That Blush Sensation with In2It

I love bringing home wearable memento's from trips overseas, and a few years back when Mister and I were in Thailand I picked up this In2It 'Sensation' blush and promptly forgot all about it. I pulled it out last year and have been pairing it with my Maybelline Blush Stick 'Just-Pinched Pink' and my NYX 'Peach' and have loved the effect and the colour, so thought it time for a full post about it.

 

The colour is a gorgeous neutral pink that has enough of a brown edge to make it fit into my 'nude blush' obsession that is still going strong. I started off using it as a mixer blush but lately I've been popping it on by itself and it has made me appreciate just how pigmented this drugstore blush is - much better than other affordable powder blushes I've tried! I use my usual NP Set blush brush and the powder is soft enough to work with while still being firm enough to keep the pretty pattern intact. I find that there is still some colour left on my cheeks come end of the day too, which is quite impressive for a blush that I had low expectations for. The delicate and pretty embossing doesn't hurt things either, does it?

a screenshot of the In2It website

I also wore 'Sensation' in this 'What's On My Face' post if you'd like another look at it. I'm really impressed with this blush - the packaging is lightweight and cute, the small pan means I get to use it up in this lifetime and the colour is right up my alley. My only wish is that this brand was more readily available in Australia so I could pick myself up another shade - oh well, I guess a trip back to Thailand is on the cards then ;)

-Emma

Getting Girly with YSL and Maybelline

Is it just me, or have a lot of YouTubers been rocking a pretty pink lip lately?! I adore the bright pink thing that Ingrid has going on in this favourites video, and even Estee from Essie Button has been getting into some pretty awesome pink lip action over here. This post proves that not only am I easily influenced by others, but that it is wonderfully invigorating to take inspiration from beautiful people and in turn dive into your stash to come up with some buried treasure.

A glossy pink lip has been on the menu for me for a while now, and seeing videos with pretty pinks involved has kept the trend strong. I am only just beginning to really appreciate the beauty of the Maybelline Color Whispers, and in particular the shade Petal Rebel* is totally rocking my world. It doesn't sink into lip lines and remains nice and glossy while keeping the pale pink pigment strong, which is a pretty mean feat for a light pink shade am I right?

A high end pink beauty that I've been pairing with my glossy lips is the YSL Crème de Blush in Fuschia Temptation. A lemming spurred on by the ever-inspiring Pink Sith, this appears quite a bit more fluorescent on me than it may on most thanks to my pale colouring. As you can see in the first image though, it is still very wearable and in my opinion, best applied with a nice stippling brush. As you can tell by the surface of my YSL pot, that is how I always apply my Crème de blush!

How do you go about getting girly with your makeup?
Is it just me, or is it quite hard to find a flattering pale pink lip product in a lovely formula?!

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The Daily Tray 02

My daily tray has been shaken up and as promised I have taken a few snaps to keep you up to date with the products I’ll be focusing on now. Coral and pink are the main trends right now, with my blush and lip obsession becoming very apparent as I struggled to whittle down my choices. I’m really enjoying diving into my stash to enjoy some of my beautiful but unloved products, and this is what I’ll be reaching for.

My regular Rimmel foundation holds its ground, but is joined by my Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream* which has great coverage and is quick and easy to apply – perfect for hot days! I’ve kept my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in there for dark circles, and my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder is kept in my purse for touch ups throughout the day. I didn’t realise how many Maybelline products I love until I took this shot!

A plethora of lip options, about which I am simultaneously elated and ashamed…Pink lips will be thanks to Maybelline Color Whisper in Mad for Magenta* and Petal Rebel*, with my gloss option being the Pretty in Punk Sportsgirl liquid lip colour. Coral lips will be a common sight too, with essence 24 Just Georgeous (yes, George, just like Pappa Bovary!) and Groupie at Heart being staples over the top of Maybelline Peach Blossom Color Bloom. I also threw in MAC Kiss & Don’t Tell from the Archie’s collection, and my Revlon Pango Peach for no-brainer lip days, with my Colette Hayman Coconut lip balm to keep in my bag (EOS eat your heart out!)

Eyes will of course be centred around Urban Decay Naked 3 palette which arrived last week (hurrah!) and I’ve been absolutely loving the stunning shades inside! I still have Dior Fairy Golds out because I am yet to hit pan, and I need to feel that pan rush – fellow beauty lovers, you know what I’m talking about, right?! Too Faced Shadow Insurance and TheBalm Put a Lid on It* are my primers, and the essence Hot Chocolate eyeliner will always be in the daily tray for me – a firm favourite! The essence Ticket to Paradise cream eyeshadow in 01 Dive With Me to the Island will be my minty kick now, and Revlon Lash Potion my lash-coater of choice.

