Final Empties for 2014

Though I thought my efforts at finishing products like skincare was decent in 2014, overall there was not a lot of makeup coming through and my aim for the New Year is to change that around. Committing to finishing something like a cleanser or moisturiser is evidently easier for me than finishing a blush pan or a lipgloss, so I plan on not only giving away a lot of unloved makeup this year but using up ‘almost done’ products to create some breathing room in my collection. I have a post detailing this coming up soon, but for now here are more of the products I finished off in 2014!

 

Shower Products

Dove Go Fresh Shower Gel* - The scent of this was lovely and once I’ve finished a few more body washes I will be exploring the Dove line a bit further.

L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil* - I can’t speak highly enough of this stuff, truly luxurious and worthy of all the hype it has in the beauty community.

Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo (Sensitive + Classic) - My standard shampoo, as it is the only one my scalp will tolerate. I’m hoping to find another anti-dandruff shampoo in 2015 but the process of trying them out scares my poor scalp…

The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel - Though I adore the TBS shower gel formulation, this scent did nothing for me.

L’Oreal  Elvive Fibralogy Thickening Conditioner - I didn’t mind this, though it was the pretty packaging rather than the promise of thickened hair that persuaded me to make the purchase. It became hard to get out of the tube at the end though so I’m not sure if I will repurchase at this stage.

Garnier Body Beauty Oil Scrub* - Heavenly, and the only reason I haven’t given this the full review it deserves is because Mister Bovary burned through it thinking it was a simple body wash! I need to pick up another tube to enjoy, review and ultimately hide from the husband…

Body Products

Rexona Deodorant x3 - Rexona is the Bovary household jam, we love the stuff (particularly the Tropical Energy scent, lovely!)

Old Spice ‘Fiji’ Deodorant - Mister and I bought new deodorants in CVS as we didn’t want to fly the first long haul flight with aerosols, and we each chose a stick deodorant - do American’s not have aerosol deo’s? We couldn’t find any! This was his choice and the scent was off the chain - I’m going to buy the body spray for our daily use next time I’m out shopping.

Endota Spa Lavender & Alpine Pepper Hand Cream* - My very favourite hand cream, the scent is lovely and the formula top notch.

Burberry Weekend Perfume Sample - Don’t remember too much about this scent, I want to burn through some of my samples though.

Face Products

Dermalogica Oil-Free Matte SPF30 Sunscreen* - I’ve often raved about how much I love this, the protection is nice and high and the citrus scent is so appealing to me. I love using this under make-up as it is a great daytime primer!

Bioderma Crealine h20 (travel size) - I’ve moved onto the much cheaper Garnier for my cleansing water but have a few of these floating around from the Priceline 40% skincare sale.

Covergirl Outlast Foundation - This is one of the best foundations I’ve tried thus far and I will definitely repurchase.

TheBalm Time Balm White Tea Rose Face Cleanser* - I have a full review of this coming!

La Mav Hyaluronic Daily Moisture Crème* - This was a bit too light for my skin which has become a bit drier lately, so Mister ended up finishing this and liked it quite a lot.

Jurlique Intense Recovery Mask* - This was tingly and refreshing and the sample tube lasted an age.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Make-Up Remover* - Really wasn’t a fan of this, this opinion was cemented when I moved onto the next bottle in my stash (a Maybelline one) and it knocked the socks off of this one.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - My beloved HG serum, saves my skin daily.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant* - Once upon a time I preferred the Alpha H exfoliant to this, but then my opinion flipped and this came out on top. A really great staple from the skincare giants!

Apivita Express Beauty Mask with Pink Clay* - This was a nice clay-based mask, I used it in conjunction with a few others and think the sachets are cute if a little awkward to use effectively.

