The Winter Face

After a very chilly and brisk walk yesterday, I realized that winter has come to Newfoundland early again this year. It seems that each winter gets chillier and I'm preparing myself for the polar vortex that is to come in the months to follow. The bone-chilling walking downtown with my man inspired me to create my own winter face which is a little different than the neutral browns I've been sporting throughout autumn.

I really love the way that grey eye shadows look with pale skin and blonde hair. I've never really liked cool tones on my coloring but I'm quite smitten by the way it turned out. I used my Dior 5 Couleurs Grege Palette to create a very soft smokey eye that draws attention to the peepers. I've been loving smudgy eyeliner lately and my Elizabeth Arden Smoky Eyes Pencil in Espresso is so pretty smudged all the way around my lash line with a grey eye shadow blended over the top. This is a great way to wear eyeliner for daytime without it looking in your face yet still adding definition to the lash line. Not to mention, putting a powder shadow on top of liner makes it last all day long. I chose to ditch the bronzer and highlighter in favor of a simple peachy cream blush on the cheeks. I used Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet across the top of my cheeks to sculpt and define the cheeks. Finally I finished off the looks with one of my favorite lipsticks, Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Penelope Pink, which is ironically, not very pink at all. I love how the peachy nude lip helps to tie it all together without looking over the top.

Overall, I really liked this makeup look on myself and I'm definitely going to be pulling it out more often over the next month. I love that it can be worn softly for day time or amped up with more eyeliner and dark eye shadow for a pretty party look. Grey eye shadow looks great on all eye colors and while it makes my blue eyes pop, I think it would look equally gorgeous enhancing brown or green eyes. Something about the look reminds me of an ice queen... which I'm all over.

What do you think of my winter face? Does anyone else enjoy a grey smokey eye with peachy cheeks and lips?

Thanks for reading.

Beauty Evolution: I've Come a Long Way

As I get older, my tastes in fashion and makeup are constantly evolving. The 19 year old me would be shocked by my current makeup preferences and be screaming at me to pack on the glitter AND liquid liner AND highlighter AND bold lipstick. The 23 year old version of myself prefers toned-down makeup to look and feel my best.

As one's personal style evolves over time, it is only natural for one's makeup choices to also change. When I look back to my 19 year old self living on her own for the first time, I sometimes cringe at my past makeup looks. Here's a comparison of my 19 year old makeup style to my current makeup routine:

THEN
In the first year of university, I wore makeup to compensate for my own insecurities of looking young and wore makeup to make a statement to the world. Wearing pin-up style heavy eyeshadow and red lipstick to class would be my own personal rebellion on what is accepted as "appropriate" for school. I would cake on heavy foundation over my entire face to cover up three blemishes on one cheek. Passing out at night with makeup on was a regular occurrence and my skincare routine probably didn't involve a moisturizer. Wonky cat eye flicks with black liquid liner would be a regular look and I probably didn't own a lip color other than red. I would constantly buy makeup products that performed poorly and got fed up with spending what little pocket change I had on crappy makeup products which ultimately led me to start researching makeup blogs and Youtube channels for advice... and here I am.

NOW
These days, I'm more laid back in my beauty routine, opting for quick morning makeup looks for work and more toned down looks for going out. I've realized that when it comes to face complexion products, less is more. I like using light foundations and taking the time to spot conceal blemishes and pigmentation for skin that actually looks like skin. I take the time to blend my blush and bronzer with a clean brush to avoid harsh lines and accept that I am too pale to wear the majority of bronzers on the market. Eyeshadow sticks have become a new favorite in the early mornings for a quick wash of color over the eyelid. Smudgy eyeliner around the whole eye is a look I've been sporting lately as a simple, pretty way to wear a smokey eye. Bold lips and glittery products are reserved for girls night out and special occasions. My love of lipstick remains undying but I opt for pinky/peachy nudes, dark natural nudes or mauve pinks on a day to day basis.

Even though my 19 year old makeup preferences make me cringe, I realize that it was ultimately the route to bring me where I am today. If it wasn't for my frustration with crappy drugstore makeup, I would never have looked to the internet for product recommendations and end up writing about my own lessons learned in beauty.

How have your makeup looks evolved over time? Are there any makeup products that have stood the test of time in your makeup bag?

Thanks for reading.

Happy Birthday Newfound Beauty!

I'm so happy to announce the first birthday of my little corner of the internet; Newfound Beauty Blog! Exactly one year ago to this day, I decided to put myself out there and create my own blog. This blog has served to be a creative outlet for my overactive brain and has been a great escape from my everyday life as a student and a nurse. I never realized how difficult it would be to keep blog posts refreshing and original and I've certainly had some major writer's block along the way. Although inspiration surrounds us, sometimes it takes thinking outside the box and writing for yourself to produce material that others will enjoy. Since the birth of NFBB, I still continue to be floored by the kind comments from strangers around the globe who take a minute of their day to read my blog. It's been humbling and rewarding to watch my readership grow gradually throughout one year of blogging and I'm happy to be reaching out to people near and far.

