EOTD with Clinique Palette

I received this palette as part of the Clinique GWP at Myer a while back. With any spend over $60 you recieved a make-up bag full of goodies, and since I needed to refill some products anyway I decided to take advantage. The palette itself contains:

Colour Surge Eyeshadow Duo in Beach Plum (1.2g)

+

Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Smoldering Plum (1.7g)

Beach Plum eyeshadow duo swatch

Smoldering Plum blush swatch

EOTD I created with the palette

This is a super-quick eye I did the other day in an attempt to make use of the palette, which had not been getting much love. The Smoldering Plum blush from the palette was also used on my cheeks, but as my skin is acting out of late I'm not comfortable posting full FOTD's just yet.

How I created this EOTD: I began by covering both lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion, and leaving it to set. I then swept the lighter shade from the palette over the whole lid. I then grabbed my Napoleon Perdis blending brush and took the plum shade from the palette along my lash line and up into my crease. I blended this all out quite well which is why the plum isn't as vibrant as it could be. I lined the top lash line with Urban Decay liner in 'Zero', and coated my lashes with Maybelline's Falsies mascara.

I adore shimmery eyeshadows, though I know many people think a full-shimmery eye is too much. I find matte a little harder to work with, but am practising and will hopefully have an EOTD soon that works with matte shades. Hope you enjoyed my EOTD, it's not my favourite look but I am happy to be getting use out of my Clinique palette.

emmabovary xx

Maybelline Falsies Mascara

I purchased this the day it came out at my local Priceline, it hadn't even hit the shelf yet! There was a girl working there who was opening the box, I leapt on her and grabbed the 'Blackest Black' shade of mascara. It's quite dark, but certainly not the 'blackest' black I've ever used (I think many companies falter in this,tbh)

If my bottom lashes look a little spidery in this shot, it's because I've only just begun to put mascara on my bottom lashes, so am still practising. This is two quick coats, and I find that the curved brush is easy to use once you know how. Though it says not to let dry between coats I have before, and it creates a super thick look thats perfect for a Saturday night. Very buildable, I think it's aptly named as it is certainly not an 'au natural' look. I don't generally go for that anyway, so am liking this mascara. I find it sticks really well to my lashes and when taking it off at the end of the night I have to go over my lashes a few times to make sure it's all off. Nothing too serious though, not much of a pain.

I plan on repurchasing this, and recommend it to anyone who's not after a natural look in their mascara. It retails for $19.25, but I purchased it for $10 and have seen it at Priceline since for the same price.

emmabovary xx

(Disclaimer:This product was puchased by me with my own pennies, and all opinions are,as always,completely honest.)

Woe is Me

In Melbourne, the change between the seasons is not clean-cut. We have blazing hot days in winter and frosty ones in summer, making it hard to make the transition without getting ill. I usually fall sick over the crazy Christmas period, but escaped unscathed this year. End of March, it seems, was the substitute. Now for the whinge:

My throat is on fire, I'm coughing like a smoker (never puffed on one in my life) my body is aching,my ears are throbbing...diagnosis? Terrible case of the whingies, with a cold thrown in for good measure. I am lucky I do not have the sniffles (*touches wood*) and have thrown together a few essential items for when you just feel crappy.

Suvana Paw Paw and Honey Balm

I first learnt of this balm from Zoe Foster over at Primped, and I picked it up at Target last week with the loose change from my handbag. Cleaner than infecting a gloss with my germs, I use a small amount of this on my fingers and apply to my lips. A full review will be up soon, so for now all I will say is that this is a winner!

Benefit High Beam (free in a magazine promotion)

My glow is all but gone right now, so this little princess works wonders at faking it for me. I apply on the top of my cheek and brow bones and voila! I'm awake!

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist

I live for this product, I really do. My skin is super-dehydrated and this really hydrates me throughout the day, as well as smelling lovely and making me smile. Full review up soon.

NARS Laguna Bronzer (free as a Mecca Maxima opening promotion)

Deathly pale at the best of times, when I'm sick every comments on how drawn I look. A quick swipe of this and I'm alive again, thank goodness.

Soothers Orange and Mango Liquid Centre Lozenge

Delicious and helpful, I love these juicy-tummied bad boys!