I’m quite proud of finishing up skincare during 2014, I once chopped and changed so often that product went to waste but now I think I’ve turned that all around. Sad to think that my pricy and beloved Lancome Dreamtone will be in the next empties post though…

Emma x

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Le List - The Tuesday Poll

Sometimes a poll is a nice way to break from routine, and I felt like chatting about makeup using Le List from Makeup and Beauty Blog. Feel free to tag yourself and post your responses in the comments or on your blog, I'd love to read them all!

a pretty blush photo, Sunday Riley 'Blushing'
unrelated to le list, but I wanted to share it with you anyway

1. Do you have a diary?
I have thousands of those little secret keepers! Sadly, the secrets within are nothing to rave about, but Mister Bovary is still itching to crack one open and have a read.
*writes fake diary entry*
Dear Diary. I wish Mister would bust out the Lush Magic Wiccy massage bar more often, I have some knots in my shoulders that need work...
Do you think it would work?!

2. Best makeup lighting in your house?
In my new place? Definitely in the lounge during the afternoon, but I am yet to test out my beauty room so I am not sure how the light in there is during the day. Can't wait to have my Ikea Alex and some polish racks in there, with a little sitting area for reading a book with a cuppa.

3. Which do you wear more often, lipstick or gloss?
Lately, it has definitely been gloss. Barry M Toffee has been getting quite the workout, the sweet scent and wearable nude colour is just hitting it out of the park for me at the moment. I've also got my eye on some of the new nude Kardashian Beauty lip glosses - nude lips for summer, that is something different!

4. With whom do you talk the most about makeup offline?
Beauty blogger events are always a great chance to blab about beauty with likeminded ladies, but I also love chatting to the chicks at Kit Cosmetics (always so lovely, and honest too!) My dear friend Carly is beauty mad as well, so we often lose half our study sessions to musing about beauty YouTube channels and what new eyeshadow palettes we are gunning for. Nothing better than chatting about beauty!

5. Does the color of a room affect your mood?
The bedroom at our new place is all warm tones, rich chocolate with taupe and latte tones mixed in for good measure. It makes me feel cozy and stylish, despite not having our new bedroom suite in there just yet. I suppose having a say in the colour does affect my mood, I know I want some bright pops of colour in my beauty room so that will be a mood lifter for sure!

6. Do you have any plants around you at work?
When I'm working from home I'm not really surrounded by nature - I do break for an hour during the day to walk alongside our local lake, so I suppose that counts as plants (and ducks, swamp hens and swans!) I like being able to indulge in nature, but it can get messy so we have a ultra low maintenance outdoor area and use the surrounding parks instead!

7. Are there any shadows you love except for the fallout?
There are a few Too Faced shades that drive me mental with fallout, but because I apply my eye makeup before the face it doesn't really bother me all that much. MAC Retrospeck is a bit chunky and can sometimes have fallout, but it remains one of my favourite eye shadows regardless!

8. How do you feel about nude nail polish?
I think it can look really lovely if the tone is right, I have some great essence nude polishes that I quite like. They can be a bit bland sometimes, but generally they give a nice polished, lady-like look to your hands.

9. If you could be invisible for 2 hours, what would you do?
If I said I would sneak into the drawers at Chanel to see if they have the new holiday collection hidden in there, would you think less of me? I want to swatch it so badly! That being said, does anyone have a launch date for Australia? Accent blush be mine!

10. What’s your current favorite face product?
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, my skin has had it's monthly tantrum and I'm nursing it back to health with this miracle tube. In terms of pretty face products? Tarte Exposed still has it goin' on- I'm boring and predictable, I know!

a blush photo featuring Tarte Exposed, as always

Now it's your turn! Tell me what your current favourite face product is in the comments, I would absolutely love to know!

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty x

I've Been Shopping! - A Collective Haul

I’ve picked up some pretty lovely things lately, and even though a few online orders are yet to arrive it is time to share my new stash items with you.  Most are from Priceline and the supermarket, but I forgot to include my Clinique products (and GWP!) so they’ll have to feature in the next round up instead. Moving is messing with my mojo, but we’ll get there eventually.