I've had the opportunity to interact with other bloggers around the world and I love the sense of community that exists in such a heavily saturated area of the internet. I love connecting with people over a common love of all things beauty. One blogger in particular who has been a great support to my blog, is Hao, who has a fantastic makeup blog with very well written, honest content. Check out her blog here!

In honor of NFBB's first birthday, here is a recap of my favorite posts of the last year:

Hangover Beauty: The Morning After the Night Before- A few of my own tricks for dealing with a hangover, check it out here.
Girl Crushing: Girls' Jessa Johansson- A post inspired by a character on one of my favorite TV series, HBO's Girls, read it here.
Skin Rehab: How I Wash My Face- A post about washing my face, simple yet game-changing for my skin, check it out here.

Happy birthday Newfound Beauty Blog! And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading!

My Favorite Highlighter Brush

Happy Sunday ladies and gents! I've recently picked up a new camera and I'm still trying to figure out how to take a nice shot, though I look forward to improving my blog photography.

Today I'm presenting my favorite brush for applying highlighter which just happens to be affordable and readily available across the country. Since investing in a fan brush, I've been totally impressed by the gorgeous glow it imparts high on the cheekbone that looks subtle and natural. I love a good cheek highlight as much as the next girl, but I really dislike the really obvious and stark stripes of highlighter I see some people sporting. For a natural radiance, it's as easy as tapping the brush into a powder highlighter and lightly dabbing the brush across the top of the cheeks where you want your skin to glow.

The brush in question is from the affordable brush range from the drugstore, EcoTools. For under ten bucks you can score a super soft fan brush perfect for highlighting (and contouring, I suspect!). The EcoTools Deluxe Fan Brush looks and feels more expensive than it is and I love the look and feel of a wooden handle. This is one of the many drugstore gems I've discovered in the past few months and it has certainly encouraged me to slap on a little highlighter in the early mornings or night's out.

What kind of brush do you like to use for highlighter? Are there other brushes in the EcoTools range I should look out for?

Thanks for reading.

October Favorites

This month I've been loving some oldies and some newbies in my makeup bag. October was a lovely month and I am still dazzled by the gorgeous red and gold leaves falling on the ground. Autumn is definitely my favorite season of the year and my makeup looks have been morphing with the chilly, crisp weather. Here are my favorite products currently on rotation:

NARS TRANSLUCENT CRYSTAL SETTING POWDER
I've made quite a dent into this pressed powder in the past month though it has been a staple of mine for months. The NARS Translucent Crystal Setting Powder is as the name suggests, completely translucent and provides zero coverage. I love how it looks layered over my foundation and under eye concealer to make the complexion look brightened and radiant without looking cakey. This does not provide any shine control for my oily T-Zone but it's a step in my routine that I can't go without on a daily basis.

NARS AMOUR BLUSH
I love using just a touch of this super pigmented matte rosy blush to make me look more alive on early morning rises. The blush has a touch of red in it which provides a pretty flush that looks as if you have been out in the cold. I'm sure this will be the perfect blush leading into the winter months. Not to mention that the formula of NARS blush is spot-on.

MAC CUBIC BLUSH
Another blush love this month is MAC Cubic, which is a no-brainer blush choice for basically any makeup look. I love popping this on when I'm wearing more eye makeup to keep the cheeks looking softly defined. I would describe the color as a pinky beige, with enough pink so it doesn't look like a bronzer but enough brown to help sculpt the cheekbones. It has a satin finish that looks pretty and glowing on the cheeks without looking like a glitterbomb. This has quickly risen to be one of my favorite blushes.

MAYBELLINE EYESTUDIO GEL EYELINER
I'm really late to the game on gel eyeliner and I've had nothing but bad luck with it in the past. I picked up a tiny pot of Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Eyeliner in Brown on a recent trip to the drugstore and I am really impressed. I love the dark brown shade that looks so much less stark than black liner on my blue eyes. I use this nearly every day to line my upper waterline which makes my lashes look significantly fuller and it lasts much longer than any pencil liner I've come across. I also love using this to create a thin feline flick and find it surprisingly easy to use. This eyeliner also comes with a little brush which I found pretty decent. This is a great bargain buy.

MAC KINDA SEXY LIPSTICK
I saw pictures on Instagram of a gorgeous girl with light skin and blonde hair wearing the most amazing lip color and she was nice enough to inform me that it was MAC Kinda Sexy. I immediately ordered it online and I couldn't be happier with how gorgeous this color is. It's difficult to describe the color as it's somewhere in between pink and brown with a touch of peach. It makes my lips look very plump while adding a punch of beautiful color. I think this color would look great on a variety of skin tones and I'm completely obsessed.

I'm happy that autumn is in full swing and I have really fallen for my favorite products this month. What have you been sporting in October?

Thanks for reading,