Instagram images that have inspired me, Vol. 4

Hi friends!

It’s time for another round of eye-catching and gorgeous Instagram imagery! If you’re new here, each month I pick 9 pics (why it’s not 10, I don’t know!) from my IG feed that I personally think are very inspiring to share with you all. Usually they’re beauty-related in some way, but I like to also throw in at least one wildcard image to shake things up. And since it’s December now, I thought it would only be fitting to include a few holiday pics too.

So without further delay, let’s get into it!

Catch up on my previous IG lists here: Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol III.

Isn’t this lovely & soothing? As the viewer, I love how we’re catching the early rays of sun as they start lighting up this hotel room. Little items around the room add necessary points of interest, like the orchid on the table or the fur coat thrown over the chair, so we’re not just looking at the sun but also within the room. This image has an almost voyeuristic feel to it, which I like as well. Like you’re waiting for @carolinedemaigret or someone else to come walking across the room to pick up their cell phone from a side table. P.S. if you’re not familiar with Caroline de Maigret, she’s a French model & music producer who works with Lancome & Chanel, I believe.

If you’ve seen any of my earlier Instagram lists, you’ll know that I loveeee a bit of texture. I’m so surprised that I hadn’t included a @colourpopcosmetics visual until now, but this particular one really struck me. Look at all that gold, copper & champagne!! I believe these are their Jelly Much Shadows, but I’m not 100% sure. I know jelly has become a bit of a trend in makeup recently, but I haven’t particularly fallen for it yet myself. I only have one item in my makeup collection that’s jelly-textured but I don’t really reach for it much. However, I absolutely love how jellies photograph, so I couldn’t pass this one up.

I only recently discovered UK blogger Leah of @covetingbeauty on Instagram, but wow, I absolutely love her content! She posts lush and beautiful images like this one, showcasing her favorite skincare, makeup & haircare products. I could have picked any of her images to feature here to be honest since I love them all. But don’t you just love that pink, silky scrunchie in the foreground & the drawing of the woman’s silhouette in the background?? Details like that make this for me. I think I’m most attracted by Leah’s choice of color palette on her IG page: pale whites, pinks, golds, & blues. It’s just so pleasing to the eye, and there’s something so calming about those tones as well. You can check out her awesome blog here.

I love everything about this @natashadenona image. The model’s eyebrows, eyeshadow, lashes, freckles, glowy skin, and also how the color of the eyeshadow matches the flower. I wish I had an eyeshadow in that deep lilac color, although I’m not sure it would jive with my skintone. I realize this image has been airbrushed & manipulated within an inch of its life to look like utter perfection. But that’s advertising for you. I like gazing at it nevertheless!

I love the composition of this image; it’s simple and a bit stark, with the little compacts and the shadows they throw. There’s really nowhere to look except right at the product, and I think that’s a very smart design strategy. I really want to try something from clean beauty brand @lilahbeauty especially now that they’re available in Sephora. These Divine Duo’s seem very similar to the lip2cheeks from RMS Beauty that I love. I’m a big fan of any creamy color cosmetic, so perhaps when it’s time to say goodbye to my RMS product, I’ll give this one a go.

I love a little @urbanoutfitters moment, even though truth be told I rarely buy anything from there these days. I feel like I had a real love affair with their clothes back when I was in college, although I already knew then everything was really overpriced. However, I do like just browsing through their stores when I have the chance since they’re so aesthetically pleasing to me. The last time I went in I came out with a few beauty products from Ohii, their new in-house beauty brand. I love the pops of yellow & red amongst all the neutral, earthy tones in this image. A great encapsulation of UO’s style in one image.

I love e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g that UK blogger Faye from @fridayfaye posts on her Instagram feed. If you don’t already follow her, you’re missing out on some of the dreamiest imagery. It’s hyper-feminine for sure, but I love that. This ticks all the boxes for me. I’m a sucker for anything pink, beige & gold. Like every other blogger on IG, I love a good flatlay. And there’s a good balance of items & textures so your eye doesn’t fixate on one thing for too long. Her blog is equally as beautiful and you can check it out here.

Now onto some of the Christmas stuff! I picked this amazing image from @janecosmetics cause…it’s amazing! Look at that level of detail on the eyelids! Like…how?? I know it’s been a trend for a while on social media to create little scenes or landscapes on your eyelids, but the amount of skill & steady-hand work that must be needed to execute this well astounds me. You must also need the tiniest brushes as well. Anyways, this made me smile as I scrolled through my feed so I had to include it here.

And this is my so-called wildcard! You’re looking at the Christmas tree that now currently stands in front of the big bay window in my family’s living room. We usually put up our artificial tree right after Thanksgiving and will keep it up until New Year’s Day to get the most out of the holiday season. This year my mom bought some deco mesh from Amazon for the first time to drape around the tree, and now it looks like a big present! The decorations on our tree are usually OTT; we like lots of lights & baubles so every inch is covered. This is from my mom’s Instagram account, which I’ll link here. Go show her some love if you fancy 😊.

What images have inspired you recently, on Instagram or elsewhere? I’d love to know!

xo, Erica

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