ZARA Pointed Espadrilles - A Pair of Summery Shoes!

Shoes are something I am both very picky about and very creative with. Having size 4 feet is a bit of a blessing when it comes to buying shoes, mainly because it’s a size regularly available in most high street stores and I can always find during sales. I popped into my mothership store ZARA today and stumbled across this pair of slip-on espadrilles. I’ve never worn nor owned any espadrilles before, mainly because I’m not too keen on their aesthetic and they’re not very comfy on my feet. However after falling in love with this pair and trying them on I knew they would become a simple staple in my summer wardrobe.

I love the material they’re made from, breathable cotton with an almost suede like feel to them. I feel like the black tips distract from the typical espadrille look, and that’s probably why I liked them so much! The insides of the shoes are really spongy so much more comfortable than any I have tried previously and the pointed toe makes it comfortable for my toes to sit inside them without being squished. Obviously I bought them in a pastel pink colour, however they also sell them in a beautiful baby blue. Pink is such an easy and staple colour for me, it goes with everything in my wardrobe because my wardrobe is pretty much a pastel rainbow!

I’m very happy with my little purchase, I know I’ve gone and dedicated a whole blog post to a pair of £20 shoes, but hey ho I love them! I’ve added a link to the ZARA website where you can view both colours, as well as links to all my social media pages if you fancy a nosey around*!

*May or may not be a shameless plug to my social media…

http://www.zara.com/uk/en/trf/shoes/view-all/pointed-espadrilles-c719525p2510579.html

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Thanks for reading! Love from Zoë xxx

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Review in Fiji

My skin type is normal/dry, NC25 in MAC foundation shade.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Fiji.

Surprisingly, I have never owned a product from NARS cosmetics before, probably because I’m such a big MAC junkie. Whenever I feel like having a splurge on makeup I’ll usually head straight to MAC, however since running out of my Pro Longwear foundation I decided I wanted to try something new.  Obviously I had done a lot of research beforehand, almost re-purchasing my trusty L’Oreal True Match because it was a fraction of the price I’d usually pay. However something about the NARS Sheer Glow foundation really drew me in. I had a consultation and little test in Space NK with an artist there, and fell in love straight away.

Packaging

This wouldn’t be a makeup blog post without giving some mention to the packaging of any product. I really like the look of the sleek black lid, corresponding logo and luxury-feeling glass bottle. It’s a weighty item, so could be a bit troublesome in transit, and I am very scared to drop it in my bathroom! However I feel like it is a beautiful product to have in my makeup collection and kit as it is a simple cubed shape and a practical size. I feel like the lid is definitely compensating for something, as the opening of the glass bottle is about 1cm wide! (I’m thinking Lord Farquaad in Shrek!) Obviously the major downfall of the packaging here is the lack of pump. For a makeup artist this isn’t too big of a problem as I can easily pour the product out onto a palette to work from, however I do worry about how sanitary the bottle would be as it doesn’t have the pump to disperse product without any contact to the bottle/product inside. On day-to-day use, I’d really like to have the pump, just to make the process quicker and easier. I’ve also found I’ve been tipping way too much out because I don’t have the pump – and issue I had before with a MAC Studio Fix Foundation bottle which I managed to use up way too quickly!

Prep

As I have slightly dry skin – mainly where I have bouts of acne and scarring – I added a tiny bit of moisturiser just to those areas. This is a very dewy and luminous foundation, so even on my dry skin I did not need to add a layer of moisture beforehand as it’s consistency meant that it did not cling to my dry patches. I’ve read otherwise about this, so it’s probably pretty dependent on your skin type.  I did not wear a primer here either, just because I have run out, but if I were to wear this on a night out or for a prolonged period of time then I would be much keener to, as with any other foundation.

Application

I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to apply this, although the lovely lady in the shop used a flat foundation brush and too had a beautiful finish to the skin. I was matched to Fiji which has yellow-undertones and is a medium-toned colour. I applied a blob of the product to the back of my hand and begun to apply it on the lower of my face, as usual, with circular motions. I would say that this product is definitely a medium-to-full coverage foundation, as I was able to create an almost ‘flawless’ finish very easily and quickly. As the product began to dry on my skin, I used the flat of the brush to stipple over the foundation. This really enhanced the finish and removed any unsightly lines from the circular motions.

