Check out: Sparkszine

Sparkszine is run by Katy Gale, a teenage girl living in Australia, documenting what it's like to be a teenager.

Katy has live in 4 countries on 3 continents and still travels frequently with her family. She loves baking, dancing and watching friends.
 

She's been published 3 times, once in Germ.

Sparkszine isn't your average blog, it's more like a teen magizine, but run by an actual teenager. There will be posts covering everything from fashion and beauty, book reviews, travel, and general life advice.

Current Skincare Routine

I could definitely declare some of the items in my current skincare routine Holy Grail Items. And I with the repurchase of some old favorites that I can't believe I let myself run out of now that I'm back to using them, I decided a blog post blathering on about it was in order.

For reference I suffer from cystic acne and I do take medication prescribed by my dermatologist. However this routine is one that my dermatologist recommends for people that do suffer from severe acne, and even without medication my skin benefits greatly from using some of these products.

For makeup removal I adore Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. I feel like this is a good start to any routine and it gets every bit of my makeup off my face, including the most stubborn water proof eye makeup. Which is important for healthy skin. I tend to alternate between using this and a cleansing oil, but this is a favorite.

The next step is Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser. This is a scrub but it is one that really is gentle enough to use every day and I do. This is definitely a holy grail item for me, and I can't believe I ever let myself run out of this and I definitely will not be making that mistake again. Exfoliating is super important when you have severe acne, because acne occurs when sebum gets trapped beneath dead skin cells. You could get away with just the hot cloth cleanser, but if your skin is really stubborn like mine I really recommend this.

After a very light exfoliation I use an acne wash. Currently I am using Murad's Clarifying Cleanser, which if I'm honest I don't love. I much prefer Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel cleanser which I will be going back to as soon as I run out of this. But for now this does work.

Usually I would be using a toner, but currently I'm out of my favorite and just haven't picked it up again, which is the Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Refining Tonic. I also really like their Ultra Facial Toner.

Once or twice a week I use the Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque. This mask is absolutely lovely and my skin feels super clean after I use it. If I do have a current outbreak it is drastically reduced the next day, which makes this a miracle worker and a holy grail item for me. Another mask that's just as lovely but twice the price for half the product is Fresh's Umbrian Clay Mattifying Mask

Then I follow up with First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream for my moisturizer. I haven't ever found a moisturizer I absolutely adore but this one does the job well enough and the price isn't horrible. I'll probably repurchase it when I'm done but for now I definitely plan on at least finishing this container.

I can easily say that Kiehl's is my favorite skincare brand, their products are amazing and their prices won't make your wallet want to throw rocks at you. What's your favorite Skincare?

OOTD: Blue Lips

You might look at the pictures below and think that I've titled this post after my lipstick, and you'd be partially right, but it's also after this Regina Spektor Song. Because I feel like Regina Spektor doesn't get enough love. She's been one of my favorite singers for years and when I was looking for a title for this post I remembered that song and was like okay lets go for the obvious.

These photos are actually from a while ago, like back in June, but I had forgot about them so what better time to post them than now because I actually really loved this outfit.

Tank: H&M, Skirt: H&M, Shoes: Asos

I've got 3 of these circle skirts from H&M now, they're my absolute favorite skirts ever and so easy to style. I love high waisted anything, but especially skirts.

Necklace: H&M, Nails: Zoya Robin, Headband: Charlotte Russe, Hair: Color Ion Sky blue and Cyan.

I followed Leighannsays Easy Rolled Updo Hair Tutorial for my hair and I adore it. I definitely want to pick up a few more of these style headbands so I can recreate this style again because I don't love this headband.


On My Face: Sonja Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer, The Balm Mary Lou Manzier, Marc Jacobs The Lolita Palette, Urban Decay Mascara, Nars Blush, NYX Liquid Eyeliner, NYX Turquoise Eyeliner (worn as lipliner) NYX Wicked Lipstick in Envy.

Where's the fun in makeup if you can't wear a crazy lip color or two. I've actually been obsessed with them lately, I've got two blue lipsticks now, and several purples, and one orange that I absolutely adore. I'll try to do a post on all my crazy statement lipcolors that I've collected soon. Because they're my favorite thing about doing my makeup right now.

My husband gave me these shoes for our anniversary a few years ago, and while they've been beat up a bit and have lost a few studs here and there, they're still some of my favorite shoes and the only true Chelsea boots I own. I definitely want to find a plain black pair and a plain brown pair in leather or faux leather for winter this year because I adore the way Chelsea boots look. Especially with a pair of ankle jeans.