Covergirl seems to be my Achilles heel this month, and I found all 3 of these trios on sale at various points of the month and treated myself to them. No restraint there, I tell ya! Majestic Hazels (bottom left) has a really nice mix of browns along with a mint and a cream shade, and I think I am going to really enjoy playing around with it and finding new combinations. Country Woods (bottom right) had caught my eye a few times, and those neutrals needed to be mine. Blossoms (top palette) is not something I thought I’d buy, but I love the intense mix of pink and purple as they are so pretty.

 

The Innoxa blush duo might have been a silly purchase as I really don’t need another blush and I definitely don’t need two but the purchase happened, and the free kabuki brush was procured. The BOE products I believe are Big W exclusive, and I couldn’t help treating myself to a matte lip cream and two lip lacquers for the pricely sum of $2 each! The lip loving trend continues with a Pink Lolita tinted Baby Lips by Maybelline hopping into my Priceline basket, along with a slew of new lip products that I don’t regret and am still swooning over.

 

The Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balms in Watermelon Twist + Plum Twist were inevitable purchases – one inspired by Ingrid from Miss Glamorazzi and the other a nod to a vampy side of me that needs some attention. The final lip crayon to enter my overloaded crayon collection is the Bourjois Colour Boost Glossy Finish crayon in Peach at the Beach. Could it be the cutest name ever? My vote is a yes at the moment, since I am so smitten with this shade. I am so tempted to head back for another shade, but on principle I’m waiting for a Bourjois sale. Stares intently at watch.

 

La Roche Posay’s Effaclar Duo is an absolue miracle for my skin, and now that it is available at Priceline I was able to repurchase and avoid a skin meltdown - crisis averted! I read about the Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion first on Styling You, and the very next day I popped into Big W and bought it on sale for $5! I’m yet to try it as I’m saving it for my new place it’s the little things, but 5 of my family and friends have since bought it and have been quite impressed! The Grown Body Exfoliant and Facial Moisturiser were spotted for $5 on a clearance shelf at Priceline, and I love the aesthetic of the brand so much that I just had to buy them.

 

That rounds up (most of) my collective haul! I’d love to know what you think of the products I chose, or what you have picked up lately that you think I should check out.

Happy hump day!

June Empties

 

 

Lush Sugar Scrub*

Second time I’ve tried this (both were from sample boxes) and I just can't make my mind up about it. Review to come.

Johnson’s Pure Cotton Squares

Bit pricier than my normal ones but nice and soft, and I liked the large square shape. Probably wouldn’t try to purchase next time but wouldn’t mind using again.

Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel Foundation

My very favourite foundation, and sadly discontinued. Damn you Rimmel. Leaves a great ‘skin like’ finish and luckily I bought backups.

Ardell Clear Brow Gel

Not so clear anymore! A nice brow gel that doesn’t flake, would repurchase.

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Snog

These glosses are really nice but seem to turn quite quickly, though that doesn’t stop my sister repurchasing regularly. In fact, I am surprised I still have this as she normally steals them from my handbag!

 

 

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo

This is my skin saviour and keeps my skin blemish free, so needless to say this is a definite repurchase.

Bioderma Crealine H2O

Admittedly this hasn’t got a whole lot of love since Dermalogica Precleanse came onto the scene, but I still turn to it for lazy pre-cleansing and cleaning up eye makeup at my makeup table. A great precleanse for sensitive skin and I like to use it in the morning before applying my makeup.

Avon Naturals Vanilla Room Spray

This was a great scent and the can lasted for a long time, would repurchase.

The Aromatherapy Company Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray*

Though I loved the scent of this and like the idea of a foot spray, the packaging wouldn’t stop leaking and the essential oils managed to burn a hole on my white cabinet. Hoping I was just unlucky with this one?

 

Be honest- how much do you normally use up each month?

 

*Provided for consideration.

The Night Routine

 

Despite really enjoying the skincare I had been using, once again I’ve switched it up in order to explore new products and work on improving my skin. I’ve been slapping these on while watching FleurdeVlog after my nightly cleanse, and I’ve been loving the feel of the silky L’Occitane Essence Sublime serum*(on counter August 14th)! The packaging is really pretty, and undoubtedly better than the small necked Angelica Hydration Cream* which is luxe but hard to reach into. I’ve been trialling the L’Occitane products for over a month now, and the cooling Regard Radieux Eye Roll On* is a strange consistency (I’m used to eye creams over gels) but hasn’t caused milia, so thumbs up for that!