After-Care

As always, I applied a lighter concealer under my eyes and around my mouth where I suffer from dark pigmentation. Here, I used the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Light 1 to somewhat recreate that Kardashian-esque highlight and contour. I then set my whole face with a large fluffy Real Techniques brush and MAC Translucent Loose Powder. This did slightly mattify the foundation, but without the powder it did feel too dewy and moist on the skin – so I would definitely recommend doing so.  I found that after a few hours of wear the foundation did become slightly shinier around my T-zone and nose and therefore did find myself reapplying some more powder to reduce the shine.

 (Above: Images wearing the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Fiji, with Bobbi Brown Extra Cream underneath, MAC Harmony blush to contour and Peaches to add colour on the cheeks. On my lips I have a Topshop Lipliner in Beestung and MAC Pink Plaid Matte Lipstick over the top. For my eyes I used MAC Vanilla eyeshadow with a mix of MAC Omega and Woodwinked blended through the crease. I have the Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara on my lashes and used a Collection black pen liner to add a little flick. As always, my brows were a mix of MAC Brun eyeshadow and MAC Pro Longwear Brow Set in Brown Ebony - yikes that's a lot of makeup!?) 

Final Thoughts

This foundation is a beautiful product. I cannot sing it’s praises enough, as it is so perfect for my skin and desired makeup look. I will mention here that I like to wear a full-face of makeup. If I am going to the effort of wearing a full-coverage foundation, I will also take the time to ‘finish’ my face with corresponding lips and eyes etc. The colour match was perfect to my skin as it is quite yellow-based which helps reduce the darkness and scarring on my face. It applied really easily, giving a really flawless looking base once fully buffed into the skin. It definitely made my skin look really vibrant and healthy, something that I hadn’t found before with other foundations, and found myself getting lots of compliments when I wore it! There are two downfalls to this product, number one is the lack of a pump, however lots of places sell them (Space NK was out of stock when I bought this) and I’m sure I’ll find myself purchasing one soon. The second is the ‘wetness’ of the product, as after a few hours I did have to add some powder to the middle of my face. I personally really like luminous and dewy foundations, as my skin is really dull and dry, so I liked that it had a ‘sheer glow’ to it but still had really good coverage.

(Left: A photo taken in the evening wearing the foundation, here I had used MAC Prep & Prime underneath and MAC Loose Translucent Powder over the top.)

I hope this review was helpful; I was looking for a post like this before I purchased the foundation so thought I would add mine to the line-up! I would definitely recommend going to a NARS counter and testing out colours before purchasing, as I nearly ordered Punjab online and was matched two shades lighter in store!

Thank you again for reading, and have a beautiful day!
Best wishes, Zoë xxx

Passing My First Year!

My final headshot photo featuring the prosthetic
makeup I designed, created and executed
along with the copper prawn headpiece.

I woke up very early on Friday morning. My tummy was fluttering as if filled with a hundred butterflies and I was definitely on some kind of nervous/excited adrenaline rush, which meant I couldn’t sit still! Results days have always been an odd thing for me, even though I try to talk myself into being calm and collected something inside me doesn’t want to keep cool and I end up with a racing pulse, hot flushes and become ridiculously chatty. Friday was no exception and as I queued up to pick up my little white envelope I became a blabbering mess of excitement and nerves all in one.

As soon as my eyes scrolled down to find the word ‘DISTINCTION’ they began to fill with tears as I started to shake and jump up and down all at the same time! I must’ve looked like an absolute numpty, but in that moment I couldn’t care less. I had managed to not only pass my Foundation Art year, but pass with such integrity to be awarded a distinction!

It’s such a relief to know that all my hard work, my geekiness and enthusiasm for my project was recognized. My final piece photos were presented in a gallery as part of the assessment criteria, and it was such an amazing thing to see people so interested in the aesthetic my work as well as overhearing little snippets of conversations about it. It has made me a million times more excited to begin my degree in September, and I’m genuinely excited to write some big old essays again!? This year has been such a year of ‘growing up’ for me. Obviously not in height, but in so many more important ways. I’ve become such a positive person, and I vow to take every single opportunity that comes along with as much energy and enthusiasm as I possibly can!

I’ve plastered these images of my work all over my social media already (blatant plug here, check out the links below, it’s my dream to become instagram famous at the moment!) but I’ll add a few here for you to have a nosey through too!

