What I Received this Christmas

I’m still full from all of the turkey and fresh fruit I gorged on during Christmas & Boxing Day, but I thought I’d pop in and give you a quick post before I get into the swing of regular posting again! I wanted to show you some of the beauty related gifts I was lucky enough to receive this year, as I love peeking into others peoples days and thought you might feel the same. Chris requested a wish list from me early on in December, and naturally I managed to come up with some beauty products I wouldn’t mind seeing underneath the tree. He took the list into our local Myer and is now firm friends with the ‘nice chick from the Chanel bit’, and I am very proud of him.

A Chanel JC blush was something I’d always lemmed over after seeing Pink Sith rave about it, but I could never decide on a shade when I was at the counter. I took myself out of the equation and asked Chris to select a shade for me, and he went for the bright and summery Pink Explosion! He bought the Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist off his own back, when we started dating years ago I used to have a bottle and he loved it, so he wanted me to have it again. So sweet!

I’d been eyeing off the YSL Sheer Candy range and fell in love with the deep red shade Sweet Fig, so Chris chose that off my list without even knowing what sort of colour it was. He was pretty much dragging the Chanel lady all over the place to find things that I’d like, he is pretty clueless when it comes to cosmetics (though he is a fan of Garnier concealer and Maybelline Dream Matte powder!) The Inglot pans were something I picked up myself for under the tree, I am a little bit frightened of how intense the blush is but every time I go into the store I am drawn to it like a moth to flame, so I think it wanted to join my blush family.

I am so grateful for all of the beautiful gifts I received this year, as well as the delicious food and the time spent with family. As well as the beauty related gifts above I received pajamas, Tupperware, a stack of board games (fam are looking forward to us moving in together I think!) and an iPad 4. Elated that I will now be able to blog on the go more often, and blog read on my lunch break every day!

How did you spend Christmas Day? Did you receive any cosmetic gifts as well? I’d love to hear about them!

 

Revlon Haul (including Myer GWP!)

I’d had my eye on a few things from Revlon, and I generally like to wait until they have a good sale on or a worthwhile promotion before I hand over the money. As luck would have it, Myer has a great gift with purchase (GWP) on right now until Christmas Eve, and you get a choice of two metallic clutches filled with products when you spend over $39.95. I chose to pick up the new Colorstay Whipped foundation (150 Buff) as I’d read a few blog reviews and they seemed positive, and I threw in the Colorstay eyeshadow quad in Siren to bring the purchase up to the correct amount. I ended up spending around $60 AUD, which is not bad when you consider how much I got in the clutch as well.

 

 

I chose the blue clutch set as I like the look of the palette and gloss more than the items in the other pack, even though that bag is more attractive. Ever since the Colorstay quads were released I’d had my eye on them, but since I’ve indulged in the beauty that is high-end eyeshadows, I was afraid I would be disappointed with the pigmentation. I haven’t had too much of a play around with them, but since I received the Addictive neutral quad and am now the owner of 2 palettes, I will be sure to let you know how I get on. I was happy with initial instore swatches, so only time will tell. The Colorburst gloss in Orchid is a pretty purple toned pink filled with shimmer, and as a lover of most Revlon lip offerings, no doubt I will love this gloss and it will fall into my regular beauty line up for summer.

The clutch also holds a Colorstay nail enamel in 280 Blue Slate, a PhotoReady 3D Volume mascara in Blackest Black and a PhotoReady Perfecting Primer sample. The clutches contents are valued at over $99, and I think it is a pretty good deal if you are thinking of picking up something from Revlon anyway, or would like to get a Christmas gift from there and pick up a bonus for your efforts!

 

If you were telling someone about Revlon and they had never heard of them before, what would you recommend they try?

 

Illamasqua Neutral Palette

Illamasqua have been bringing out some amazing collections, and the Human Fundamentalism collection was no different. They seem to be taking on new challenges, with this collection and the new Naked Strangers collection managing to make everyday wearable shades exciting again!

This is my first quad from Illamasqua, I have a few of their single shadows but I love the portability of having these complimentary shades sitting side by side.

I like the Illamasqua packaging overall, though I think that I sometimes risk chipping a nail when opening their clasps.

I am elated that Illamasqua named the individual shades within the palette, there is nothing worse than trying to rave about a shade that has no name, or is identified by numbers (Inglot, I'm looking at you ><)

As you can see the colours in this make for a terrific smoky eye, but I have been wearing them toned down and they have fared well for me.

The colours are nicely pigmented, and though I had to swipe over Obsidian twice I find it hard to work with super-pigmented black shades, so I am a happy that this is a shade this blogger can work with.

