Spring Peaches

It finally feels like spring is actually upon us, and I've been taking advantage by spending as much time as I can outside with the dogs and soaking up some much-needed Vitamin D! Being heavily pregnant has meant walks are short and very tiring so I've just been popping a chair in the garden and letting the boys run around while I relax- never have I appreciated our front fence more! The fresh air has been lifting my spirits and I've also gotten some reading done which has been lovely. I was also inspired to dig through my makeup drawers a little and came up with some products I haven't used in a while to freshen up my everyday look - I was very much drawn to peach tones! 

The Too Faced Sweet Peach palette has a lot of mixed reviews from what I've seen online, but I really like it and appreciate that there are some easy to wear neutral shades in it that I can just throw on when I'm tired. I do wish the green shade shone through more when I put it on my lids but it's still lovely and I've been getting a fair bit of use from it lately. I also pulled out my favourite peachy gloss Revlon Pango Peach which I adore as I don't need a mirror to apply it, which makes it so easy to reapply while I'm out and about. Possibly the most exciting additions to my routine are MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque (which never fails to remind me of Ingrid Nilsen aka Miss Glamorazzi, who introduced me to the shade on her YouTube channel!) and MAC Springsheen Blush which is a darker orange-peach shade. I haven't bought anything from MAC in the longest time but have been enjoying exploring my old favourites from the brand - such a throwback! 

Have you thrown anything new into your routine with the change in weather? When is the last time you purchased from MAC?

-Emma 

Autumn Orange Kick

As soon as I saw Liz from Beauty Reductionista post about her current orange obsession "Winter Orange Kick" I was inspired to pull all the orange from my makeup drawers and go to town. I find that my pale skin generally allows me to play around with oranges quite easily (peach can be slightly more challenging) so this is just a selection of the orange products that I have.

my orange autumn kick!

I'm not too fussed on tone when it comes to orange - I love a great bright orange for nails and lips, but for eyes I'm happy with a lighter orange or a burnt sienna shade - like Jardin or Cannes in the Too Faced A La Mode Eyes Palette. Cheeks are an area of the face I love to deck out in orange tones - at the moment these two essence blushes are what I'm reaching for! Wool-D You Cuddle Me? from the Home Sweet Home collection is a great mix of pale orange with a hot pink pattern, and the ombre blush trend is one I'm happy to be a part of with I <3 Summer Break from the Beach Cruisers collection- the ability to mix a custom colour is so much fun!

I do love a good bright orange - my favourite is hands down the Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous which I wore in this makeup look back in November (looking at that post makes me want to wear Sally Hansen Kook-A-Mango so bad!) I love the formula of the Maybelline Colour Elixirs and prefer light colours like Breathtaking Apricot over the darker reds and purples - I generally like a matte finish if I'm wearing deeper shades. I have to admit that the Revlon Lip Butters are very unloved in my stash, and despite loving the colour of Peach Parfait the gritty feel of it does tend to drive me crazy when I wear it...

The most loved product from my current autumn orange kick? My beloved Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Coral Sheen, which is a gorgeous bright burst of cream blush for the cheek that is hard to beat now that the weather has turned a bit miserable. I think that nothing beats a nice bright blush on a grey day, it tends to perk up my whole complexion and I'm looking forward to working in pops of colour with my dark day-to-day autumn/winter wardrobe.

{Jardin, I <3 Summer Break, Wool'd You Cuddle Me?, Breathtaking Apricot
Peach Parfait, Rendezvous, Coral Sheen}

Are you on any sort of colour kick at the moment? I have to admit that I'm admiring a whole lot of purple at the moment which has never happened before, but since it's generally just for my eyes I have to say that orange is still pipping it at the colour post. Would love to know of your favourite orange beauty products!?

-Emma x

 

Currently Obsessed : Golden Peach with MAC

Reorganising my daily drawer for what seems like the millionth time and I stumbled upon an eye combo that I hadn’t tried before, and thought I’d put it to the test.  I’ve been relying on my neutral shadow palettes to create easy-to-wear eye looks lately and this is a lot peachier than I’m used to, but I’ve found it to really brighten up things and I actually wore this shadow combo every day last week!

 

MAC Rubenesque

I bought the MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque at a CCO (does that stand for cosmetic company outlet?) in Las Vegas and flashbacks of watching Miss Glamorazzi beauty video’s back in the day resurfaced and made me drop it into my cart. It’s a warm peachy shade with lots of fine golden shimmer that doesn’t apply as smooth as my Painterly Paint Pot, but it’s of a smoother quality than the other shimmery Paint Pots I own so I will give it a star for that. It can turn a bit of an unpleasant orange on me if I layer it up too much thanks to my pale skin, so for this look I’ve left it light and then went back in with my MAC powder shadow in Retrospeck.

MAC Retrospeck

I acquired Retrospeck in the Royal Assets : Warm Eyes palette from a blog sale and it’s something that I have loved from day one. It’s a bit too ‘blonde’ and golden for me at times but I still wear it often (that’s love, right?) and when it hits Rubenesque magic happens and it creates a gorgeous eye look that I can’t get enough of.

What is your favourite eye combination? What MAC Paint Pot do you swear by?

-Emma

Lover & Shell

I wear this eye combo quite a lot, and it is most likely my favourite colourful eye look I’ve come across. I use two Inglot shades from my most colourful palette to make a shimmery deep orange eye, and though I know that some might think it over the top, I like to play matchy matchy and since I wear orange so much, it just works for me.  

 

I used to struggle to pair a blush with this eye look, but since I bought the Illamasqua Duo, Lover has been my go-to orange toned cheek colour. MAC Coquette was thrown through my brows and smudged under my lower lashline to ground the look, and I used TheBalm’s Mary Lou Manizer atop Lover to get myself glowing.