So there is my list of what's keeping me sane right now. Feel free to comment with sympathy and pity to make me feel better about myself.

xx emmabovary

Palette Princess

I'll admit it- I am a sucker for a pretty palette! It may not be the purchase I need the most, but it is always the product in any collection that captures my heart. Since I'm currently experiencing camera/computer problems, this round up of palettes should tide you over until my planned reviews are up=) Guerlain Rue de Rivoli palette-a deep pink set in a textured,patterned silver palette.(Image credit to temptalia.com) YSL Libertina Bohemia-mint green and a pop of hot pink get my heart racing, and the brown/navy looks as though they would work well together. Estee Lauder Wild Violet palette-a mix of shimmery neutrals with a dark violet set in the palettes centre (image credit to temptalia.com) Lancome Ultra Lavande-not as luxurious looking as the other offerings in this image,but may be sweet in personClarins Neo-Pastel palette-pretty much perfection in a palette, I think. This is a palette I can see myself taking on holidays and to the boy's place, as it has so many possibilities. I see this joining my bathroom vanity family very soon. Which of these are you interested in? emmabovary xx

Priceline Haul

There's been a lot of talk lately about hauling, and whether or not haul posts should be considered 'bragging'. I personally love haul posts and videos, because I know in reality the purchases are not throwaways and the blogger has saved/eaten mi goreng for a week to afford their prodz. In reality, I know I don't need all of the things I buy, but I work hard for what I have and save 80% of every pay, so I generally don't feel guilt for my shopping habits. Mister Christopher and I don't go out, and spend every weekend at home with the fam/working in order to save for a house. Our spending money is purely for the things that make us happy- he buys car crap, I buy cosmetics. Now that I've shared my thoughts on hauling...on to the (small,necessary) haul!

Malteaster Bunny that I think was stolen by my Mama ><>

Australis 3 in 1 wipes that smell funny =( $3.98

Lady Jayne bobby pins, my staple $4 ish

Palmers Minis- Stretch Mark cream , and an SPF Lotion for Chris' sister $3ish each

Dove deodorant- seems fine so far, only used it twice $4ish

Leopard print hand cream and gloss- Pink for my friend Elly, gloss because I love leopard right now

Hand sanitizers- lemon and wildberry. These were buy 4 for $5 in conjunction with the two items above. Used the lemon one at a cafe yesterday and a lady commented on how great my perfume was, was surprised when I told her it was actually hand sanitizer!

Treacle Moon: That Vanilla Moment scrub. Smells good enough to eat, seriously. Review to come. $4.99 (half price)

Treacle Moon: My Coconut Island shower gel. This, too, smells amazeballs! Review up soon. $4.99 (half price)

I am aware that these are pretty much Philosophy rip-offs in design, but I can't afford Philosophy so these are a super-duper substitute for me. They are really nice to use, and the gnome story on the back of the bottles made me giggle in the shower.

So that's my mini, not all that exciting haul. The internet at my uni is being the biggest pain in the proverbial so all the great posts are sitting there half-done ><>

emmabovary xx

Glam Beauty Bar-Dr Spiller Event

I was lucky enough to be invited by Jess from HoneyPR to the Dr Spiller event that Glam Beauty Bar held recently. They were launching the new Herbal Activ Peel from Dr Spiller's range, and the event was held at the stunning Glam Beauty Bar in Moonee Ponds.

I took a friend along, and we sipped and snacked on champagne, sandwiches and sushi as we watched the salon fill up with guests. After filling out a skin type sheet I was whisked away to have my skin looked at, and I had the most amaaaazing facial from one of the Glam Beauty Bar girls. She had similar skin problems to me, which she said was why she wanted to be the one doing my skin for the night. She used a stack of products on me, and I must have trusted her because not only did I let her take my makeup off, I had my first extractions done! I thought they would be painful but she was really gentle with me and it was a positive experience. My facial was done by the third girl along, who was the sweetest!

I fell in love with the foundation she used on me before I headed back out into the event, which was the powder from GloMinerals (stocked at Glam Beauty Bar) I think the coverage is great and the application was quick, so when I'm in need of a foundation next this is what I plan on purchasing. The picture below was taken after my facial and extractions, after the application of GloMinerals. I look quite washed out as I normally wear more blush than she applied, but overall I am very happy with this! (I am the chicky on the left, the chicky on the right is my work friend, Elly)

I plan on heading back there for a facial in the future, I think I might have some microdermabrasion done. Glam Beauty Bar is located at 55 Homer Street in Moonee Ponds. The girls are lovely and approachable, I met so many amazing people and had a lot of fun. I would certainly recommend Glam Beauty Bar! Goodie bags were filled with Miss De Jour goodies,Dr Spiller samples and Glam Beauty Bar branded water bottles- tres chic!

The room in which my facial was held

emmabovary xx

(All photo credit goes to the official photographer for the event, I wish my skills were half as good as these shots!)