Full sunlight so you can see the beautiful texture of Vintage.

I love these shades *sigh*

So far my favourite look with the Illamasqua Neutral palette has been to lay Vintage as a shimmery wash over the lid with Wolf in the outer V and along the lower lashline, with Stealth to blend out and highlight. Obsidian is something I like having in my collection for a night out, as I have a distinct lack of nice black shadows in my collection.

A heads up for my fellow Australian readers, this palette is on sale at the moment at Myer instore and online here, it usually retails for $78 AUD and is now $62.40!

Do you wear these sorts of neutrals?

Which shade is your favourite from this palette?

*This product was provided for consideration, which does not change my opinion of the product. Honesty, always.

Jaunty- MAC Hey Sailor! collection

As soon as I saw the press release for MAC Hey Sailor! collection, the pretty packaging suckered me right in. I loved the promo image and I think the stripes are fun but also something pretty to sit in my makeup collection.

I was a good beauty blogger and only chose one thing from the collection, and didn't hesitate when making my choice.

Jaunty is a warm light-medium beige shade with a gorgeous frosty sheen to it, which makes it appear as a warm champagne to my eye.

As soon as I swatched Jaunty I knew that it would fill a void in my collection for another perfect 'all over the lid' eyes, and would sit with Urban Decay Sin as that kind of colour very well.

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I love the navy blue casing of the shadows in this collection, and have decided that I won't be depotting this one, despite it being harder to tote around that way.

The sheen on this is so lovely, and I found the colour payoff to be good, but not as buttery as Urban Decay shadows.

I love wearing this as a wash all over the lid, and either leaving it like that or popping a bit of Urban Decay Darkhorse into the crease. It works well with most other neutral shades, and I think a pop of bright along the lower lashline would work perfectly with Jaunty as well. I was so pleased to get this shadow 10% off at Myer with their recent sale!

Have you tried anything from the Hey Sailor! collection?

What are your favourite 'all over the lid' eyeshadows?

 

Illamasqua Climax Lipstick

I adore this lipstick, but it does get awkward when someone asks me what I'm wearing on my lips...

Illamasqua Climax is something that I didn't pick out myself, but was chosen by Oonagh at the Myer Bourke St counter in Melbourne quite a while ago when I had her do my makeup. I buy most of my Illamasqua from her and love stopping by for a chat, though I never walk away empty handed! She is one of the best makeup artists I have come across both in personality and in makeup application skills, and I highly recommend seeing her if you need help finding something amazing or learning a new technique. Oonagh rave aside, on to the lipstick!

The packaging of Illamasqua lipsticks are really classy, with squared off edges in a sleek black design. I did have a bit of a problem with this particular lipstick as the bullet broke off inside the tube, which resulted in scratches up the side of the lipstick itself. I can still use it, I just can't be too rough when I'm applying it.

You can see the damage to the edge in this shot, and also the super cool Illamasqua detailing on the top of the packaging. It feels luxurious in hand without being really heavy, so I think it's the best of both worlds.

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Climax is described by Illamasqua as a dusty rose pink with a matte finish, and I'd say that is right on the money. I'm often wary of matte formulations as my lips aren't always in perfect condition, but this sets onto the lips without looking dry and stays that way. I find the matte formulation suits the shade, and it adds longevity which is a massive matte bonus. It feels comfortable on as well, so you're safe there.

 I sometimes like to pop a bit of sheer gloss over the top of this, when Oonagh originally applied this on me she popped Illamasqua Sheer Gloss in Soul over the top, which is described by Illamasqua as a shimmering champagne nude shade. I absolutely adored the effect but didn't pick up Soul on the day, so I'm planning on wearing Climax with MAC's Tread Gently Tender Tone when it arrives in the mail. I think the dusty rose shade looks amazing with warm golden shimmers on top! 

I think that Climax really suits my pale skin tone, but I think that it would be amaaazing on a darker skin tone as well. It lasts much longer than a lot of my lipsticks (haven't actually timed it, sorry) and it sort of stains the lips and fades evenly so it's great for long days at work or university. I'm really happy with my first Illamasqua lipstick purchase, and I know I'll be back for more in the future.

Illamasqua Lipsticks retail for 15.50 pounds in the UK and approximately $42.00 AUD. Illamasqua counters are at limited Myer counters in Australia, and a visit to the counter is definitely worth the trek if you aren't too close to one. I recommend both the Chadstone counter (see JeNelle, she is amazing) and Oonagh at the Melbourne Bourke St location.

What are your favourite Illamasqua products?

Have you had a makeover with them before?

What do you think of Climax?

