Some exciting news...

So happy to announce that Baby Bovary is due November 2017!

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It has been quite tricky to keep the news on the down low across social media but I'm so glad to be finally sharing this happy news with you all. I have documented so much of my personal life on this blog over the years, from dating Mr Bovary to buying a house and getting married, and this next exciting chapter is one I can't wait to document along the way. I'm now partway through my second trimester and am looking forward to (hopefully!) lots of baby related chats with fellow Mum's on my social media channels - but rest assured, beauty will still feature heavily as it always has. 

Emma x 

Twitter: emmabovaryblog

Instagram: emmabovary

 

Smuggler's Soul Sunday

The new Lush Father's Day collection* is out on shelves and I've been trialling some of the products, despite obviously not being a papa myself. My own Dad isn't the pampering kind at all and wouldn't appreciate gifts like this for his special day (we've actually bought some awesome new décor for his bar!) but I know that when Mister Bovary and I have a child he will be gunning for a big bag of Lush each Father's Day - it's his favourite!

The focus seems to be on citrus and sandalwood for the Father's in our lives, which suits me as I'm fond of both of those scent families. 'Thanks Dad Soap' and 'The Modfather Bubble Bar' are from the citrus side of things while the 'Super Dad Bath Bomb' and Smuggler's Soul range is all based on sandalwood.

I immediately made grabby hands for the Smuggler's Soul Multipurpose Cream and Smuggler's Soul Facial Scrub, which Mister and I are trialling together. Lush says that you can use the Multipurpose Cream as a moisturiser, shaving cream, hair styling product etc but so far we've just used it as a straight up facial moisturiser. It's definitely better suited to a night time skincare routine as it does leave some residue on the skin (which I don't mind for overnight) and the scent is lovely! It's the consistency of runny yoghurt but packs a nice punch in the moisturising stakes!

I have a weakness for facial scrubs and the Smuggler's Soul Facial Scrub is one of the nicer ones I've tried in recent times - it's contains very fine bamboo granules and has a delicious sandalwood scent that is so warm and cozy! I love the texture and it scrubs my skin really well, but I do find with physical exfoliants like this I need to be careful not to be overzealous in case it aggravates my skin.

We've got a jam-packed afternoon planned for Father's Day, we're having a casual lunch out with my side during the day and moving straight onto an early dinner at an Italian restaurant chain with Mister's side - I think I'm going to have to be rolled home after all that food! Do you have anything exciting planned with your family?
-Emma x


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

Mister Bovary's Current Favourites

When it comes to my husband, low-key is the perfect way to describe him! Since I've slowly been working beauty products into his routine he has enough of a product pool to pick some favourites for me, so here is his inaugural current favourites post! 

Scent is a driving factor for so many of his favourites, so it makes sense that two of his favourites are aftershaves! His very favourite is Polo Red by Ralph Lauren, but he recently hijacked my bottle of Calvin Klein CK2* that is marketed as a unisex fragrance. It doesn't mesh all that well with me but he loves the oceanic scent on himself so I was happy to let him take over use of the bottle.

Another seemingly random favourite of his? Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, which smells divine and is another item we 'share' but that he uses more of by far. He loves that it relaxes him and his skin drinks it up, plus I love the cool mist and luxurious scent right before bed every evening.

He hardly ever does anything to his hair (beanies are his newfound love!) but when he does it's all about the MUK Hard Muk Styling Mud, which is a firm paste that tousles his short hair perfectly. I buy him the 2 pack when it goes on special at Hairhouse Warehouse so we always have it on the go for special occasions. Staples in his routine are his beloved Rexona (we share as I prefer the male selection to the floral and sweet female deodorants!) and the Biore Pore Strips - grossly satisfying, am I right?

Is your man into primping or preening? What is his favourite product? Is there anything cool you think I should buy for Mister to try out and review for you?
-Emma x


*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The Remington Vacgroom // Mister Bovary Mentions

Now that we're getting hitched, Mister Bovary has decided to step up in the blogging realm with his own series, and I'm stoked to have a chance to guinea pig some male-orientated beauty and lifestyle products with him. He isn't much of a writer so I'll be throwing his thoughts into a semi-regular post for you to enjoy!


our little family, and le beard in action

First up is a good 'un, with the uber schmancy Remington Vacgroom 2-in-1 Beard Trimmer hitting our vanity for a good run through. Mister is hardly ever clean shaven (baby face syndrome when it does happens!) and prefers light stubble for his day-to-day look. Often I spot cool looking shavers around this time of year (Father's Day on Sunday, say whaaaat!) but a trimmer is so much more useful in our household. The best thing about this Remington robot? Say it with me now ladies - vacuum!

