What's On My Face // Placement Edition

 

I began the daunting task of my first rounds of student teaching over a month ago now, and though at first I shook like a leaf and was constantly lost, I am absolutely loving the chance to sink my teeth into what will hopefully be my future career. Since I'm used to wearing bright eye looks to work and university, the change to a teaching position means I've had to evaluate my look. I decided that though my school is quite casual in style I would still tone down my makeup, at least until I get to know the students and they are comfortable around me. I'd rather be known as 'that teacher who helped me with the tricky question' than 'that teacher with the cool eyeshadow!', you know?

 

My face staples have naturally been lazy morning staples such as Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed and Australis Curve Ink liner*, but I’ve been throwing a bit of essence Hot Chocolate liner in as well. Chanel Troublant and Stila Glaze are top lip picks, and Chanel makes another appearance with the Pink Explosion JC which lasts all day long on my cheeks.

My default eye look has been a simple one that I trust will last the long work day, and I'm really happy with how it has been working and lasting for me so far. As always, I set a base of MAC Painterly paint pot to give the shadows something to adhere to and to stop them from creasing up as the day goes on. I then go in with my Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Color Tattoo, which creates a nice bronzed chocolate base for my eye. I use my fingers for both of these cream products, and then I head in with a sweet of Maybelline Silken Taupe to ice up the look a wee bit, and just add some interest. It’s quite a strange mix that I stumbled across, but I like the way it makes my eyes pop and is easy to apply.

 

What makeup look do you turn to for work days? Do you tend to wear neutrals to err on the safe side?

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

A Coral Moment

A definite inspiration for my makeup choices come from outside influences. Seeing a product on a fellow blogger can really spark up an interest for me and it isn’t long before I am hooked onto the need to own the particular formula or shade. Luckily for me, when I spotted some bright coral shades on Estee of Essie Button fame, I had the exact products she wore tucked inside my desk drawers. A big fan of the Stila Convertible Colours, I originally purchased Gerbera after hearing about it on Belle Lumiere. See what I mean about #beautybloggerproblems! The bright orange shade is so wearable but isn't a sheer wishy washy sort of orange, and I find this works best when applied with either a flat paddle foundation brush or my Samantha Chapman for Real Techniques stippling brush. I am yet to try the Stila CC’s on my lips and I doubt I ever will, nor do I see myself applying my blush with my fingers anytime soon, but it's nice to know I have the option!

Estee paired the beautiful orange cheek with one of my favourite lip products, the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain in Rendezvous. This is definitely one of the best and brightest shades, so naturally it isn’t available in Australia and came to me by ye olde eBay. Seriously stunning and worth tracking down, this is easily buildable and I wear it sheer sometimes, but mostly I layer it up to make a bright pout and it lasts (and fades) really nicely on me. Sometimes I forget how nice it is to pair shades together on the face, so was pleased with how the two stand-out products tied a whole look together for me.

 

How often do you tie in your cheek colour to your lips? What do you think of coral for cheeks?

Pretty Heart Blushes

The much lauded day of romance that is synonymous with hearts and flowers has passed us once more, and yet still love remains in all facets of life. Rather than sharing these beautiful product images on February 14^th, I chose to withhold them and celebrate love in an everyday setting- today is just a regular day, and here they are! I am a strong advocate for pretty cosmetics, and blush is just about the prettiest a product there is. Patterned blushes are among my favourites within my blush drawer (yes, I need a whole drawer just for them!) and these sweet choices make me swoon with ease.

Physician’s Formula are known for their interesting powder designs, and this Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose ($21.95 AUD) is no exception. Comprised of various shades of pink ranging  from baby pink to neutral and plum toned pink, the overall shade is best described as a hot pink shade. The formula leaves a great glowy look to the cheek, thanks to the multi-reflective pearls within the powder itself. Though I can’t vouch for the plant extracts that are there to produce endorphins to promote a feeling of happiness, I definitely break out into a smile every time I see this pan of hearts so I guess it works anyway.

The Stila Make me Blush powder is yet another stunner that was sadly limited edition from a few years back. The great news is that Stila are definitely on the pretty blush bandwagon, and each year release a new heart designed blush around this romantic time of year. The 2013 offering (a 4 square pale pink pan, check 'emmabovary' on Instagram for an image) is better suited to fair complexions, whereas Make me Blush is perhaps a tad darker than necessary. A light hand is vital for a nice application on Snow White cheeks like mine.  Much more red-toned when compared to the PF Rose, the fine golden overspray imparts a warm shimmer to the cheeks before revealing coral hearts underneath, and the true colour of the blush is definitely coral overall. I use a stippling brush when I wear this, and prefer the shade that sits under the hearts rather than the initial shade with the overspray included. The great thing about the Stila limited editions is that they retail for around $25 AUD, making them much more affordable than the majority of blushes us Aussie’s have at our disposal, pretty or otherwise.

Are you one of those people who love pretty blush pans but don’t actually use them, or are you like me and snap a million pictures before throwing it onto your chipmunk cheeks? What do you think of the over the top heart craze?

*Both of these were purchased by me. Honesty, always.

4 Beach Beauty Essentials

Now that Australia has turned the heat to high, I've been reaching for my hot weather essentials more than ever before. Pool parties and beach trips have been happening quite often for me, and these 4 products have really helped me stay fresh in the sweltering weather.

