Shopping my Stash

I've been working diligently on using up some of my staple products over the past few months, but I get antsy every now and again and bored of wearing the same exact look day in and day out. With the hopes of some new makeup hitting my collection over the Christmas season I decided to hold out on buying something new (touch wood!) and instead turn to my own makeup collection - that's right, I shopped my own stash!

As my long-time readers will know I'm a true #blushfiend, and so shopping my blush stash is usually a pretty exciting endeavour for me. It never fails to bring a smile to my face when I revisit an old cheek love of mine, truth be told. I first hauled Cream Soda from the MAC Archie's Girls collection in early 2013 (see the haul post here!) and find it funny that it looks so pale in the pan (even for me!) but on the cheek it makes me look so healthy, and is definitely pigmented enough once you build it up. I admittedly travel through stages with this shade where I wear the heck out of it before returning it to my makeup drawers, and the same can be said for the palette you see above...

I've never fallen head over heels for the Lorac Pro Palette in the way that everyone else in the beauty community seemed to, but I can still appreciate the nice mix of textures and Garnet sure is a showstopper shade in my collection. I keep giving it a go in the hopes that it will grow on me, so we'll see how I go with it this time around. Any tips on colour combinations you use with this one?

Another eye colour I've shopped my stash for is the stunning Chanel lllusion D'Ombre cream eyeshadow in Epatant, once again a product that falls in and out of use with me but that I love using with a matte chocolate shade through the crease for a great 'peppermint chip' eye look (see my representation here if you like!)

Lastly I went for that cliché holiday red with the Revlon Balm Stain in Adore (original post here) which is a gorgeous deep red with a minty kick that I adore. Mumma Bovary wears this shade quite a bit and inspired me to pull mine back out from the Revlon lip drawer and give it yet another whirl as I get myself pumped for Christmas.

When did you last shop your own stash?

Has anything from the 2015 holiday collections caught your eye?

Are you already pumped for Christmas?

-Emma

May Favourites

The cold mornings are yet to deter me from playing around with my makeup, and I found quite a few things to love during May!

I really enjoyed the skincare products I used during May, my skin was pretty well behaved and sometimes I begrudge the 6 week cycle I work with in terms of skincare and the like. Being able to trial new products is a wonderful part of being a blogger, but it can also be frustrating when I find products that really work for me.

 

Cetaphil Derma Control SPF30+ Moisturising Lotion*- I have been using this as my day lotion, and I love that it knocks the sunscreen step out of my routine as well, saving me time every morning. This is a really nice lotion, and I love the sturdy lightweight packaging, and the fact that the formula is non comedogenic and therefore great for acne prone skin like my own.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Night Cream*- I normally find it really hard to fall in love with a night cream, as often they are too heavy or rich for my skin. This strikes the perfect balance between hydrating overnight and being lightweight, so I think this would work for both dry and oily skin types.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo- Am about to run out of this and am on the hunt for my next tube. I saw online that my local pharmacy should stock it, so I have my fingers crossed that they have it on the shelf as I find it helps with the overall appearance of my skin without drying out my face as some anti-acne products do.

Like most months, blush is something that I just couldn’t leave out of my May Favourites. I have been alternating between bright pinks and apricot tones for my cheeks, tying in my lip colours to that in an effort to channel this post from Estee.

MAC Cream Soda blush- Still loving this apricot tone blush from the Archie’s Girls collection, it has been in my favourites a few times and I’ve been wearing it a few times each week since Chris bought it for me (pretty good considering it was a consolation choice, as I hadn’t yet gotten my hands on Prom Princess from the same collection!)

Chanel Pink Explosion- One of my very favourite blushes, this hot pink shot through with shimmer lasts all day on the cheek and is a beautiful bright pop of colour to brighten up a dreary Melbourne day. I would definitely recommend the Chanel Joues Contraste blush formulas, I love the two pans that I have and I hope to collect more for my collection.

Too Faced Boudoir palette- I have an in depth post on this coming up, suffice to say I absolutely adore it and have used it a whole lot since it left Mecca Maxima in my clutches.

