi Watts (in Armani)

This isn't a dress that I could pull off myself, and that makes me love it all the more. I don't know if that black band is part of the dress -- it'd have to be, right? -- but either way I think it might have been a little tricky to get into.

Octavia Spencer (in Tadashi Shoji)

I don't think I've ever seen Octavia in anything, which makes sense because I'd kept thinking that her name was "Octavius" due to the way NPH ran "Octavia Spencer" together. I just absolutely adored her dress at the Oscars, she looked gorgeous!

Oprah Winfrey (in Vera Wang)

And Oprah! If you didn't like Oprah's dress, then I strongly urge you to reconsider your life choices. Oprah is magical, and so is Vera Wang.

Paige Butcher (wearing who knows)

I don't know who Paige Butcher is, but I loved everything that was happening when it came to her dress. The beautiful royal purple colour, the style of the dress... It's so pretty.

Patricia Arquette (in Rosetta Getty)

Someone I've never heard of said that Patricia Arquette's dress was, essentially, lame -- but I actually really like it. It's classy and it looks good on her, so what's not to like?

Rachel Harris (not a clue who)

In the stream of saying that I don't know who people are or what they're wearing, I need to add Rachel Harris to the list. This is a dress that I would personally love to wear myself -- you could be curvy or straight up-and-down and it will make you look simply awesome.

Reese Witherspoon (in Tom Ford)

How lovely is Reese Witherspoon in this dress? It is so simple and classy and elegant.

Rita Ora (in Marchesa)

Wow. Just wow. This was one of my favourite dresses of the night -- midnight blue and gold work so well together that I'm surprised that nobody wears this colour combination more often.

Rosamund Pike (in Givenchy)

I'm surprised that it's taken ten years for people to realise just how amazing Rosamund Pike is -- and I know that I'm probably biased a hundred times over (it's the Jane Austen Effect), but she truly is a capable actress. My brother was surprised that she didn't win the Oscar, especially because of how much I'd said that Gone Girl was a messed up film. I'm not surprised that she didn't win -- not because of her acting, which was perfect -- but because I feel like more was asked from the other actresses and they pulled it off.

Sienna Miller (in Oscar de la Renta)

Ahh, Sienna Miller. It sounds so lame, but that's literally all I have to say about it.

Viola Davis (in Zac Posen)

I don't know who Viola Davis is (I seem to say that about a lot of people, don't I?), but her dress caught my eye when she presented at the Oscars. And her lipstick! Someone please point me to what was used on her, because I'm loving it.

Zendaya (I couldn't find out who she was wearing)

In the category "I've never heard of this person before" goes Zendaya, who I thought looked so gorgeous on the red carpet. Apparently there was a bit of online debate about her dreadlocks, but I don't know anything more than that there was any at all -- and I'm not sure why there was any, because I think they look just fine.

Zoe Saldana (in Atelier Versace)

I'm really surprised that Guardians of the Galaxy didn't win the makeup category (or whatever it's actually called) because I thought they'd done an amazing job throughout the whole film; I think I've just got to trust that the Academy knew what they were doing when they picked the winners. Needless to say, Zoe Saldana looks so gorgeous at the Oscars that she was practically a prize herself.

And that marks the end of my very lengthy list of those ladies who looked awesome at the Oscars! Who do you think was best dressed overall? What was your favourite part of the Awards ceremony? Let me know in the comments!

Sarah xo

An Epic Sephora Haul?!

It's not unusual for my mother to travel interstate for a conference or work-related event. She's not constantly coming and going, but she attends maybe a few times a year, usually not for any longer than a week. A few weeks ago she went to Sydney and, for some absurd reason, my brain hiccupped and never made a jump to Sephora. I never mentioned it, never hinted for a surprise present, never asked her to pick up anything... Am I sick or something?

Then it happened.

Wherever my mother was staying, it was literally a stone's throw away from Sephora, and she was gloating about it to me -- as every decent mother does -- through Facebook! (Adults these days, they have no respect, am I right?) It was then that she asked if there was anything I might like for her to look at for me.

