#beautybite

RosaCroc/BeautyBite!

My first review for the blog is here! I recently ordered the James Charles x Morphe palette in the ‘mini’ size. I chose this size because I already have a lot of palettes with neutral shades but not so many with bright, bold colours. It was also on sale for more than half the price (full size is around AU$60) which was perfect for me. 

My first impression was that it was actually much bigger than I anticipated! With 39 shades consisting of neutral and bright, shimmery and matte, this palette is perfect for those wanting to experiment or for those just getting into makeup and not wanting to buy heaps of palettes. 

The pigment of these shadows are very high quality and blend quite easily but I always recommend that makeup newbies practice with neutral colours first to get a better understanding of how the colours blend and work well together. I also recommend using a light shaded concealer or an eyeshadow base to help the brighter colours really pop on the lid. In terms of fallout (when parts of the eyeshadow falls onto your under-eye/cheek area), I didn’t find it to be an issue with the neutral shades even with the glittery shade. 

I decided to create a light brown/orangey smokey in the style of fox eye which is trending big time at the moment. I wanted to use the more neutral colours as I found they are similar and pretty standard of a lot of palettes. I pretty much used all of the middle, larger sized shades–minus the yellow shade–as well as the dark brown above the black. 

Overall I really like this palette and I’m very excited to try out some of those brighter colours. The size, amount and array of shadows, the quality of the shadows and the large mirror definitely make the price valid and I would personally recommend either the normal or the mini size! 

Lots of makeup love, Sophie x

One of my favourite things about makeup is how everyone has a different relationship with it. I find it so interesting how everyone uses different products and routines and different styles. Personally, I love looking back at old selfies and seeing how differently I used to do my makeup whether it be the colours used or the application. I’ve had a lot of fun with makeup but on my journey I’ve also learnt what looks best with my facial features. The first makeup product that really got me into experimenting with makeup was eyeshadow and to this day it’s still my favourite thing to do and something I look forward to doing every. single. time. I think this is because of how it has the ability to completely change your look and complete your outfit. However for a short time I actually struggled with the fact that my eyes are on the smaller side but soon learnt some tricks to make them appear bigger and brighter. 

Once again I would like to add that I am definitely not a makeup artist and that these tips may not work for everyone but hopefully there’s at least one tip or trick you can take on! 

The first thing I ever learnt and that a lot of makeup lovers would know is the inner corner trick. By putting a really light, brights white or silvery colour it instantly adds a lot of brightness and immediately draws the attention to your eyes. 

My second tip is to also add a bright colour in similar shade to the inner corner and continue it to almost the middle of the lid. This also helps to add brightness and gives the appearance of a bigger eye. It also helps to use a a light, almost white concealer shade as a base before applying the shadow to strengthen the pigment of the shadow. 

I’ve always struggled with eyeliner and I’ve experimented with all sorts of cat eyes and wings and I still like to mix it up every now and then but I found that focusing the liner away from my inner corner suits my eyes the best. I found that by having a thick eyeliner wing it made my eyes look even smaller! I still apply eyeliner on my inner corner but I just apply it so thinly and gradually thicken it up closer to the wing. 

Recently I’ve also discovered a new favourite trick with false eyelashes. I like to choose styles that are almost feline looking in which the lashes get longer and longer and wisp out at the outer corner. I then like to cut them in half and just apply them from the very middle of my lid to the outer corner. This helps to elongate the eye whilst also enabling the brightness from the inner corner to still be seen.

So there we have it! My favourite and super easy tricks to brighten and enlarge the eyes. The best part is that you at least one of these will work for everyone and you can experiment with different lash styles or inner corner colours to change up the look, so have fun! 

Heres to eyes that pop! All my shadowy love, Sophie x

With the current COVID-19 situation happening, online shopping is absolutely booming and whilst many (including myself) are very grateful for the opportunity to buy whatever we want from our couch (or bed), it does encourage fast fashion which is terrible for the environment.

(image from australianstyleinstitute.com.au)

Fast fashion dominates the fashion industry with majority of larger brands such as Cotton On, H&M, Zara and online boutiques such as Princess Polly, Fashion Nova and Missguided playing a big part. Basically, these brands pump out as much clothing that they can so as to meet the current trends of each season to make more money. Mass manufacturing so many clothes enables brands to lower the prices and make even more pieces. These pieces, however are often made of very poor quality meaning that they don’t last long and are often thrown out as soon as the next trend comes along. 

Not only does this contribute to landfill (due to the synthetic, non-biodegradable materials they are made from), but the factories that are usually in developing countries that produce fast fashion pump out so much pollution. The workers in those factories that are also known as sweatshops often work in terrible conditions and are paid very little for their work. You can learn more about sweatshops here. 

Luckily, high-end designer brands are focusing on creating more environmentally friendly pieces for the runway. This helps to encourage smaller and fast fashion brands to think about changing the way they operate as consumers become more conscious about where their clothes are coming from. 

As a consumer, you actually have the most power to help slow fast fashion by consciously choosing to invest in environmentally sustainable brands and their pieces. But what if you can’t afford luxury high-end pieces? That’s where thrift shopping or as we like to call it in Australia, op (opportunity) shopping comes in. Op shopping is an amazing way to find one of kind, low price pieces without hurting the environment. I’ll go into more detail about op shops in another blog post because they are so accessible and provide affordable options for everyone! 

Hopefully this post has shared a bit of an insight into fast fashion and the dangers of the industry, just remember that you have the power to make conscious shopping decisions! 

Lots of fashion love, Sophie x