Invisible Zinc's Tinted Daywear in Light* is what I take with me for tropical holidays, and it is also perfect for a light base for any water based action. It warms up my face while protecting it with SPF 30+ and is a physical sunscreen, which I prefer. It does look quite greasy on, so the next product is a must...

Maybelline's Dream Matte powder in Cream is the best powder I've ever used, and I've gone through many pans over the years. It never cakes and provides a matte finish and a little bit of coverage, so it goes perfectly with the Invisible Zinc for daytime.

I'm a big fan of the Stila Convertible Colors, and this mini size is perfect for throwing in my bag and applying with my fingers. The colour I have on at the moment is Lillium, but I have quite a few of these cheek cremes in my stash. They add a touch of colour to my face without looking overdone for the pool or beach, which I love.

YSL Glossy Stains are one of my very favourite lip products, and I love how long wearing they are. You get the best of both worlds with them, as they have the depth of a lipstick with the shine of a gloss, plus they won't melt in your bag at the beach. I pack away my lipsticks during this time of year, in Melbourne it is just too hot to risk melting my favourite shades so I stick to crayons, liquid lipsticks or gloss.

So there you have it, my top 4 summer beauty essentials for trips to the beach or poolside jaunts. What are yours?

Emma x

*marked product was provided, but I had a tube of it previously and have always loved it. Honesty, always.

Holiday Make Up Bag 'Weekend Away' edition

I went away with Mister Christopher this past weekend for our 3 year dating anniversary. We went to Rye, and despite it being winter the weather was really nice! This is the loot I took along with me for the 3 night stay, it may seem a lot but I love playing around with different looks when I have the time.

THE LOT

I tried to get some organisation going in there, but as soon as the case lifts it all jumbles around.

THE BASE PRODUCTS

Illamasqua Concealer

Face of Australia Primer

Face of Australia translucent powder

Bourjois HealthyMix Foundation 52

Clinique foundation

THE CLEANERS

Mini versions of Benefit's new range

THE PEEPERS

Clinique E/S Strawberry Fudge Quad

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

Estee Lauder Orange Pop

Australis palette in Frock and Roll (used here)

Napoleon Perdis eye dust in StarDust

Face of Australia Mousse shadow in Magic Mist

THE SMACKERS

Softlips balm in Chai Latte

NARS Carthage

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy

MAC Dazzleglass in Baby Sparks

Revlon Super Lustrous in Pink Pop

Revlon Super Lustrous in Coral Reef

Lanolips LemonAid

MAC Ever Hip

Clinique Citrus Rose

Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey

Savvy lip crayon in Cafe

Jack Black balm in Vanilla and Lavender (reviewed here)

THE CHEEKS

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

Essence Highlight Powder in Famous Flamingo(shown here)

Lacura blush

NYX Peach

Stila Gladiola

W7 Bronzer/Highlight

*

So as you can see from the display I've made of my makeup case lid, I brought heaps to play with while I was away! Admittedly not all was used, but that's the pleasure of driving to your holiday destination- no excess baggage fees!!

*

Scent of the weekend was Guerlain Champs Elysees for moi, and a David Beckham for Chris.

All that was in Chris/ toiletries bag was deodorant and a roll on concealer!

If you'd like to see me review any of the above products, let me know and I'll send them to the front of the queue. Hope you had a great weekend, I'm back to reality now and drinking coffee by the boatload!

*

emmabovary xx



StrawberryNet Haul!

My very first StrawberryNet haul arrived this week, and I was beyond excited to play with my new goodies! I took pictures as I was opening the lot, so enjoy this open-box haul.

The gorgeous purple-ribbon wrapped package that awaited me.

My freebie sitting at the top of the package.

All bubble-wrapped, safe and snug in the box.

My Haul!!!

Jack Black Lip Balm in Vanilla and Lavender

Estee Lauder Pure Pops EyeShadow in Orange Pop

TheBalm Hot Mama blush

Stila Eyeshadow in Makalu. (Free as this was my first Snet order)

I am extremely happy with StrawberryNet, and am glad I have a more viable way of purchasing the items filling my lust lists. Shipping was free and fast enough for me, and the added loyalty aspects (percentages off each order,etc) make future purchases a sure thing. I will be reviewing these items in time, let me know which you'd like first and I'll focus on those.
Thanks for reading, do let me know your experience with StrawberryNet!
emmabovary xx

Orange FOTD

Orange is pretty much my favourite colour, so here is a FOTD using some of my favourite citrusy prodzLook was partially inspired by Mister Christopher's t-shirt, which I wear to bed sometimes=)

Products used:

*Face of Australia Primer

*Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in #52

*Stila Convertible Colour in Gladiola

*Face of Australia Translucent Powder

*Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Facial Mist

*MAC Slimshine in Missy

*Elianto eyeshadows in Light Salmon & Coco Orange

*Maybelline Falsies mascaraMAC Slimshine in MissyElianto Light Salmon as a wash and Coco Orange in corner&crease

Finished off with Maybelline Falsies

I love this look as I think it's nice to brighten up your face in this dreary weather, with someone a little bit different. Are you into orange at the moment?

emmabovary xx