Mentos Aqua Kiss

The centre that I work in gave our store about ten boxes of these Mentos Aqua Kiss gum in Alaskan. It was intended as a centre promotion, but they never gave us direction on what was up with it. "Here's boxes of gum, it's for a promotion." Alrighty then. I work in a jewellery store, and I'll guarantee you right now that if I gave my customers a pack of gum with every diamond they bought, I would get a slap in the chops! But we were sure they would appreciate their sales assistants having super-fresh breath, so we chowed down ourselves.

Alaskan is apparantly the cool way to say peppermint. This isn't a spicy gum, which is good because I am a sissy when it comes to those. I am normally a spearmint girl for this reason, but this peppermint is yummy.

It must also be noted that I am, nor have I ever been a gum girl. In high school having a pack of chewies and sharing them made you the king/queen, but I never got into the fad. Yes, I was even a dork in the land of gum,folks. Mentos Aqua Kiss, however, has got me hooked. Delicious, long-lasting flavour, cool packaging, sugar-free. Perfection in the land of gum.

emmabovary xx

Burt's Bees Radiance Body Lotion

This was thrown in as a freebie when I purchased items from a blog sale recently, and all I saw was 'body lotion' before I slathered it all over myself.

Packaging: Yellow and Red tube that is easy to squeeze the product out of. Striped design reminds me of a fairground theme, very cute.

Scent: Very strong and that 'organic' smell I can't quite describe. First thing it made me think of was beeswax, which turns out to be one of the main ingredients. Scent is fresh upon hitting the skin, and remains though it doesn't fight with my perfume.

Texture: Not too thick, not too thin. Spreads well.

Aesthetics: As I mentioned above I hadn't read the tube before I used this prod (I trust Burt and his Bees, can you tell?) so was amazed when my arms were glowy when I looked down at them half an hour after application. Was I turning into Edward Cullen? Perhaps...but then I paid attention to the lotion and saw that it contained Mica, a light reflecting mineral. It gives such a beautifully natural shimmery glow, the kind I tried to achieve at Blue Light Disco's when I was younger. If this had been around then I might not have partied as a chunky glitterball!

Reapplication: This hydrates me really well, and the sheen lasts for ages so reapplication for me is once in the morning and once at night.

Repurchase: I want a big ol' tube of this so I can fake tan my legs and sheen them up. Winning! (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

Pros: Was not tested on animals.

Contains royal jelly to nourish and sunflower oil to hydrate.

99.02% Natural
Burt's Bees rock!

Cons: Smell could be a little nicer in the beginning, but then it's a natural product.

emmabovary xx

MAC Quite Cute

Being a recent convert to MAC, I wasn't aware of just how many collections they release throughout the year. I was hyped for Cham-Pale and hauled some goodies, but since then the collections haven't wowed me into purchasing anything (Peacocky and Wonder Woman)

This collection seems similar in idea to Illamasqua's Toxic Nature collection, but without the edge. I have my eye on a few of the items, and have a feeling excitement will grow before the collection hits counter in April.
I think the mineralize blushes are darling with the heart centres (sense a cute-blush theme lately?) as well as the lilac toned lip prodz. The palette looks nice but I'm not sure I would get a lot of wear out of these shades...

Are you lemming anything anything from this collection?

emmabovary xx

Here are some great links if you're interested in Illamasqua's Toxic Nature collection:

Lilit at Makeup and Macaroons shares her thoughts on the event with some beautiful pictures

Jade from Jade Musing has a great Toxic Nature inspired FOTD
Tara from Keeping Up With Me was lucky enough to go to the Toxic Nature event!

Lara from SwatchGirl had the most amazing mani done at the event

Lux Caramel Body Wash

Lux often tempt me with their scented body washes, and this one was no different. I found this one to smell better in the bottle than during use, but still pleasant nonetheless. It seems to be confused as to whether it is an 'exfoliating scrub' or an 'exfoliating body wash', I personally see it as the latter. 400ml is said to last 75+ washes, and I would say this is about right as I used it for two-three months all up.

Packaging: Nice sturdy 400ml bottle, mostly clear with a creamy caramel toned lid. To be stored with product lying at bottom (ie 'upside down') which I love, I hate waiting for the stuff to drip down. Images of caramel peices and shea nuts sit at the base of the bottle, accentuated with sparkles. Love the packaging, really classy.

Scent: Super-caramelly at first sniff, but the sweetness is not overwhelming in the shower. This is probably a good thing, but I myself wouldn't have minded if it upped it's sweetness.