MAC palette- I made this little quad by popping Woodwinked, Patina, Performance Art and Nylon in an empty 4 pan to create a nice neutral palette for myself. I use Nylon in my inner corner and have been loving mixing Woodwinked + Patina together lately.

Carmex Peach*- My love for these knows no bounds, I love this shade and the pink tint as well. They feel nice and minty (from the camphor) and glide on easily, and the colour is enough to brighten up my face without looking too overdone. This peach tone works really well for me when paired with the Cream Soda blush.

The extra things that have been making me smile this month!

Kit Cosmetics Cuticle Oil*- For once in my life, I am making an effort with my nails and hands! I have been loyal to using hand cream and cuticle oil more often and am starting to see a difference, which I am elated about. This cuticle oil comes in a polish style bottle and I find it really easy to apply and rub in, which again encourages me to load up my fingertips more often.

Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean perfume- I love mini versions of perfume bottles, and this was a bargain I picked up from Priceline quite a while ago. I love the fruity floral scent which contains mandarin, peach, plum with some magnolia and orchid. The main reason for its place within my May is that every time I wore it around Chris, he commented on how amazing I smelt. A definite winner!

Have you switched up your skincare routine for winter?

What blush shades have you been wearing lately?

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

 

On Rotation: March 2013

Saw this on Eat Paint Sniff Glue (one of my favourites!) and I knew I had to follow her lead!

Skin Care

Makeup Remover: Dermalogica Precleanse*

Cleanser: Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser*

Exfoliant: Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub*

Toner/Facial Spray: Uriage Thermal Spray*

Moisturiser: Cosmecology Hydra Skin*

Night Treatment: La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo

Spot Treatment: Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion / Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

Eye Cream: Kiehls Midnight Recovery Eye

Mask: Queen Helene Mint Julip / The Jojoba Company Botanical Hydrating Mask*

Lip Balm: La Roche Posay Ceralip / Lip Smackers Kool Aid in Strawberry & Kiwi

Body Care:

Hand Cream: The Jojoba Company Lemon & Coconut*  

Body Scrub: Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub*

Shower Gel/Cream/Lotion: Bodycology Sweet Petal / Soap & Glory Clean on Me

Soap: -

Body Lotion: Dove Body Milk* / Haus of Gloi Twice is Nice Pumpkin Butter

Perfume: Avon Bond Girl / Ralph Lauren Pony #2

Candle: Dusk Chocolate Caramel (Easter collection)

Hair Care

Shampoo: Kérastase Cristalliste Bain Cristal Epais*

Conditioner: Kérastase Cristalliste Lait Cristal*

Treatment: Kérastase Cristalliste Lumiere Liquide* / Organix Argan Oil*

Shine Spray: -

Hair Spray: L’Oreal Elnet Hair Spray*

Leave In Conditioner: -

Styling Product: Batiste Boho Dry Shampoo

Makeup

Base: Face of Australia Face Base / Illamasqua Skin Base / YSL Touche Eclat*

Eyes: MAC Painterly Paint Pot / Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Color Tattoo / MAC Coquette eyeshadow / Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara

Lips: Maybelline Juicy Bubblegum lipstick / Face of Australia Peaches & Cream / essence Me & My Icecream

Cheeks: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed / Chanel JC Pink Explosion / MAC Cream Soda

Nails: L'Oreal Color Riche Luxembourg Garden

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

March Favourites

March was a hectic month for me as I began my post graduate degree at university. All of a sudden it all feels real and the pressure is immense, but if anything it made me appreciate the stars in my beauty stash more than ever as I loved relaxing and enjoying them throughout the month.

I did play around with my eye shadows quite a bit this month, I loved a heap of deep chocolate shades (as seen in this look!) I used the Bad to the Bronze Maybelline Color Tattoo as a base quite often, and also on its own if I was feeling lazy. I couldn’t tear myself away from the Australis Curve Ink eyeliner*, jet black, long lasting and goes well with my Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara. I’m still in the habit of using YSL Touche Eclat No.2* under my eyes to brighten, it covers up late nights and energy drink fuelled bad behaviour really well!