What do you think of statement lip colors? Would you ever wear blue lipstick all day?

Stylish Sundays: The 1975

I'm not exactly sure when The 1975 became one of my favorite bands, but She Way Out, and Girls are easily my most played Spotify tracks right now, possibly rivaled only by Jackie and Wilson by Hozier.

Tee: Hot Topic, Jeans: Aeropostale, Shoes: H&M

I must have worn this tee a billion time already, it's super soft and really flattering. Paired with my current favorite jeans, these ones with the knees torn out from Aeropostale, it's easily my favorite outfit right now.

Necklace: H&M, Nails: Zoya Robin, Bandaid: Avengers,  Hair: Color Ion Sky Blue, Color Ion Cyan

On My Face: Sonja Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer, The Balm Mary Lou Manizer, Marc Jacobs The Lolita Palette, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, Urban Decay Mascara, NYX Liquid Eyeliner, Hourglass Rose Liquid Lipstick

I am super surprised by this Sonja Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer, and I definitely need to do a fully review on it because it definitely deserves it. I will be on my second bottle of it very soon and it's more than worth the $10 it costs.

Still in love with these ankle boots from H&M, and I love wearing them with cuffed jeans. They're a little worse for wear here because I had worn them traipsing through the grass, but the more I wear them in, the more I never want to take them off.

What's your current favorite band??

Jo Malone Nectarine and Honey Blossom

For Mothers Day my husband and son splurged massively and not only did they get my a few of my favorite skin care bits (to appear in next weeks post) but also a small bottle of the Jo Malone Nectarine and Honey Blossom Fragrance that I had absolutely fallen in love with the week before when we were in Nordstrom.

Not only was it beautifully packaged, but the design and feeling of the bottle is absolutely lovely. The fragrance itself is absolutely lovely. Light and citrusy with the warmth of the honey blossom scent underneath. I can smell it on my skin still hours after spraying it and I noticed it yesterday when I tossed a dress I had worn when wearing the fragrance a few days ago, so the staying power is absolutely lovely. It's sophisticated, but youthful at the same time. It's definitely my absolute favorite fragrance right now, a place that was formerly held by Burberry Brit. And definitely one that I could see wearing all year long.

I can't tell you how long I've lusted after Jo Malone London Fragrances.  They're absolutely worth every penny they cost. Definitely a decadent gift, but one I am over the moon at having.

Since fragrances do best kept in the dark, I keep it in the box it came in, in this little box that has a few of my other favorite things right now.
 Caudalie Candle, Jo Malone Nectarine and Honey Blossom Frangrance, Kate Spade Skinny Mini Bow Necklace and Jack Black Grapefruit and Ginger Lip Balm[/caption]

Stylish Sundays: Avant Garde

I absolutely love that the 90's is back. The other day I found Lisa Frank Bandaids at the grocery store, so naturally I bought 3 boxes. One I plan to send to my friend Katy in Australia, but clearly I still needed two boxes of bandaids with unicorns and rainbow panda's on them.

I've noticed that 90's trends being back has had a major effect on my style and I'm clearly leaning more towards grunge than anything else.

Top: PacSun, Shorts: H&M Tights: HUE, Socks: Target, Shoes: H&M

I wore this while June Gloom was still in full force. It was comfortable and I will definitely be breaking this look out again come fall. When I put the tights on that morning there was only a teeny tiny hole, however by the time the rain cleared enough to take these photos outside Howl had managed to trash my tights with his claws. Lesson learned: Make sure the Howl Monster has freshly trimmed claws before wearing tights around him.

Necklace: Old, Nails: Zoya's Muse

Hair: Color Ion Cyan and Color Ion Sky Blue

On My Face: Sonja Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer, Nars Blush, Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadows, NYX Liquid Eyeliner, NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Playdate.

I bought these ankle boots to wear with my outfit on Valentines day, and I still adore them. The only issue is if they're not worn with either socks that come out the tops or tights, they give me blisters where the tops rub against my legs.

Haul: Colour Pop

I've seen Colour Pop lipstick swatches making the rounds on youtube lately and I just had to see what the big deal was all about. So I checked out the website and discovered that the lipsticks were only $5 ea, so I placed an order.

I ordered 3 Lippie Stix's and they were having a promotion for a free eyeshadow with every order.

The eyeshadow is called Birthday Girl and it's super sparkly and super lovely to use.



The Lippie Stix's I picked up were Wifey, Raw and Feminist, I'll let the lip swatches speak for themselves.