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in 84 Epatant- swatches,review and EOTD

This little pot has stolen my heart with it's shimmering beauty, and I waited with baited breath for it to be released in Australia. The week that it did I headed into the city to swatch my heart out, though I already knew that the magnificent Epatant would be the first to come home with me. And yes, the previous statement makes it clear that I plan on bringing more into my makeup family;) Next up will be Ebloui I do believe. Pink Sith posted here about them, so I blame her for the lemming, but I digress.

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The new Chanel Illusion D'Ombre long wear luminous eyeshadows are a permanent collection (yay!) and are encased in classy glass jars with black gloss lids. The consistency is awesome, they are a bouncy cream gel style formula with plenty of shimmery loveliness. They claim to be long wearing and luminous, and I agree with these claims. 
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The shadows come in 6 shades, Epatant being a shimmering khaki green taupe that is flecked with gold.

 Glossy black box with product details

The two main ways the shadows can be used are outlined on the lid, I first used the shadow all over the lid but lately have been rocking Epatant as a liner (upper and lower)

You get a specially designed brush with your shadow, created to compliment these shadows. I find it to work perfectly with them for both a wash of colour or for use as a liner.

Cute little brush with cover to slip it into

A nice angle for liner as you can see. As you can also see, I couldn't wait to use this, so the brush is not perfectly clean.

Luxurious packaging of the shadows

Sigh

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Glides on so easily, the above image is a single light swatch. The colour is so deep, and the more you build it up the better it gets. As a liner it's stunning, and I think that it is my favourite way to wear it.

A slightly blurrier swatch to give you an indication of the shimmer factor.

Not the clearest photo, but you can see the effect it has on the eye.

Love Love Love this on the lower lashline. If a body part were to be included in my August favourites, my lower lashline would be it! 
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So far I've worn Epatant as a liner (top and bottom) more often than an all over colour, but I will continue to experiment and let you know how I go. I used this shadow with MAC Painterly paint pot as a base and found no creasing, so am a happy camper. I initially thought I wouldn't get a heap of wear out of this, but I have been reaching for it a bit and think it will serve me well. Looking forward to bringing new bouncy Chanel babies into my makeup family in the near future.
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Illusion D'Ombre's retail for $48 AUD and can be purchased from Myer, DJ's or wherever you normally get your Chanel fix from. Mine was purchased with my own cash from the Chanel counter in Bourke St Myer (Melbourne)
 Internationally, please check your Chanel site for more details.
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Have you succumbed to any of these little pots of beauty?
emmabovary xx

Super sales & Bonker bargains!!!

Since Christmas is gone, the season is now about sparkly NYE party frocks and bargains galore. I've rounded up the bargains that have impressed me, and in coming posts will share NYE makeup looks I may be rocking!

Napoleon Perdis concept stores have a stack of summer collection products at 50% off! They are selling out fast, but if you can nab something you've got yourself a stellar bargain. My man bought me the 'Great Escapes Brush Set' in Teal to put away for my birthday next week. It's $375 worth of prodz, was retailing for $99, and we grabbed it for $49.50! It comes with 8 brushes in a leather case that has spots for all of them, and a zippered section if you want to pop some powder or something in there. There are also lip gloss sets and other items half price, but I knew what I wanted so went straight for this bad boy.I had a quick squiz in the cosmetics section of my local Myer, and saw selected Revlon items at 30% off (including the Just Bitten lip stains for $12.55!!) I also spotted something I hope to buy...
The Benefit 'All you need is Gloss' set of 6 glosses...for $24!! Am glad I didn't purchase them before, I think I'd be silly not to grab them now.
Online beauty site Cherry Culture has an extra 20% off with the code:s20, till December 30th. I haven't purchased anything from these guys yet but have heard good things, so in between typing I'm throwing some NYX items into my shopping basket, among many others.

Another sale (of sorts..) is the promotion Illamasqua will have running from Jan 9th through 30th. The concept is great- bin your boring crappy makeup for 25% off Illamasqua goodies! Just take them in, hand them over, and get shopping! Considering Illamasqua is pretty much my number 1 brand, I am all on board this train! I got wind of this deal through Primped =)

Another heads up I'm grateful for came from blogger Bini Loves Beauty. She tweeted recently about grabbing a bunch of MAC prodz for under $100, and I was intrigued. Found out that she purchases her stuff from ebayer "bergan71809", and on her positive recommendation I shall be purchasing some goodies from here soon. On a quick look over her items for sale, and spotted a heap of MAC shadows for less than $12! Jump in!


Hope you lovely ladies are shopping up a storm, let me know what you grab!

love emmabovary xx

(ps Christmas present post will be up soon, I was spoiled!)