Pink lips were it and a bit this month, seriously couldn’t get enough of the hot new Face of Australia shade Peaches & Cream, which isn’t very well named but by goodness it is probably the best shade they have ever released. As soon as I saw it on the shelf at Priceline I was like a moth to flame, and even Mumma Bovary said “Oh that is YOUR colour!” In the basket it went, and I’ve been wearing it a lot this month. Maybelline Juicy Bubblegum is another great pink that I find easy to wear, and since I’ve been favouring a glossy look I've been teaming it with one of my all-time favourite glosses, essence Me & My Ice Cream. Another obsession that I’ve been indulging in is a flashback to my younger days, where lip smackers filled my school dress pockets and I was never without one. This Strawberry/Kiwi Kool Aid scent is so damn good, and it reminds me of a scent from my childhood but I just can’t put a finger on what it is. Regardless, I’ve been loving these lip products silly this month.

 

The Face of Australia Face Base primer has crept back into my daily routine and I don’t really know why I stopped using it. Feels just like a moisturiser rather than a velvety finish primer, and from blog posts I’ve read it is actually the Napoleon Perdis primer repackaged and much cheaper! Surprisingly my most worn and most loved blush for March was Cream Soda from the MAC Archie’s Girl collection. Chris bought me this as I was upset about not being able to find Prom Princess (ended up getting it later) and I’ve worn this one more than PP! Another product that has jumped back into my daily routine is the grungy looking Prestige brow gel, I’d forgotten how much of a difference you can make to your face just by grooming your brows well!

 

Now that my brain is focused on university and all the joys that come along with it, I neglected to include my Dove Body Milk for Dry Skin* and the object of my nail polish love affair. L’Oreal Color Riche in Luxembourg Garden* has truly stolen my heart, it isn’t often that I reapply the same colour time after time but I have been aching to reapply this every single time I do my nails.

What would you love to try from this lot of favourites? What pink lip product do you swear by?

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

 

MAC Haul // Archie's Girls, Strength, Making Pretty and Apres Chic

Saving for a wedding and a house means that I have had to cut back on spending, and the area that has been affected the most has been my cosmetic cravings. I've still managed to grab some nice pieces lately though, through gifts cards and frugal spending in other areas of my life. Though not all are from MAC I've been shopping there quite a bit more than usual, so a designated MAC post seems necessary!

I knew I wanted to pick up a neutral blush from the MAC Strength collection, but hasn't decided which of the two choices to go for. When I failed to get any colour from my swatch of Taupe Shape, I tried on Poised and ended up buying that one. Though probably not a necessary purchase as I do have a few similar shades, I reasoned that I wear neutral blushes often and therefore justified it.

I assumed that MAC 3N lipstick from the stunningly beautiful Making Pretty collection would be sold out when I visited my local counter, so when I found out they had 3 left I made the impulse buy right then and there. A pretty and wearable shade in some pretty packaging, and the same amount as I would have spent on a high end lipstick anyway.

 

I was lucky enough to spend the morning with Desiree and Karyn last week, and a sneaky trip to MAC Pro on Chapel Street was squeezed in after brunch. Desiree seems to have this amazing enabling effect (ie everything she likes, I want) on both Karyn and I, so I walked away with the Gentle Mineralize blush and a travel sized Fix +. Very excited to try both of these out!

 

 

Having read the Archie & Friends comics growing up, I knew I needed to get my hands on a piece of the character themed makeup that MAC had released. Even though I was always a Betty fan, the Veronica blush in Prom Princess had my heart racing and I tried for over a week to get my hands on it to no avail. Finally tracked it down before lunch with some bloggers over the weekend, and I am now content to sit back and swoon over the beautiful bright shade.

(Prom Princess came out a bit more purple than true shade in this image)

 

 

The day before I managed to snaffle Prom Princess I was moping about it being sold out on the Doncaster counter, so Chris decided to cheer me up by getting me the Betty blush in Cream Soda and lipglass in Kiss & Don’t Tell. The boy definitely knows his way to my heart! Impressed by how much both of those products suit me, and I can’t wait to show you swatches soon.

I’d love to hear what shade you like most from my haul.
What do you think of my MAC's crazy collection turnaround?