Wifey:

Raw:

Feminist:

The Lippie Stix are smooth and creamy to apply, they last most of the day requiring little touch up and they remove easy with little staining. They don't pass the kiss test, but you can't get everything out of a lipstick now can you? I adore these colors and I plan on picking up more.

The only one of the three I haven't given an all day test yet is Feminist, which is really more of a fall color to me, it's not quite black and reminds me of Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI. However I absolutely adore Raw and have worn it a few times already.

Colour Pop has some truly amazing colors and they also have blush and highlighters that I plan on trying out very soon.

OOTD: Grey Midi

I'm starting to realize I wear a lot of grey clothing. I like grey it's one of my favorite colors. My cousin bought me this grey midi skirt and I originally planned on wearing it with a graphic tee and a messy bun, but I was having a fashion meltdown one day and just started pairing random things together and came up with this outfit.

Top: American Eagle, Skirt: H&M, Shoes: White Converse

On My Face: Sonja Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer, Sonja Kashuk concealer, Nars Blush, Maybelline The Nudes Palette,NYX Liquid Liner, Makeup Forever Mascara, The Balm Highlighter, Nars Matte Lip Pencil, YSL Gloss Volupte,

Hair: Color Ion Neon Brights Cyan, Color Ion Brilliance Brights Sky Blue. The color is much bluer in real life, the vaguely grey undertone is a trick of the light but I still really like how my hair looks in these photos.

Necklace: ancient, Nails: OPI Chiffon My Mind

Converse are definitely one of my all time favorite brands of shoes, I tend not to buy to many repeats of brands or styles, but I have three pairs of converse and I definitely have my eye on a couple more pairs in different colors.

Outfit Of the Day: Grey Triangle

Since the weather has warmed up I've been loving pairing easy baby doll style dresses with converse for day to day running around. I'm pretty sure I was just running random errands this day, but it was an absolutely lovely day and I was so comfortable in this outfit.

Grey Triangle Dress: Target, Shoes: Converse, Necklace: it's very old, I don't know anymore

On My Face: Sonja Kashuk tinted moisturizer, Sonja Kashuk concealer, Nars Blush, Maybelline The Nudes Palette, NYX Summer Romance Matte Lipstick, Nyx Eyeliner, Makeup Forever Mascara

Hair: Color Ion Neon Brights Cyan mixed with Color Ion Brights Skye Blue

Earrings: Bar and Triangle: Baublebar, Infinity: Hot Topic

I've wanted tiny dainty earrings for a really long time and I saw these on sale on baublebar.com a couple of months ago and knew that these would be the perfect everyday earrings for me.

But I've had trouble with that top piercing the whole time I've had it, normal earrings weren't ever comfortable and would stab me in the side of the head while I was on the phone and hoops didn't sit right. For the longest time I had a curved bar in, but I wanted something that would go better with my dainty studs. I found a set of Labret studs in Hot Topic and decided to try them since the bar was shorter and the back is flat.

Nails: Zoya Robin

I bought this polish because Aria wore it on Pretty Little Liars and I thought it was gorgeous. I'm on my second or third bottle of this color because it's so fun for summer.

These are probably the oldest shoes I have in my closet, and they are definitely still a favorite. They're perfectly broken in and just the right amount of banged up and worn in.

Makeup Forever

Way back in February I went to Sephora to pick up a few things and while I was there Maxwell did my makeup with the Makeup Forever 50 shades collection. It was new at the time but I don't think you can find it now, though if you looked up reviews I'm sure you'd be able to find similar colors in Makeup Forever's permanent collection.

I just found this picture that was meant for that post today. I don't remember everything he used but I do know it's all Makeup Forever except my foundation which was Nars Tinted Moisturizer. However this picture is to amazing to not have been ever used. It's owed all to Maxwell's talents as a makeup artist.



Necklace: H&M, Hair: Color Ion Skye Blue and Azure

OOTD: Springtime in Paris

It's been a while since I've posted outfit photo's, the weather hasn't really allowed for it, and I really didn't want to take them indoors like I had done most of winter. We grabbed these photos the other day before we went out to eat. Clearly I'm out of practice for posing.

Tank:Limited, Shirt: H&M, Pants: H&M, Shoes: H&M

I bought this sweater from H&M back in February, but I absolutely adore it and can definitely see it becoming a staple in my wardrobe this summer. It's very lightweight and soft. And I love the Paris Darling and Eiffel Tower on the front.