Cheeks are my weakness, okay? (no, not those cheeks!) Savvy Cheek Balms in Blissful Blush and Heavenly Highlight join my YSL Fuschia Temptation in the cream blush stakes, along with Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in Flushed and Coral Reef. My damn NYX Peach is still kicking around and joins MAC Prom Princess from the Archie’s Girls collection as my powder shades for the time being.

Phew, this lot should keep my entertained while I wait for the Dior Trianon collection to hit the counters. What makeup are you playing around with at the moment?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration, but placed in the daily tray with honesty!

Sweet Paris // A Bourjois Inspired Makeup Look

Drawing on a collection from Bourjois which was released last year for spring, I created a Parisian makeup look influenced by macarons, sweet pastels and sugary goodness. I decided to recreate the look from the campaign poster down to the detail, and gathered up as many Bourjois products as I could muster to get in the French feel of things.

 

Creating a base with my Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation, I then went in with my Laura Mercier blush in Rose Desire to create a sweet but striking strong pink cheek akin to that which the model wears for the campaign. The eyes aren’t something I would wear myself, but I find it a wonderful experience to walk through a look step by step and see how close I can get to the image with the products at hand. I used a shimmery pale pink shade from my Bourjois Eyeshadow Trio to create the pop of light in the centre of the eye, and went in with a mix of Rose Desire (blush on eyes, take note!) and a random hot pink shadow to create a defined crease. I then mixed a few of my bright greens (MAC Bitter, MAC Juxt + Inglot) to create the chunky definition around the outer thirds of the upper and lower lash line.

I like the way the Clinique High Lengths mascara stretches my lashes out, but ultimately I think what this look needed was a good set of flared falsies to really add to the drama. Duo glue, I’m coming for you! If there were ever another time where I would rock this look, I would definitely tone down the green and bring it closer to the lash line, but I wanted to stay true to the advertisement so crazy it had to be!

I cracked out my Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake (which admittedly doesn’t get much love from me) and topped it with a little bit of Smashbox O-Gloss* to create more shine and gloss to the lips. I actually can’t stand the Smashbox gloss as I find it thick and uncomfortable to wear, but back when I created this look lazy blogger alert I was trying to use it up.

 

How often do you wear pastel shades?
Do you think I made it close to the campaign poster (keeping in mind that I am NOT a model, lol)?

*Marked items provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

An Opulent Valentine

Even though my man and I aren’t doing anything fancy for the most romantic day of the year, I am still planning on wearing a nail shade that makes my heart flutter. Without a doubt, the polish that never fails to make me ooh and aah is OPI’s DS Opulence, from the Designer Series. A permanent but pricier nail range, the bottles are topped with sexy silver lids and have a luxe feeling.  I’d say that this shade is my one true polish love, even though the bottle actually belongs to my mother in law. It is a stunning pink with a mauve tone, filled with holographic shimmer. The effect is subtle, but makes the polish something really special.

 

 

 

 

Now it is your turn! Share your one true polish love in the comments below, and we can polishgasm our way through Valentine’s Day together!

Lick the Icing

As soon as I saw the new limited edition lipstick shade called ‘Lick the Icing’ from Australis, I knew I had to make it mine. A pale pink/lilac shade unlike anything else I own, this sort of colour is one you either love or hate. Though some shades don’t technically flatter some people, lipsticks in shades that make me smile can do no wrong. I think I will wear this throughout summer, just for something different, even if Chris does give me strange looks every time. This photo makes my lips appear pretty large (is it the lipsticks doing...?) but it does accurately show how the colour looks on me. Check out this link to see it on a favourite blogger of mine, Angela!

 

Camp pastel lips-yay, or big ol' nay?

*Bought this myself. Honesty, always.

Pixie Pink Slip

Despite leaning more to the orange loving side of the colour spectrum, pink is still a lot of fun for me to wear, especially when the weather heats up. I’m still obsessed with the Jordana Glitters I bought while in Sydney for IMATS/BBU, and so  last week I decided to use one. Of course, I coated each and every nail with a glitter bomb. Such a pain to get off, but so worth it until then- I got a compliment about my nails while watching Chris play indoor football!