Acne is something I like to keep at bay surprise surprise and as always I turn to Mario Badescu for that.  The Buffering Lotion is tops for under the surface bumpiness,  while the Drying Lotion zaps any big nasties without drying out my skin like other spot treatments do. Highly recommended!  I’ve been squeezing the last drops out of my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, and was elated to find out that my local pharmacy is not stocking the range- score! I tried to describe it to my sister today, and the phrase ‘skin perfector’ and ‘a damn miracle’ were involved, so there’s that for ya…

What are you slapping on your face in the PM?

Skincare Routine

Each time I am in the midst of a ‘good skin’ month, I feel the urge to post a round-up of the products that I’ve been enjoying. Despite suffering through what I believe was an allergic reaction to my hair mask (exacerbated by constant scarf wear!) I have been happy with the texture of my skin and am thankful for a range of products for helping me out in that respect. Since I am consistently rotating my skincare in order to review products on this blog, many are press samples or things that I only use for a 6 week period to keep the reviews coming. Just something to keep in mind!

In terms of my morning routine, I like to keep it quite simple and use cleansing water like Bioderma Crealine h20 to rid my skin of any remnants of my nightly routine. I’ll be honest and say that this isn’t always a step I undertake daily as I can be quite lazy in the mornings! I then pop on a full pump of Cetaphil Derma Control SPF30+ moisturiser*, which is broad spectrum and non comedogenic. This keeps my skin smooth and helps prevent acne whilst providing UVA/UVB sun protection. I find this to be a great moisturiser and I’m glad that the lightweight bottle is pump action and cheap enough when it comes time to repurchase! While this sinks in, I begin applying my eye makeup, then move onto applying primer and the rest of my makeup routine.

At night, I take a lot more time caring for my skin. I begin by removing my eye makeup before I hope into the shower, with Maybelline’s City Rescue makeup remover which I am about to run out of. I then use Dermalogica Precleanse* and Antipodes Grace cleanser* while I shower. I am still having a love affair with Precleanse, and am enjoying the touch of class that Antipodes brings to my bathroom. I find the creamy formula of Grace to still be quite lightweight, and it doesn’t add any oil or shine to my skin as I at first thought it might. I do still prefer my Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Clothcleanser* though, as I find it leaves my skin softer and smells a little nicer than this luxe metal tube. I switch up my facial scrubs quite often, and right now I’m using the Dermalogica Skin Prep scrub* (sample tube).

After cleansing, I move onto layering a few treatments and serums depending on how my skin is acting that particular day. I suffer from a little bit of acne, and so without these treatments my skin acts a fool! Mario Badescu is wonderful for acne prone skin, and I rely on the Buffering Lotion to take care of my bumpy forehead and deep pimples, while the Drying Lotion stops the spots about to erupt in their tracks. I also love La Roche Posay Efflacar Duo to keep my skin acne free overall, and will definitely be repurchasing when this tube meets its end. I sometimes use Lacura Hyaluronic Gel to help suck some moisture into my skin, but lately I’ve been favouring my Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost*.

To end my skincare routine, I take time massaging in a night cream to moisturise the dry patches of my face. I was using a lightweight lotion during the heat wave we experienced earlier in the year, but now that it is chilly I have cracked open my tub of Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream*. Such a lovely name, isn’t it? I found the texture of this really strange, it is sort of like curdled yoghurt, and at first I doubted how hydrating it would be. Happy to report that I was way off, you need the tiniest bit of this to cover your whole face and it works so well at hydrating without being heavy or breaking me out!

 

 

Phew! That rounds up the skincare loot that has been slapped on my mug lately. Now it is YOUR turn! What products do you swear by for your skin?

 *Items provided for consideration. Honesty, always.