Highlighters have always been on my 'to avoid' list. Sure, the idea of glowing, luminous skin is appealing but these products - both liquid and powder - are usually riddled with ingredients that are terrible for acne-/blemish-prone skin. Until perhaps now. Since this whole strobing thing has become a trend, I thought I would start looking into highlighters again.

For a beginner, I think powder is the way to go when it comes to highlighting/'strobing'. I know that I don't really understand how liquid highlighters work in terms of whether to apply them before or after you set your face. If you set your face first and then apply liquid over the top, your makeup would separate, wouldn't it? But if you powder after, aren't you going to mattify and lose that luminosity you've just applied? #confused


Retailing at $60, I purchased Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal from Adore Beauty for a bit over $46. It is definitely on the pricey side, so not for those on a smaller budget. Because my skin is on the lighter side, I was hoping to get Moonstone but unfortunately I wasn't quick enough as it was sold out by the time I was ready to make a purchase. Because Becca claims that these highlighters adjust to different skin tones, I thought I might just get away with Opal.

On first impression, this pressed highlighter looked a little more pink than what I thought it would. It has been described as a cool gold but I would say it's more a of a dusty rose gold. As a result, I've noticed that if I pile this on, it does look slightly brown on my skin in certain lighting - basically when light is not reflecting off my skin. This is a little disappointing because it means I can't go for that super highlighted look which is 'in' at the moment but does confirm that Moonstone would be a better match for me. It also suggests that the skin-adjusting claim Becca makes isn't entirely true. This is my only negative for this product so let's move on to the good stuff!

When I first applied this to my skin, I fell in love. I finally had that glow that I was lusting after for years but thought I would never be able to achieve. A little went a really long way, so you can easily go for a subtle daytime glow or build up to a more saturated luminosity. It may seem a little glittery to some but I quite like the effect it gives to the skin and it's definitely not chunky but more akin to a baked eye shadow or blush. I would say the texture is creamy but still obviously a powder and it feels comfortable on the face. I have found that it is best applied with a brush, particularly for my dryer skin. Whenever I applied the highlighter to my skin with my finger, I noticed that it clung to my dry patches and emphasised the brown look I mentioned above. I feel that using a brush also allows for a more even application and makes for easier blending if you have accidentally gone overboard with it. Also, with how little you do need to achieve that 'strobed' look, I can see this lasting me a couple of years at least. Lastly, as far as breakouts go, this product for the most part has been kind to my skin, which I'm incredibly happy about.

I had the pleasure of going to Open House Melbourne for the first time with my sister on Saturday. This is an annual two-day event where various sites across Melbourne are open to the public. With literally one hundred sites opening their doors, it is impossible to get to them all even if you decide to go both days. We managed to make it to about four though I had planned 25 - we definitely need to quicken the pace next year.

Open House is very much centred on design and architecture but it's just as much a cultural and historical experience. If you're taking photos, like we did, you feel a bit like a tourist in your own city but there are some buildings well worth capturing in a photograph.

I will likely attend next year, weather permitting. I wish it were held in the summer when the whether is warmer as it was a pretty chilly and windy 13 degree day. But we still had a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy viewing some of my snaps.

So, here I am. Watching a Gilmore Girls ep. Wondering what to write for my first post. On my new blog.

I have never been good at introductions. In fact, I've never been good at describing or talking about myself. But I love writing and I love photography - even though my skills in the latter are average at best - and that is why I started Midnight Elegance. It was time to move away from the solely beauty blog that is/was Shelbi Chic. Feel free to take a look around though because I will never have the heart to delete it.

There are a number of reasons why I chose to start a new blog. But the main one is I just needed to start fresh. A clear slate. A new blog layout, a new name, new content. I have learned that it's so difficult to maintain a single-genre blog, in my case it was beauty. So, it's time to mix things up and just post about whatever I feel like rather than pigeon-holing myself into one particular topic.

I will always be obsessed with beauty and makeup, so that will undoubtedly still be featured here. And now that I'm an interior design and decoration student, some of my architectural snapshots will surely be documented here as well. And then there will likely be some lifestyle bits and pieces in between.

I really have missed blogging. But this time I'm putting no pressure on myself whatsoever. Whether I have one reader or a thousand, it doesn't matter. This will simply be a creative outlet that allows me to express myself through words and photography.

In omnia paratus. If you get the that reference in relation to my second sentence I will love you forever. Ready for anything. Ready for this adventure.

Until next time...

xo