 

 

 

 

 

I used the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 170 Pink Slip* as a pale base for the glitter chunks, so that they really stood out. I don’t think I would wear Pink Slip on its own as a manicure as it hovers between very pale pink and white, and doesn’t flatter my pale hands very much. I think I will be getting a lot of use out of it as a glitter base though! The Jordana Glitter I’ve used in this look is 05 Pixie Pink, which is a mix of medium pink hex glitter and small glitters in a clear base.

 

How often can you be bothered wearing glittery nails?

Do you have a favourite 'base' shade for wearing under effect polishes?

 

*Marked item was provided at an event, which does not affect my opinion of it, obviously. Honesty, always.

 

Illamasqua Blush Duo // Hussy & Lover

Sometimes I think Illamasqua couldn't get more exciting, and then they bring out a pretty blush duo just in time for Christmas! I could've added this to my list for Santa, but instead bought it for myself and I'm so pleased to own these two famous Illamasqua cheek shades!

I feature quite a bit of Illamasqua on this blog as it is a favourite brand of mine, but I have hardly mentioned the blushes that they are so famous for. I own quite a few, from their powder formula's to cream blushes, but the two most popular shades (to my knowledge) are Hussy and Lover, and I did not own either of them! I was elated to spot this on the Sydney counter while shopping with Desiree and Lizzi and I knew I'd be crazy to pass this up.

I have only hit pan on a few of my makeup pieces (having only been obsessed for a few short years) but blush seems to be the most likely pan hit for me. The best thing about this duo is that even if you use up one or both of the small sized pans, they are part of Illamasqua's permanent line so you can head out and repurchase them at full size.

Lover and Hussy

Illamasqua blushes are very pigmented, but easy to blend and with a light hand they are really wearable. I've only had this duo for a short time so haven't had a chance to really bust into it, but I am in a peachy mood so am loving Lover with warm eyes for Spring.

Lover and Hussy

 The brand new Illamasqua blush duo retails for $39 AUD and contains 2x2g blushes (for reference, full size Illamasqua blushes contain 4.5g)

 

What Illamasqua blush shades have you tried?

What do you think of blush duo's?

 

*I purchased this beauty all by myself :) Honesty, always.

 



Cute as a Button

This polish is described as a 'juicy persimmon delight' on the US Essie site (here) I would describe it as a light peachy pink coral, which appears a little neon in some lights and dusty in others.

I adore the name of this polish, the shade itself is indeed cute as a button so it is very fitting!

I wore this a few weeks ago when Chris and I stayed at his family beach house, and though the wind was howling and the air was chilly, I was happy to have this little ray of muted sunshine on my fingers.

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Do you tend to wear darker shades in colder weather, or are you like me and brighten up your nails?

Red Carpet Palette by NP Set

I went along to an NP Set event a while ago, and here I will showcase one of the beautiful palettes the company have launched. To see the makeup tips I learned at the event, click here.

The Glam Palette is the top of this image, while the Red Carpet is the lower, and the one I will be showing you today.

The eyeshadow colours in this palette range from a yellow-toned golden shade to a gorgeous muted blue shade, which happens to be my favourite from the palette.

The first and last shades are stand outs in my opinion, and I think they would be beautiful paired together. These palettes are marketed at people who are just beginning to experiment with makeup, and I think that the shades in this palette are nice to push people out of their comfort zones. The blue-toned purple shade would be beautiful as a lower lash liner to spice up a natural look!

The blushes in this palette are stunning! I love the pop of pastel pink and apricot shade, and they look nice swirled together as well as used on their own. Quite good pigmentation for the brand, and they look just as nice applied sheerly as they do built up for a stronger cheek look.

Swatches of the two blushes.

The palette comes with four lip glosses as well, and while I dislike pans of gloss, I can see people liking the ability to layer up the shades with one another.

The fuschia pink looks great, as does the orange toned red, but the brown toned one with blue based shimmer just confuses me, and I find the clear gloss with silver glitter too chunky to use. I don't find them usable, or good for beginners.

All in all I think these palettes are terrific value for money, and love that the back of the palette has tips and tricks on how to get the most out of the palette. Someone like my sisters or other friends who don't have a large makeup collection would benefit from this compact collection, and the price point of only $29 AUD is a great plus for this palette. As it so happens, I am head over heels for the dusty muted blue in this palette, and have a FOTD coming up with it tomorrow!

NP Set is available at Big W and Target stores nationwide, and these palettes are out now! 

*This product was provided for consideration for review, and I attended this event as a guest of NP Set, which does not affect my opinion or review of the product. Honesty, always.