Naturally, that meant my mind when completely, utterly blank.

Eventually I sent her a text with some loose guidelines:

Fool-proof, y'know? This way, if she felt unsure about anything, she could always ask a shop assistant to help her out and she be guaranteed to find something -- and if not, then it wouldn't matter. I didn't have a hankering for anything specific. As it turned out, she did find a few things to surprise me.

Boy oh boy, did she do good.

My mother sent me a photo of the following three items in her hotel room. She'd told me that she'd bought me a purple mascara (which I was pretty stoked about to begin with), and that she had a one or two other surprise items for me.

Sephora Peony Bubble Bath & Shower Gel || I'm not a bath-taker. Sometimes I think about it, but our bathtub is huge, so I usually can't be bothered. Shower gel, though? It's definitely something I can get behind. Peony isn't a scent I've ever used before, so I'm really excited about this, but I'm going to wait until the one I currently have in the shower is finished (and it's huge, so it could take a while).

Sephora Peony Smoothing Body Scrub || Not gonna lie, when I first saw this I thought it was a body lotion, and I was all, "Oh no." Body lotions and creams and soufflés are nice and all, but I don't really use them at all. To my total surprise and pleasure, it's a scrub! It doesn't look like it has any texture to it, so I'm not sure how it's supposed to work, but I'm excited to try it out.

Sephora Full Action Extreme Effect Mascara in "Violet Purple" || Here it is, the purple mascara! My natural hair is extremely dark, so I think this will hopefully be colourful enough to show up.

I'd thought was the end of it, and to be honest, I didn't mind. I hadn't expected anything, so to have some nice new things for the shower, as well something colourful to add to my mascara bag, was incredibly awesome. Mum came home when I was at work, so it wasn't until after I'd finished work late that night when I got a chance to see her.

I was puttin' on my PJs like a boss when she came in -- presumably to say goodnight, but who knows, she could've wanted to nick my Ariel POP Vinyl figurine -- and said, "So I tried to find that tattoo liner thing, but I couldn't get you one." I obviously didn't mind about this either -- after all, it's the thought that counts, isn't it? -- so I said, "Oh, the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner? That's okay, I figured they might be sold--"

"So I got you two."

Cue silence. Cue shock. Cue one arm frozen halfway in the sleeve.

"Aaaand, I also got you this."

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in "Trooper" || A cult product, I was stunned when my mother was able to get me two of them. I wasn't sure that it could be as good as the Maybelline Hyper Glossy, which is my Holy Grail eye liner, but I sure as heck wasn't going to give a fair go. As it turns out: it's the greatest pen liner I've ever used.

Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes Mascara || My mum put this into my hands so quickly after she said, "I also got you this" that I had no time to properly register it for a moment. I've heard so many great things about this mascara that I've got a lot of high hopes for it. Will it be better than Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara? We'll have to see.

These two items definitely made my evening, and so I went about the next day trying to figure out if I'd get any time to photograph them while the light was as its best. That was when Mum came into the living room and started talking about something that she'd bought for herself (although, I must confess, I can't remember what it was) before she gave me a few other things.

Arcona Trial Pads || I can't lie, Arcona isn't a brand that I've heard of before, so I wasn't sure what my mother had given me. They're very luxurious-looking makeup removal wipes, and they'll be ones that I use only very occasionally, if I'm so tired at the end of a long night that I can't be bothered going through the whole makeup removal process.

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in "Syrah" || I had mentioned this product to my mother before, mostly because it's literally the closest I feel I will ever come to finding a product called Sarah. It's a cute kind of peach-nude colour, and I'm in love with it. The High Pigment Pencils seem to be something of a big deal in the beauty world, so I really can't wait to give it a test run.

Marc Jacobs Style Eye-con No. 7 Eyeshadow Palette in "The Starlet" || This was definitely one thing I did not expect. A super cute, super sleek palette with neutrals and one of the nicest shimmery olives I've ever seen? Marc Jacobs, no less? I never thought I'd get to own anything Marc Jacobs until I was in my mid-30s and making a comfortable living!

Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Body Lotion || I believe that Mum didn't actually get this from Sephora; it came, instead, from the hotel she was staying in. I'm not usually one who uses body lotions and creams, but hey, sometimes your legs need something to stop people from finding out that you're actually a lizard in disguise.

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in "Corvina" || Now this colour is something special. It's a blue-toned pinkish red that reminds a little bit of MAC No Faux Pas mixed with MAC Damn Glamorous. It's the kind of shade that I gravitate towards in a big way, so it's a no brainer that I love it.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in "Moonstone" || Oop, there it is, the thing that practically pushed me over the edge and floored me so much that I almost started to cry (but let's keep that between you and me). Although Becca is an Australian brand, it's only available via Sephora, and there was something of an uproar when people found out just how large the mark-up was. As I understand it, this product is a highlighter that those with the moolah swear by, so I'm really excited to see how well it works. I was surprised by how yellow it looks in the pan, but I'm certain it'll work fine regardless.

Bite Beauty Cashmere Lip Cream in "Sherry" (not pictured) || This product is red. It's very red. I want to say that it's a yellow-based red, but I want to compare side-by-side with some other reds just to make sure. I haven't tried this out at all yet, but just going on name alone, it looks like it might be a liquid lipstick. Time will tell!

And it all came in THAT paper bag.

That's it for this epic Sephora haul -- I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed writing about it! Let me know if you've used any of these products, if there are any you want to try one day, or perhaps let me know which one you like the best!

Sarah xo

PS. Did you know I have a Facebook page now? It's just another easy way to keep up-to-date with the blog!

Tutorial-ish: Summer on your Face

It was while swatching the Bright Mattes palette from Makeup Revolution, that the idea for this look was born. I was re-taking swatch photos (because that's what you do), and I was drawn to the hot pink and the yellow next to each other. "I need this on my eyes right now," I said out loud to absolutely nobody, and the dog next door barked.

It was practically a sign, right?

It actually ended up being a bit of a pick-me-up, because someone in the universe had turned the Summer switch off in Australia. It was cold. It was miserable. It was raining. I could've sworn it was July 2012 and I was in England. Putting a colourful makeup look together made me feel like it was so hot outside that an egg would've fried in my backyard. I think it's something that can be enjoyed by a lot of people right now, whether you're suffering in hellish heat or somewhere deceptively sunny yet rather cold.

Oh hi, plain face.

The whole thing with a glowing summery look is that your face has to be, y'know, glowing and flawless -- and while it's not something I'm usually all that fussed about (problem skin will be problem skin, y'know?), I said to myself, "Why not?"

So, to start, I applied the L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection Concentrated Correcting Serum lightly all over my face, followed by the L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection Correcting Day Moisturiser about a minute later. These two products together make my skin feel amazingly soft and I've noticed it helps my makeup stay in place a little longer, which is exactly what I want when the weather gets so hot that a short walk to the shops makes me sweat like I've done an hour of Zumba. Following the moisturiser is primer, and the one I picked out was the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer, as it's supposed to help with giving you a glow from within. Of course, I've also been battling a few face demons, so I wanted a foundation that would assist with covering it all up -- and so I reached for the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25H Foundation in "Soft Beige".

Then onto the colourful part of the look!

I primed my eyelids with Benefit Stay Don't Stray, which I find to be a rather reliable primer for keeping my eye shadow intact for the summer. The palette I used, as can be plainly seen, is the Makeup Revolution Bright Mattes palettes, the three shades being the orange, the second pink and the yellow. (Oh how I wish I could give names to these shades!)

With the Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush (from the Travel Essentials pack), I used the Tweety Bird yellow shade all over my lid, just packed it on real good. I used this brush because it's big -- possibly almost a little too big -- so it'll pack the colour on quickly. You can use whichever shadow brush you normally like to use.

When I grow up, I want to be a canary.

Then I took the super vibrant orange and, using the Mecca Cosmetica Domed Eye Blending Brush, swept that through the crease, effectively making it a transition colour. I think. It also kinda acts as part of a gradient into the pink. Call it what you will.

