Swedish Hasbeens and Olive Oil

I recently bought my first pair of Swedish Hasbeens! I adore the entire brand, but after a serious case of love-at-first-sight I ended up going home with the Summer Sandal in the colour Natural.

If you don't know anything about Swedish Hasbeens, it is a Swedish fashion brand that produces shoes, bags, belts, and gloves. They are best known for their shoes, which take great inspiration from the 1970's clog. Each shoe is individually hand crafted in traditional, small scale, European factories (with safe and respectful working conditions) from natural and sustainable products. Every shoe is made from natural grain leather, natural rubber, and wood from either alder or lime trees (the trees are cut from sustainable and regulated European forests, and always replanted after harvest). 

Since I fell for a clog-like sandal in the Natural colour, the leather is completely untreated. Therefore, it will darken from a pale beige to a honey brown with time and exposure to oxygen and light. However, Swedish Hasbeens suggests treating the leather yourself with olive oil to darken them instantly, as well as better protect them from moisture and dirt. I have ghostly pale feet, so I was not willing to wait for my pair to darken, so I oiled them myself. Any old olive oil will do, I in fact used some cheap stuff right out of my kitchen cupboard.

I had my sandals at home and unboxed for quite a few days before oiling them, so they did actually darken a little with exposure. The original colour was just a pinch lighter than photographed.

The colour difference between the oiled leather and the virgin leather is actually dramatic. With time the untreated leather would eventually darken on its own, and sometimes this takes no more than a month. The natural leather typically doesn't change colour to anything much darker than what I have achieved with olive oil and a cloth (and a cotton swab for the woven edges). The end result is generally a warm honey brown. 

I love the end result! I can't wait to wear these all summer.

Any other hasbeen-lovers out there?
I want a pair in every style now.

Blissful - Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

Another amazonian clay blush from Tarte! I love these little blushes, I really do.
I recently bought myself another one in the colour Blissful.

Such a good colour for spring and summer! Blissful is a light pinky coral. I love this against my pale skin, but I think it will look great in the summer when my complexion is a little more alive looking.

I will note that this shade does not have as dramatic of a colour pay off as my other two (Flush and Natural Beauty), but that's a pretty hard bar to meet as they pack a pretty powerful punch. Blissful is still plenty pigmented and I use a pretty light hand when applying it, at least pre-summer tan.

 I already know Blissful is going to be a favourite this spring.
Any favourites for the spring season?

Review: Bobbi Brown Corrector

I have read so many good reviews on Bobbi Brown's Undereye Corrector. I've been dying to try it for ages, but it's actually very hard to get a hold of in Canada (luckily my boyfriend ordered it online for me, thank you!), but I think this product was worth the wait. 

Prepare yourself for some very awkward photos of my very awkward face.

I've already done my foundation, eyebrows, and mascara for your benefit in this photo. I have nothing under my eyes however. Le gasp.

Corrector on only my right, or your left, eye.

Even with only corrector applied, my right eye is much brighter and more awake appearing than my left. It cancels out a lot of darkness and gives almost a lifting effect to the eye. It is meant to be worn under regular concealer as well, as it doesn't totally blend with your skin tone. It gives a bit of a greyish cast otherwise, but definitely helps brighten up the canvas for concealer.

Corrector and concealer under my right eye, and only concealer (Maybelline Dream Lumi)
on my left eye.

My right eye now has corrector and concealer. Unfortunately I have pretty gnarly dark circles, so there is still some darkness visible. This is the best job a product has ever done of covering them though, so for me this is actually great coverage. As you can see my left eye, which has now concealer but no corrector applied, is much darker than the right. My left eye almost looks droopy in comparison.

Corrector and concealer applied to both eyes.

Both eyes corrected and concealed! My face is still needing some blush and lip colour, but you get the idea. An improvement from the first photo, I would say.

I have Bobbi Brown's Corrector in the shade Porcelain Bisque. It is the palest shade, obviously. Instead of yellow and pink tones, the colour range comes in "peaches" and pinks. A peachy or pink base is what neutralizes the darkness and discolouration under our eyes.

It has a very thick and creamy formula, which is great for blending out the high pigmentation coverage. The formula could be a little much however for those with extremely oily skin. But powder is key for this formula, as it is thick and could really settle into your lines and wrinkles if left on it's own. While it does last for a good portion of the day, by the time I take my makeup off at night, this has separated a little and begun to look sort of cakey and creased. But for day wear, I have had no issues!

I don't think I could ever survive without this corrector, I love it too much. I may have to bite the bullet and try Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer as well! Once you go Bobbi, you never go back (that was stupid, sorry).

Have you tried the Bobbi Brown Corrector?
Do you think it's worth the extra step in your routine?