I love when Mister puts a wee bit of effort into his looks, but my oh my those beard hairs fly everywhere and clean up after he is done is such a pain. He always tries to cover the vanity with a towel but inevitably there are some missed hairs so I lurve the fact that this bad boy sucks up all the pesky hairs so I don't have to later!

Mister Bovary: Very impressed! He liked the blue accents and the inclusion of a wee beardy brush and a Remington bag to keep it all in was a definite score with this one. He has a single drawer in our second bathroom (my collection of haircare takes up the rest!) so keeping it all in a nice black Remington bag in his drawer is a great idea.

Mister used the Vacgroom without the brushguard attached as his stubble wasn't very long, and he used it to tidy up around the edges (I did tell him there was a smaller head to clip on for that but nope, he wanted it his way) and trim the overall length. We both raced to have a squiz inside the vacuum compartment and seeing all of the hairs collected in there was awesome - they really mean it when they say no mess!

Some facts to gloss over for you -
-The Vacgroom comes with 2 attachement heads, a 32mm trimmer as well as a 16mm detail head for shaping up those edges

-It boasts a long-lasting and rechargeable Lithium Powered Battery and "a power-drive dual gear system work to deliver maximum power and torque." If that isn't manly, I don't know what is!

-The Vacgroom retails for $99.95, call 1800 623 118 for stockists.

-It will turn your other half into a suave and spunky man, or your Dad into a slick and trimmed one...*

So if you feel like spoiling your other half while keeping your vanity clean, check this one out. It's also perfect as a Father's Day gift if your old man likes a bit of stubble - think about it this way, you get brownie points from your Mum with this gift as well! Just sayin'!

Emma and Mister Bovary x

*Results may vary, depending on how awesome your men are to start with!
*Product was provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

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.

Beauty News // Shop + Report

Though I’m just back from a weekend away with Chris for our 5^th anniversary, I kept true to my title of beauty blogger and had my eyes peeled for new beauty news in the area while we were away. I thought it might be helpful to share some of the exciting beauty news with you all, and if you would like to keep up to date with the news faster add me on Instagram (@emmabovary) or Twitter (@emmabovaryblog)

 We spent Friday wandering around Rosebud, and I was elated to see tickets on the shelf and space cleared for some of my most loved French skincare brands! Uriage, Bioderma and La Roche Posay make some products that really work for me, and I can’t wait for these brands to roll out across all Priceline stores so everyone can take advantage of some lovely French skincare. For those who are yet to try any of these brands, I would recommend these products:

Uriage

Eye cream

Day Cream

Facial Spray

Bioderma

Crealine H2O

Facial Scrub

La Roche Posay

Effaclar Duo

I’m planning on picking up another tube of LRP Effaclar Duo as mine has just run out, some Bioderma H2O and a new moisturiser or sunscreen from LRP as well.

Speaking of exciting Priceline developments, they have finally rolled out Hydraluron and Eysilix (which I was very happy to receive from Priceline!) and us Aussie’s now have regular access to some top notch skincare. For information about the famed Hydraluron (which will no doubt sell out fast so run!) see the amazing Caroline Hirons, who is always recommending it as a serum to use underneath moisturiser to lock in hydration. It retails for $35 AUD- if you have tried it, let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!

It is becoming quite evident that I don’t mind a gander in a pharmacy, fair to say? I was in Rosebud Terry White when I spotted a new Bubblegum themed nail collection from Revlon, including the famous Whimsical nail polish that I have had in my saved searches on eBay forever! I also ended up getting Girly from the same collection, and I am mighty pleased with both shades.

The new range of Ulta3 nail polishes have also been spotted at a few pharmacies (including TW Rosebud) and I grabbed a few of the shimmer + glitter shades, one of which was the amazing black + white dotted topcoat called Stop the Press. For a mere $2 these polishes are great quality and some of the shades are really unique, so I highly recommend picking up a few if you can.

Do you have any beauty news to share?

What is the latest beauty item you’ve purchased?