Club Ringleader

I have been really enjoying my makeup collection lately - revelling in some new treats, using old favourites and just generally digging my whole stash. A late start at work resulted in me playing around with these beauties, and I was chuffed with the natural look I created.

Too Faced Ringleader is a certified kick-ass shade (bottom left shade in the Pretty Rebel palette!) It is glowy but natural on the lid and much less peachy than I had first thought. Paired with my new shadow obsessed MAC Club (housed in the gorgeous Royal Assets palette) it created a look I loved - so much so that I've been recreating the look by pairing Club with other shades all week.

I probably should have called this look the staples look, as I've been rocking this blush and lip duo quite frequently as well now that I think about it! I think I spent a total of 45mins contemplating my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta before snatching it up - I hadn't really given them much thought before, so my knee-jerk purchase was a nice surprise on the day. The colour in the pan isn't really translated onto the cheek in my opinion, but the airbrush-esque finish is covetable and I'm one happy chappy.

El cheapo lipstick (Kmart Moisturising lipstick in Naked) + Luxe and pricy gloss (Dior Addict Gloss 363 Dormeuse) = my favourite lip look of late.

Add in some other current staples like Revlon Lash Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance and I'm good to go!

How often do you use palettes? Are you a single-shadow loving gal, or love having options like this?

 

Emma @ emmabovaybeauty

What's In My Makeup Bag // Weekend Away Edition

I spent the Australia day long weekend with my family down in Albury. Not only were we celebrating living in the beautiful country we call home, but we had some pretty big birthday events to mark as well - a 40th and a 5th, to be exact! 22 family members trucked up there to spend some quality time together, and very early on Saturday morning while Mister Bovary swam laps and wallowed in the steam room, I snapped a few pictures of the makeup bag I've been carrying around with me lately!

The Playboy pouch was a birthday present for my 17th, and it only resurfaced while moving house last year. Playboy isn't really my jam, but the camel/tan colour is and the size is great for popping in my handbag.

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - a serious staple, this has disappeared from some pharmacy stands but still remains at Priceline. Does anyone know what is going on with this product?

Napoleon Perdis powder brush - I have a stack of the NP brushes as Chris' often buys me the sets for my birthday. This brush is freshly washed and is perfect for the aforementioned powder.

Revlon Lash Potion mascara - I wore not a lick of mascara the whole time we were away, but wanted to have this at hand in case we ended up going out for a nice dinner somewhere. We stuck to having BBQ's by the resort pool instead, which was a much more relaxed option.

Perfume samples (Cavalli, Burberry, Estee Lauder and Katy Perry) - These lightweight scent solutions were perfect for travelling with, and though I used my Victoria's Secret Love Spell body mist more often than these, they always stick around in my handbag for a random spritz.

Clinique Chubby Stick in Two-Ton Tomato- I like to keep a nice sheer red on me in case I need to fancy up a look, and at the moment this summer-appropriate red is my pick.

Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Pango Peach- The best shade to wear when you can't decide on a lip colour! It makes your lips look deliciously glossy but still very natural, and I think the name of it is super cute too.

Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Haute Pink Twist*- My mistake was in thinking this was your run of the mill sheer pink lip crayon - that is why it took me so long to trial this press sample after neglecting it for other shades. This is bright but wearable and packs a mean does of pigment without even trying - I am totally in love with this formula, thanks Covergirl!

Clinique Two-Ton Tomato, Revlon Pango Peach, Covergirl Haute Pink Twist

How many lip shades do you like to tote about with you?
What powder should I try after I finish this Maybelline Dream Matte?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

TheBalm Instain - Strawberry Toile

To a blush obsessed beauty blogger, it doesn't get much better than being able to trial a new blush formulation in a stunning shade! As soon as TheBalm Instain in Toile* hit my desk I threw it on my cheeks, and loved how pigmented but blendable the strawberry coloured powder was. I applied it using my Real Techniques Stippling Brush (as I do with most pigmented blushes) and layered it a little bit and found it easily buildable, so it would definitely work for those who only like a sheer shot of colour on their apples, too. Here are the other products I used to complement the strawberry shade Toile!

TheBalm describes this as a strawberry colour, and try as I might I couldn't find a lip shade with the name strawberry in it. Days like these I wish I owned Revlon Strawberry Suede let me tell you now! I decided to choose my lip shade on colour alone and so the Covergirl lipperfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Coral Twist* made the cut (these feel so nice on the lips, have you tried them yet?) The rest of the look was pretty simple, and I was impressed that I only used 7 products and about 7 minutes to finish this look!

 Anytime I use a beautiful bright blush it negates the need for a detailed eye look, so after applying TheBalm's Put A Lid On It eyelid primer* (which I had never even heard of before I received it!) I hastily scribbled the champagne shade of my Revlon Colorstay Smoky Shadow Stick in 201 Torch all over my lid, and then used the amazing deep brown shade as a liner on the outer third of my upper and lower lashline. The dark shade of this has actually snapped off (not happy Jan...) but I still use it as I love the shade that much - this speaks volumes I think!

 My inner corner highlight was mint (as usual!) with the essence Me & My Ice Cream 03 Always in my Mint marble shade. My plan is to use this wet sometime this week to see how vivid I can make it - things like this can be highlights of my day, seriously! Base needed to be simple for a hot Melbourne day so I used my favourite BB cream, the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream*. To top off the look I used my new Revlon Lash Potion mascara which I bought at half price last week and I'm enjoying it so far.

So there you have it - a strawberry blush-centric easy makeup look that anyone could do!

TheBalm Instain blushes retail for $26.95 AUD and you can buy them here!

What do you base your makeup looks on - the eyes, the lips or the cheeks?
Have you tried much from TheBalm?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.