Texture: Creamy and moisturising, I would classify this as a moisturising body wash rather than any sort of exfoliator, despite the particles that are suspended in it.

Pros: 100% soap free, lathers amazingly well, leaves skin feeling silky smooth, scent left after shower is light but nice. I always reach for my vanilla-based perfumes after using this as I think they pair together perfectly. Reasonably priced at around $5.49 for 400ml, or $9.39 for 700ml.

Cons: Not as sweet as it could be, not as coarse as a scrub or exfoliant should be.

Pros certainly outweigh the cons for this Lux prod, and I'm sure I will come around to purchasing it again in the future.

emmabovary x x

Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes

I recently finished up this product in my February Empties post, and this is my review of them. Swisspers claims that this product : 'Cleanses, tones and moisturises without drying. Removes all make-up including mascara, oil free, alcohol free.' The wipes themselves are pretty thick, and of a decent size. They were effective at removing foundation, however I did not find them good enough for mascara. I have super-dry and dehydrated skin, and this did nothing to moisturise that. They left my skin feeling quite sore and tight, and I needed to immediately moisturise after use to alleviate the pain. I think that these would work much better on oily or combination skin, but even then I have my doubts, as Chris' Mum used the second pack (came in a duo) and wasn't a fan either. The fact that I forced myself to use this product up and gave away the other pack says a lot. I tried hard to be nice, but I am not a fan of this product and will not be repurchasing.

If you want to try them out for yourself, I puchased them at Priceline for around $5/6 for a two pack, but I'm sure they are available in other stores, too.

emmabovary xx

February Empties

This is my first month of 'empties', and I hope to continue this throughout the year and work thru the prodz I have lying around. I have seen a few bloggers completing the 'empties' themed posts, but the one who inspired me to give it a go was Beautifully Glossy, with her January empties post. Here I share with you what I used up in the last month.

*Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes (25 pack)

Full review is coming up within the week, all I will say now is that I am not a fan, and will not be repurchasing. This came in a two pack, and I gifted the other as I couldn't continue using them.

*Lux Shea Exfoliating Scrub (exfoliating body wash) with Shea Butter and Caramel. 75+ washes

Apart from the fact that this prod can't decide if it is a scrub or a body wash, I enjoyed using it. Could have been sweeter, but maybe that's just me. Review up within the week.

*Eco Aroma Shower Oil

This is to be tipped onto the shower floow to fill the area with 'great aroma'. They don't specify what sort of aroma, but whatever it was I didn't mind it. Felt a bit like I was cleaning the shower, but also gave a steam room sort of atmosphere. Probablly won't repurchase as wasn't that excited by it. Bottle lasted 2-3 showers.

*Formula no306 Verbene & Lemon Energizing Shower Gel (Received in the Primped 2010 goodie bag) 75 ml

Beautiful packaging, very lightweight with a silver lid and simple old-school label written in both French and English (ooh la la=) ) Raised branding on plastic bottle gave a luxurious feel. Average lather, but the smell was divine! The verbena cuts right thru the tart lemon and lifts it into a different dimension. Lovely prod, will repurchase.

*Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Scrub

I was so very excited to buy this product, and it sadly did not live up to the hype I gave it. The mango version of this was tops, but the lemon was super tart and I wasn't always in the mood for that. My main concerns, however, were the slimy bits in it (what are they!?) and the oily feel it left on my skin. Will not repurchase, though I may try another scent and hope it's more like the mango scrub.

*I went thru some perfume samples in Feb, two mini spray bottles of Gucci's Flora and one of Paco Rabanne's Lady Million. Chris loves the 'Million', both guys and girls, and though I liked it I didn't like it enough to head out and buy it. I bought Chris the guys version, and he is in love. Smells amazing, better than the ladies, I think. Gucci's Flora, on the other hand- love! Not something I would have ever tried, but this subtle floral sat nicely on me. May repurchase in the future if funds permit.

*Sportsgirl 'Get The Tint' lip and cheek tint

Loved this with a passion late last year, and gave it a whirl again for a few times this February. Gives a super natural flushed look, as long as you blend fast (as with most tints). Not sure if they still make this one, I will probably purchase it again if they do.

*Revlon Colorstay Concealer

I'll admit this was already pretty much empty, but I made sure it was all gone this month. Nothing outstanding, but not caky either. Possible repurchase if no other concealer wows me.

*Clinique Anti-Blemish Moisuriser

Well this a shitty sample for me- got it in a pack with the rest of the 3-step and used it up much quicker than I used the other prodz! Luckily the lovely Clinique girl took pity on me and gave me another. Will be purchasing a full size of this very soon. Review up soon, too.