'My name is Grace Overell-Heywood [@gracecoh], and I live in Brisbane, Australia. I just completed my master's degree in creative advertising and am currently in the ever-fun process of finding a job! Ever since I was little, I always loved the idea of getting dressed up and doing my makeup. My mum gave me a few of her old products to keep, and I have this really vivid memory of having a bright, light-purple lipstick of hers that I was in love with but barely used because I thought it was far too special. One day I walked in to find my baby sister sitting on my grandpa’s lap and just casually eating it—I was horrified.
No matter where I am going, I will always leave the house in perfume. Over the years I have found that a lot of perfumes can give me really bad headaches—I think it must be some ingredient or maybe even synthetic fragrance. Two years ago, I found my savior in Byredo and have been wearing Gypsy Water ever since.
In terms of skincare, I had sun safety drilled into me by my parents—I was that child at the beach with full-length sleeves, a wide brimmed hat, and a thick layer of sunscreen and zinc. I may never have a real tan, but if it means I’ll look younger for longer, then it’s worth it! My philosophy when it comes to my routine and the type of products I use is to focus on treating my skin really well and then use makeup to enhance or highlight certain features. I try to use products that aren’t tested on animals whenever I can, and I buy skincare products that feature natural ingredients.
Almost every night, I will clean my face to some degree—I am occasionally a culprit of going to bed with makeup on, but I think I have definitely gotten better at forcing myself to make the effort. Mostly I will just cleanse and moisturize, but when I do it properly, there are a lot more products involved. First, I cleanse with a combination of Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser and Grown Alchemist’s Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser, which smells and feels absolutely amazing. I get pretty bad milia around my cheeks and eyes, but since I've started using the Clarisonic, the results are honestly amazing. Then, I use Grown Alchemist’s Pink Grapefruit and Glucomannan Extract Facial Polishing-Exfoliant followed by the People for Plants Rose Otto, Burdock, Kakadu Plum Mist Toner—it's super refreshing and doesn’t dry out my skin. After I tone, I use Grown Alchemist’s Age-Repair Serum and then moisturize with Aesop’s Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream.
My daily makeup routine is fairly simple. I usually just want to make my face look fresher and brighter as opposed to using heaps of makeup during the day. After moisturizing, I use the Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF 30+ Facial Sunscreen—it doesn’t have that heavy, greasy feeling like a lot of other sunscreens, and it smells good, too. To smooth my skin, I use the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Finland blended with a little bit of Dior's Diorskin Forever Flawless Perfection Wear Makeup in Medium Beige 030 over my nose, forehead, and cheeks. It was sold to me in fluorescent lighting and, after taking it home, I realized it was way too dark for my skin tone, but then I found out using a tiny bit of it is good to give a little color over my cheeks. Then I apply mascara, which at the moment is Ellis Faas' Mascara E401 in Black.
For night, I use Hourglass' Veil Mineral Primer as a base. It is amazing for smoothing out skin and keeping makeup in place for hours. My foundation changes to one with a bit more coverage like the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc mixed with a little bit of the same Diorskin foundation. I like to highlight with Nars' The Multiple in Copacabana, which leaves a nice, dewy finish. Depending on my mood, I will go with a cat eye or eyeshadow. For the cat eye, I use Rimmel’s Exaggerate Felt Tip Eyeliner, and for shadow I tend to just use those cheap-o mega eyeshadow palettes and stick to the purples and browns. For lipstick, I will either go with a vampy dark shade or none at all—my favorites are MAC Lipstick in Rebel or Diva. If I am doing a red lip, I’ll use Revlon Matte Lipstick in Really Red.
I like to do an overnight oil mask on my hair every few weeks. I have a DIY one that works really well. It’s made up of coconut, avocado, tea tree, and lavender oils. I let it sit in my hair for as long as I can, and the result is always really soft and shiny hair. On a day-to-day basis, if I’m not scraping my hair back into its usual low bun, I usually give it a quick blow dry and straighten the tips so it looks smooth but not too 'done.' Then, I’ll work in a little bit of Bumble and bumble's Brilliantine and Toni & Guy's Glamour Serum Drops to stop it from looking too clean or fuzzy.”
—as told to ITG
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