Or maybe I want to be a sunrise when I'm a grown-up.

Using the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush (from the Starter Set), I blended the second hot pink colour in with and above the bright orange. This particular brush is really quite big, so I usually don't use it on its own for blending, but it works well if you move it in small circular motions. This pink ends up looking almost red when blended with the orange, but it can actually overtake it and make it... disappear, if that makes any sense. I blended a little more of the orange back into the crease to make sure that it shows up and continues the gradient.

Maybe the Hamptons sunset at Castle and Beckett's wedding.

Ermahgerd, finished look! Lol jks.

Of course, for any look, you have to have liner, right? I used my favourite liner of all time -- the Maybelline Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner -- and made a small wing with it. For mascara, I wanted lots and lots of lashes, so I used two coats of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. You could add false lashes if you want as well, because I think they'd look really pretty -- but it's really not a necessity.

Finishing the face off! There was still a lit bit of redness from my major face demons, so I used the Benefit Perk Up Artist concealer palette to cover them up. I set my foundation with a loose translucent powder by CoverGirl -- it's a product that I found in the back of my cupboard and am trying to use up. The only thing I can find online which seems closest to what I have is the Professional Loose Powder, but the colour of the packaging is different, so it might not be exactly the same... Either way, whatever it is you want to use to set your foundation, that's what you should go for!

I contoured using my MAC Bronzing Powder in "Matte Bronze" along my cheekbones, as well as my temples and into part of my hairline. Bronzing around my forehead is something of a new technique for me, one that I'm a little bit unfamiliar with, but so far I'm enjoying that little bit of a 'summer glow' feel that it gives to my face! I really wanted to use a coral-toned blush for this look but I found that I didn't have anything, so I went with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in "Luminous Flush" on my cheeks.

Of course, being summertime, we kinda can't just leave it there -- we need to glow like we've spent the afternoon bathing in the sun with Miranda Kerr, and I decided that the Hourglass Ambient Powder Wardrobe would be perfect for it. Using the EcoTools Custom Coverage Buffing Brush, I put "Incandescent Light" along the tops of my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose (but not the whole way down -- that thing is big enough as it is), and my cupid's bow. With the same light, I very lightly dusted "Dim Light" across my forehead, underneath the contour on my cheekbones, and on my chin. Is that too much powder? If you figure it's too much for you, you can totally skip it.

Then for the finishing touches! My lips were feeling a little worse for wear, so I used the Mecca Cosmetica Kissable Lips Smoothing Lip Exfoliant to turn them from scaly to smooth. Now, you could absolutely go commando on the lips -- have less on them than Channing Tatum in Magic Mike, but I wanted a lipstick that was bright and bold, so I went with the Maybelline SuperStay 14HR Megawatt Lipstick in "Burst of Coral". It's a really strong coral pink that goes on really well -- but, to be honest, I do not like how it dries out on me in the long term, so I'll be looking for a colour dupe that's similar.

Keeping in mind that I wanted a luminous, fresh, glowing look, I spritzed my face very lightly with MAC Fix+, gave it a minute or so to set, then sprayed Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray to set everything into place like it was the wand of Cinderella's fairy godmother. You could always go with one spray over the other, there's nothing that says you need to use both Fix+ and the All-Nighter Spray -- in my Padawan craziness, however, I figured that both might be good to play around with, and I don't believe my makeup suffered.

And BAM! Finished look.

I think that this one of those looks that looks its best dependent on the outfit that you're wearing. Me, I like this particular maxi dress from Kmart -- I just make sure I wear a belt with it, otherwise it looks like I'm wearing a horribly unshapely muumuu.

Woooo, summery dress! It's from Kmart, but the belt is one I got from a local market in the Cook Islands, so your chances of finding it in a department store could be a little thin.

Once you've got your token summery outfit on, you're free to go outside in the scorching sunshine and take as many selfies as your A/C deprived self can handle!

 

Is this a look that you'd rock in the summer months? Would you go natural on the lip, or pick a really punchy colour? Let me know in the comment section!

Sarah xo