Bracelet: Alex and Ani

On My Face: Sonia Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer, Sonia Kashuk Concealer, The Balm Frat Boy, The Balm Mary Lou Manizer, NYX Turquoise liner, NYX Liquid Liner, Nars Eyelier, Makeup Forever Mascara, NYX Shocking Pink Lipstick.

Hair: Color Ion Skye Blue

I absolutely adore these Floral Hi Tops from H&M. They're so comfortable and I love the rose print on the black background.

Now that we've had my awkward return post I plan to be back Sunday with a normal (and less awkward) post.

Daily Look Spring LBD

Recently I was invited by Daily look to make a Style Set for my perfect spring LBD look. Since it's festival season I decided to go with a look I'd definitely wear to a festival, but I'm pretty sure I'd also wear in my day to day life.

Spring LBD
with
Broods, DailyLook

I started out with this Broods Leaf Printed shift dress because I adored the print and I'm absolutely loving easy throw on and go dresses right now. Then since the dress is so short and the weather has been really cool where I live lately I added these thigh high socks, which I think are amazing paired with these low cut ankle booties from Kelsi Dagger. Then I finished off the outfit with this floral leatherette headband since I was going for a festival vibe (plus I think I would look amazing in my blue hair) and this House Of Harlow 1960 Kinetic Pendant Necklace because it's gorgeous and I'm really into these sorts of necklaces right now. For practical purposes this Dailylook Zora Classic Quilted Vegan Leather Purse is perfect for all my day to day necessities.

I'm completely in love with this outfit, but I'd love to know how you'd style a dress like this in the comments below, or better yet go check out the little black dresses daily look has to offer and tell me your favorites

Indie Flick, OOTD

I've been outrageously impatient for spring weather, there's been more snow at the end of this winter than there has been the rest of winter, but thankfully it's recently been warmer.

Top: H&M, Skirt: H&M, Jacket: H&M Shoes: Toms

I love this skirt, my cousin bought it for me from H&M the last time we went shopping together. It's a high waisted jersey midi skirt and it's really comfortable to wear.

Necklace: H&M

Earrings:  baublebar


On My Face: Foundation- Sonja Kashuk, Blush- Frat Boy The Balm, Eyeshadow- The Lolita Palette Marc Jacobs, Eyeliner- Skinny Liquid Liner Nyx, Mascara- Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant, Eyebrows- Turquoise Nyx Eyeliner, Highlighter- Mary Lou Manizer The Balm, Lipstick Indie Flick Nyx

I adore this lipstick, it's definitely going to be my go too color for spring. It's a lovely color and it's long lasting without being outrageously drying.

Little Red Riding Hood

So I took an accidental hiatus. I just needed to reset myself, and get to where I was feeling good enough to get in front of the camera again. But then I found these photos from before all the snow, and decided that they needed to be posted.

I'm a huge fan of fairy tales, and found this coat in the back of my closet when getting dressed and immediately thought of little red riding hood. I'm actually pretty sure I was heading off to my parents house, so that's even better. I can't for the life of me remember why I stopped wearing it because it's about 7 years old and I haven't worn it in about 4 years.

Coat: Wet Seal, Tee: Soffee, Jeans: Gap Boots: H&M

Necklace: Jewelmint Hair: Color Ion Skye Blue Nails: Nails Inc Baker Street

On My Face: Sonja Kashuk Foundation, The Balm Frat Boy Blush, The Balm Mary Lou Manizer, Makeup Forever Mascara, Marc Jacobs The Lolita Palette, Nars Eyeliner, Nars Dragon Girl

I absolutely adore these photos. It's one of the perks of being married to a guy who knows his way around a camera.

Also I kinda really miss the days when it was warm enough to be outside, let alone take photos like this.

Stylish Sunday's: Basically

I never really get a great start off to the year, because I'm always really sick until midspring when it starts to warm up. So for a little while longer it's going to be just stylish sunday's posts until flu season is over.

I think I took these last wednesday, I wasn't to sick, but I was still feeling really lazy.

Outfit : V.S. Most Loved Leggings, Sweater: Maurices, Glasses: Kate Spade, Necklace: Jewelmint, Mug: Target last year.

Even Howl was feeling the laziness of the day:

He is a floof and he needs to be groomed, which we will be getting done next week.

On my face: Rimmel Match Perfection foundation, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadows, The Balm Mary Lou Manizer Highlighter, Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant, Rimmel Eyeliner, NYX Eden lipstick

Since I was feeling really sick I just tossed my hair up into a bun, but I wanted to feel cute so I added a frenchbraid in the back: