Perfume Purge

I have to admit that I adore the freedom that having a large perfume collection allows me, but at this point the range has become overwhelming and I'm slowly but surely using up those heavy glass bottles and making room for some other fragrances. The images below aren't the whole collection, just a selection that sit out on my shelving unit. My collection is made up of a mix of things - PR samples, birthday gifts and bottles I've hinted about to Mister over the years. My favourites have come through all of these avenues to be honest, but I'm not terribly well versed in the crazily priced luxe perfumes that are available so you won't see those here. I've made it my mission to use up these three bottles before Christmas, and as this goes live I'm one fragrance down and doing well!

My sister bought Michael Kors Very Hollywood for my birthday many years ago and I remember being so excited to receive it after sniffing it countless times at the Myer Fragrance Hall. It's a really likable white floral and according to Fragrantica it has notes of "mandarin, frozen bergamot, moist jasmine..." That mix is definitely a first for me, haha. I'm happy to say I've finished up this bottle, so the perfume purge is already going well!

I am quite fond of a rose scent every now and again and Bvlgari Rose Essentielle is probably my favourite one. I love the powdery notes of it (though I can imagine that it would turn some rose-haters off) but the nozzle has become hard to use and I'm looking forward to finishing this one up and turning to another powdery scent in its place.

Last but not least on the chopping block is my travel petite parfum of Urban Rituelle's Cotton Candy (reviewed here, and mentioned here) I still have a full bottle of this and love it to bits, but the nozzle on this petite is also knackered and I need to use it up and move onto other sweet perfumes in my collection.

I have a few perfumes on my Christmas list this year, so I'm really hoping to purge these perfumes this month before the 25th! What new scent do you have your eye (or nose?) on?
-Emma x

Bought in August

Another frugal monthly haul is ready for perusal, I did indulge in some drugstore bits but once again I kept away from the Myer counter and was content to cover my hands and arms in swatches instead.

The new Revlon Shadowlinks were definitely an impulse buy after a bad day, as was the Maybelline Chocolate Chip eyeliner – but I’d had my eye on the latter for quite a while so it was going to be mine sooner or later. I’ve got a bit of an obsession with Essie Mojito Madness after seeing it on Larie’s Twitter header, and I bought an essence polish in an attempt at quashing the lemming until I reach U.S shores where I can pick that shade up. I'll have a full post up on that another time!

I bought quite a few wedding related things this month, namely my wedding shoes (squeee!) and gifts for the bridal party as well as a few jewellery contenders for myself for the big day. Does anyone have an online jewellery store recommendation for me for blingy pieces? Would love some help in that department! As an aside, I’m thinking of posting some wedding related things up here, is there anything you’d like to know about at this point? Less than 2 months to go then it’s honeymoon time!

I saw the Revlon Playful Plum blush in the clearance section of Priceline and even though we’re coming into the warmer weather when I’d hardly wear a shade like this, I’m a fan of the Revlon cheek formula (see my post here) and decided to pick it up anyway. The half price Maybelline sale was the cause of the Colour Tattoo in Edgy Emerald, coupled with my obsession with the aforementioned green shade…green bags, green tops, green shoes, green makeup, greeeeeeen!

Mini set of Antipodes at 40% off? How could I say no!?

Cute jewellery pieces on sale from Colette and Equip

A few things  I picked up with the 30% off NYX sale at Target, and my beloved Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara finally went down to $10 at Priceline.

I splurged on some of my favourite Urban Rituelle Cotton Candy purse sprays while shopping at Forever New (full review is here) and some of the Juicy Couture Dirty English mini’s while buying Dad’s Fathers Day gift (Enrique Adrenaline!) – technically a male scent, this discontinued gem is my ‘signature scent’ for winter. My sister in law was so sweet to buy me this Nicole Richie No Rules bottle while we were out for coffee one day, and looking at it now on the screen I can see it was a scent-centred month indeed!

September might have a few splurges at the shops, but not too many...my second iPhone button just broke but I’m hoping it will hold out until we leave for our honeymoon. The rest of our cash is for wedding related activities – can’t wait for my hens and my kitchen tea!

Did you buy anything exciting this month so I can live vicariously through you?

I can’t wait for a big haul in Vegas, it is well overdue!

Emma x

Smelling Sweet for your Sweet this Valentine's Day

The idea of Valentine's Day is something I like - the romance in the air, the pent up expectations of a sweet gift, expressing your devotion to someone...the reality, however, doesn't always come through with the goods. Though Mister Bovary and I have shared a few nice dates over the years on February 14th, we aren't true romantics at heart and often choose Breaking Bad and homemade pizza over a fancy restaurant. It's the little things that he does that really make me swoon, the insignificant details he remembers and the way he always looks out for me.

Enough of the swooning - let's get to the 'heart' of things! ;)

I find fragrance to be a mood breaker every day, and at this time of year when the weather is sticky and love hearts decorate promotional images, I like to smell sweet like candy. Cotton Candy* to be precise.

 

This yummy Urban Rituelle scent originally only came as a purse spray until the brand wised up to how amazing Cotton Candy was, and created the larger EDP for us to enjoy. Considering I've gone through many of the purse sprays over the years, receiving this really made my day!

Even the classic bottle that Urban Rituelle chose to house this sweet scent in makes me swoon, and I love the way it looks on my vanity. I can't wait to get our new bedroom suite so that I can organise a daily scent tray on my dresser - it is how I hope to rotate my scents from now on, so we've been looking around for new furniture to make it happen already!

Those who aren't big fans of spun sugar scents probably wouldn't get on well with this, but I find it to be amazing and it is said to be their best seller, so I know that I am not alone in loving this pink treat.

I was perusing their website and saw that they also have a limited edition Romance soy candle for sale right now - jasmine, musk and amber, now doesn't that sound lovely!?

Urban Rituelle's Cotton Candy EDP retails for $34.95 AUD, and the range also contains hand cream, reed diffuser, candles and a lip balm for those who want to inject a bit of sweetness into their Valentine's day.

Will you be following my lead and buying yourself a Valentine's gift this year?
Are you a fan of sweet scents?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

March Empties

Another month, another lot of empties!

The Hair

Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo ‘Classic’

A staple in my shower, this is pretty much the only shampoo that my scalp will tolerate. Trialling a new fancy brand right now, fingers crossed all goes well but I will always return to this lovely blue bottle.

L’Oreal Elvive Total Repair Restoring Crème Conditioner

Don’t remember too much about this sample sachet, but I don’t remember disliking it so that is a plus.

The Body

Haus of Gloi Twice is Nice Pumpkin Butter

Haul post here! HoG scents are to die for, and this is one of my favourites from the permanent line. I like the sample sized tubs as I get to dabble in a few scents, and this is one I will repurchase later on.

Weleda Citrus Hydrating Body Lotion*

Reviewed here, this was a great moisturising lotion and I adored the tangy scent!

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Cream Body Scrub*

Reviewed here. A gentle and moisturising scrub, this smelt nice and actually persuaded me to like the gentle scrub side of the spectrum. Straight up peach scent, delish!

The Rest

Urban Rituelle Cotton Candy Petite Parfum

Reviewed here. Seriously, this couldn’t be any better (okay, if it were longer lasting it might be better) Introduced as a PR sample, this particular vial was a repurchase and I am now elated that Urban Rituelle brought this into 100ml bottle form. Hallelujah! Sweet and sugary, this is one of my very favourite perfumes.

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

I have gone through so many of these, it really is the best powder I’ve come across. Am trialling other brands right now and missing this so much, am staring forlornly at my sealed backup and trying to stay strong and use up others first. Beauty blogger problems!

How much did you use up in March?

 

*Marked items were provided for consideration. Honesty,always.

 

Cotton Candy // Urban Rituelle's Petit Parfum

For someone who claims to be clueless about fragrance, I have amassed a wide collection of bottles filled to the brim with the stuff! My most reached for fragrance of late has without a doubt been my purse sized Urban Rituelle parfum in the scent 'Cotton Candy'.

Coming from the Sweet Treats collection, Cotton Candy is officially described as "A playful, melt in your mouth scent that opens wit ha sweet explosion of rich, spun sugar followed by the warmth of smooth toffee & powdery musk." This scent does invoke cotton candy (or fairy floss as we call it) and I love the uber sweet nature of it, though I can see how some would find it cloying and too much for them.

 

I wore this to work, to dinner, to brunch, literally everywhere I went had a sniff of this. The girls at work would ask every day if they could borrow a squirt or two, and this 12ml bottle was drained quite quickly. I was nearing the end of this when it smashed, and I am thankful that it will only be a mere $13.99 to bring a fresh bottle back into my purse!

 

 

The Cotton Candy fragrance (and the rest of the Sweet Treats range) comes in a variety of forms, and I was kindly gifted a hand cream to match my fragrance. I find the cream a much lighter scent than the parfum, so those who like just a touch of sweetness may prefer these sorts of items within the range. Also available are lip balms, soaps, candles, butter creams and gift sets. The packaging of the gifts sets? Divine, perfect for Christmas so you bet a few people in my corner of the world will have something from Urban Rituelle range under the tree.

 

I have already purchased a new bottle of this, and will probably stockpile some when they seem to be leaving stores. I'm also tempted to get another scent from the collection, but I just can't decide! (Peach Blossom and Pomegranate are calling my name...) Even though it isn't the longest lasting scent I own, I quite like spraying it throughout the day.

 

 Urban Rituelle is available at Myer, Forever New and stores across Australia and internationally. To buy online and for more stockists both Australian and International, click here.

 

Are you a fan of sweet fragrances?

What is your number one fragrance right now?

 

*These products were provided for consideration, but I honesty loved the fragrance and would've raved about it no matter what. I repurchased this with my own money. Honesty, always.

What's in my Makeup Bag // August 2012

A while ago I tweeted that my goal for the day was to find the perfect makeup bag for my handbag, and on my lunch break the next day I ran into this Sugar Baby Hibiscus print darling. It's a great size but quite stiff and hard to get into sometimes, so I will be buying one off Etsy soon to interchange with it, but for now I am a happy camper. I thought it would be a great time to share what I tote along with me every day!

It fits exactly what I need on a day to day basis, but any more than that won't fit without it being cumbersome and hard to close. I've worked out how I like everything to sit in there, and it is quite snug.

As you can see I like to keep a few lip options on hand at all times, and I can't see that changing in the near future.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy- using this up so I keep it on hand to remind me to use it.

MAC lipstick in Patisserie-a great nude that really works for my skintone.

Urban Rituelle Petit Parfum in Cotton Candy- review of this up this week

Australis Lash Length Extension mascara-I've now switched this out to my new mascara as this was finished, but I loved it.

Natural Compatibles lipstick in Berry- favourite lippy, keep it with me in case I need to feel tough

essence stay with me gloss in Deep Rose-goes with everything and can be worn on top of any of the above lipsticks to switch it up a bit.

Urban Rituelle Lemongrass & Lemon Myrtle hand cream- I love the smell of lemongrass and this is a nice hand cream formulation, I also appreciate the thin packaging which sits nicely in the makeup bag.

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder- my favourite setting powder, I like having this on hand for extra coverage when I touch up during the day.

essence Oil Control Paper- I love the sturdy dispenser that these blotting papers came with in the long discontinued Return to Paradise collection.

 

What do you carry with you each day?

 

 

 

 



Pretty in Pink // My top 5 pink polishes

I thought that this would be appropriate seeing as Valentine's day is all about the pinks and the reds!  I don't have the biggest polish collection, but I still have plenty of choice when I give myself a mani at home.

I was happy to see that when I rounded these up there was quite a variety in terms of shade, even though the majority are a cream formula.

Maybelline Mini Colorama in #5 Cotton Candy $5.95 AUD

I find that these mini Maybelline formula's last better than most other brands on me, and I love this shimmery pink that really does look the colour of cotton candy, or fairy floss as we call it here in Australia.

Ulta3 Bo Peep $2.50AUD approx.

Bo Peep is a bright fuschia colour that I adore! I find that even though I'm pale, I look alright in these bright colours. They also make me smile when I look at them, so it's win-win!

OPI Pink-ing of You $19.95 AUD

Apart from this having a gorgeous name, it was a bargain that I picked up from duty free last time I went overseas. It's a nice pale pink that I find quite plain, so I like to jazz it up with a glitter over the top!

Kit Cosmetics Chiquita Pink $15.95 AUD here

This came out with the Viva La Colour collection, which was one of the most exciting collections I've seen in a long time. It's a plummy, wintery sort of pink that makes me want to wrap myself in a big oatmeal knit and read a book.

The Face Shop PK110 $3.00 AUD

This not-so-cutely named shade is my Barbie polish- pale pink, creamy, simple, stunning. I love the bottle shape, and the affordable price tag. This is darker than OPI Pink-ing of You and I like that.

As in order above: PK110, Chiquita Pink, Pink-ing Of You, Bo Peep, Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy and Bo Peep

Bo Peep and Pink-ing Of You

*

What are some of your favourite pink polishes?

I'd love to get some recommendations on what I should buy next!