My project was called 'Human Arthropod' and involved designing and creating the hair and makeup for a magazine with the same title. I chose to focus my project towards crustaceans  and concluded with a 3D metal copper headpiece creating the outer 'shell' of the creature and the prosthetic makeup making up the soft underbody of it. I also completed some biro illustrations of my visual sources which were rendered and coloured on photoshop.

Thankyou so much for reading, ooh and do let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Best wishes, Zoë xxx

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The Story of My Skin

From an acne-filled, scarred, pigmented and lumpy face!

My face has been the bane of my life for the past 8 years. Sounds dramatic. Now that makeup art has become such a big part of my plans, career and hopefully future my skin has been something that I don’t know what to do with anymore. I have tried hundreds of at-home remedies, over the counter ‘miracle’ products and been prescribed ointments and pills by doctors, however I feel like my acne has always been something completely different and rejects everything I treat it to.

My skin is now so scarred, I feel like I have missed the opportunity to have beautiful skin in my youth and I am far more passionate about covering it up than trying to fix it anymore. It sounds almost stupid to say that, almost as if I’ve given up – but trust me I haven’t, I just refuse to spend loads of money (I’m still a little student) on products that I just don’t believe in anymore nor want to take my chances with something as strong as Accutane.

I first began getting spots when I was 11, typical, puberty-induced teenage spots which I picked and then tried to cover the scabs with £1 Boots concealer straight from the bullet. The thought of which now horrifies me. I carried my spots with me through the beginning of secondary school; along came the beginning of my periods and a wave of new spots. This is where I change from saying ‘spots’ to ‘acne’. My main problem area has always been my chin, under my lower lip; on the rim of my lip and surface of my chin I gained (and still have) lots of tiny yellow/white spots where the pores meet the surface. These lumpy little aliens have yet to budge, and occasionally take it in turns to party and turn into big spots! Not only did these spots look lumpy, aggravated and unsightly they became very cyst-like and painful.  Around then I began to go to the doctors for treatments as it began to spread onto my cheeks. Luckily I wasn’t ever bullied for the way my face looked, it just made me feel down and uncomfortable, when all I wanted to do was experiment with makeup as a 13-year-old girl!

Since then, I have had a constant battle with hundreds of acne and spot treatments, face routines, cleansers and moisturizers as well as pills and creams from my doctor. Around 2012 my cyst-like acne began to clear up, year 11 was the year of my prom so I made a conscious effort to do lost of exercise (Zumba every Monday with the girls) and eat better. This was when I also became really interested in special fx makeup and had decided it would be an interesting route for my further education. My healthier lifestyle really had a strong effect on my skin; I still had the occasional spots – especially because GCSE’s were the most stressful thing in my life up until then – but my face didn’t hurt as much, and I wasn’t constantly picking at it! The week before my prom I had a maths exam, which I really revised hard for. I stayed late after school and spent my evenings practicing. When the day of prom came along, for the first time in 5 years I woke up without a single new spot on my face. Even the existing ones seemed to have slightly disappeared that day! It sounds like some cliché miracle from a film (Cinderella? Spoterella?) but still to this day I owe it to the dedication to revision I had for that maths exam! (I got a B if you were wondering!) Prom day was still one of the best days of my life, it’s a complete other story in itself, but I remember getting so many compliments on both my makeup and skin!

I would now call myself a ‘Spot Expert’. Namely because on the odd occasion I squeeze a spot, I can accurately predict exactly what it will be like inside and how it will erupt. I still really struggle with the quality of my skin, A Levels saw the decrease in cyst like spots regularly, but an increase in blackheads and my chin lumps. Still to this day I am yet to solve the mystery of my face, however my face is now the result of my teenage years. I have really noticeable pigmentation around my eyes, which I believe is partly hereditary, but I also have darkness around my chin and cheeks from acne scars. I still have the lumps on my chin, and the overall texture of my skin too is very lumpy.  For now, I have found a little routine which has definitely helped improve the vibrancy and texture of my face – something which I will probably share in my next post, and definitely want to keep up and have faith in for as long as I can!

I feel my makeup application has definitely been a big help in disguising my skin, partly why I love the art of makeup so much! I hope that even if my skin doesn’t improve, I will be able to complete my degree in Makeup for Media and Performance next year without it ruining my creative ideas!

For now, thank you for reading this, it was a strange passage to put into words so I apologize if it’s very chatty and informal. It was a long one too so I salute you if you’ve made it this far, and hope to see you again next time!

Best wishes, Zoë xxx