 

oh Mary Lou!

 

Still loving the nude lip trend, I chose fall back shade Nude Delight from Rimmel. Addicted to glossy lips, Mineralogie’s lipgloss in Shell* was plucked from the depths of my handbag and paired with it. I have been wearing this paraben-free shade a stack lately, and I love the way it is pigmented for a gloss, and takes my lips into a pretty nude realm rather than a sheer lip look like my other pale glosses can do.

 

Are you a fan of orange and peach tones? What blush do you recommend I try next to go with a look like this?

 

*Marked item was provided for consideration. Honesty, always. 

Vineyard Peach from The Body Shop

I’ll admit it, I tend to go for scents in the citrus and vanilla sphere when choosing a new body butter or shower gel. When the new release from The Body Shop hit my desk, I was intrigued and was happy to get outside the usual fragrance funk and try something new. Vineyard Peach is a special limited edition release from the eco-friendly company, and like the rest of their scent line, this one is a winner!

 

Smelling like straight up fresh cut peaches, this is heavily scented stuff we’re dealing with. As always, it is the shower gel ($12.95) that steals my heart the most. The Body Shop shower gels are probably my favourite on the market, they lather up the perfect amount and the scents are always in your face, without being in your face, you know? The gel leaves your skin soft and not at all squeaky (nobody wants that, seriously) and the scent sticks to your skin in a delicate and subtle way after you dry off.

 

A surprising front runner is the body scrub containing ground peach seeds ($27.95) I am generally a fan of the sugar based heavy hitting scrubs from these guys, and this seemed so gentle and creamy that I wasn’t sure it would blossom into a full relationship. Lo and behold, I’ve become accustomed to some exfoliation on the lighter end of the scale, possibly persuaded by the fact that this makes your skin so soft and moisturised, without ANY residue. Big win guys, standing ovation please! 

 

Now when it comes to post-shower indulgence, The Body Shop brings both a lotion ($21.95)and a thick butter ($27.95) to the table. I like my moisturisation to be intense and worthwhile, so I am definitely rooting for the big ol’ tub of peachy goodness that the butter holds. The lotion doesn’t really do it for me, but I suppose 3 outta 4 ain’t bad?

 

Since this is a limited release deal, I suggest you take a sniff next time you’re in the vicinity of the eco-haven that is The Body Shop. If it doesn’t tickle your fancy, my uber faves Satsuma and Moringa should be on a shelf close by, so give them some love as well. I don’t mind a long wander in their stores, as they assistants aren’t pushy when they know you just want to stand there and sniff every single scent they have. Not that I do that often…

 

 

*These products were provided for consideration. My father in law ate all the peaches so I was stuck with nectarines for this shoot...did you notice? Honesty, always.

Dior Amber Diamond // Swatch, Photo, Review

The famous Dior Amber Diamond highlighter is spoken of quite often in the beauty world, but it was only when I heard that it was being discontinuted that I decided to bring it into my collection. A golden peachy sort of champagne highlighter, I find this to be a well used weapon in my makeup arsenal.

 Packaging, whether it should or not, makes a difference when it comes to my love for a cosmetic product. If a highlighter comes in flimsy packaging and isn't appealing to the eye, I admit that I would find it harder to love. Luckily, Amber Diamond is packaged beautifully in a sturdy navy blue compact, marked with Dior logos, and comes tucked nicely in a velvet sleeve.

 Though I am at the very fair end of the complexion scale, the tan section in this highlighter isn't too dark for me, though I do tend to wear this when I have a bit of bronzer on as I find it goes well with it. Like the Bobbi Brown shimmer strips you can lean towards certain colours as they are separated within the compact. From what I understand, however, the Dior offering is less frosty on the skin than BB's.

 My favourite way to apply this is with a Real Techniques Contour Brush (which comes in the core collection) and I use it along my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose and sometimes on my cupids bow if I'm really taking my time doing my makeup. It leaves a soft and diffused sort of finish on the skin, and when I know I'll be photographed I use it because I know it makes me look glowy and healthy.

 

 As I mentioned earlier, from what I understand the Dior Amber Diamond highlighter has been discontinued in some countries, so if it is something you're interested in I would hop down to your local counter, or try any online Dior sources you know of.

 

I am really happy to have this in my collection, I've seen this in the HG status of many prolific bloggers and though I have a plethora of highlighters, this is one of my favourites.

 

Have you tried Amber Diamond?

How important is packaging to you?

 

*I purchased this item with my own money. Honesty, always.



Illamasqua Blush Duo // Hussy & Lover

Sometimes I think Illamasqua couldn't get more exciting, and then they bring out a pretty blush duo just in time for Christmas! I could've added this to my list for Santa, but instead bought it for myself and I'm so pleased to own these two famous Illamasqua cheek shades!

I feature quite a bit of Illamasqua on this blog as it is a favourite brand of mine, but I have hardly mentioned the blushes that they are so famous for. I own quite a few, from their powder formula's to cream blushes, but the two most popular shades (to my knowledge) are Hussy and Lover, and I did not own either of them! I was elated to spot this on the Sydney counter while shopping with Desiree and Lizzi and I knew I'd be crazy to pass this up.

I have only hit pan on a few of my makeup pieces (having only been obsessed for a few short years) but blush seems to be the most likely pan hit for me. The best thing about this duo is that even if you use up one or both of the small sized pans, they are part of Illamasqua's permanent line so you can head out and repurchase them at full size.

Lover and Hussy

Illamasqua blushes are very pigmented, but easy to blend and with a light hand they are really wearable. I've only had this duo for a short time so haven't had a chance to really bust into it, but I am in a peachy mood so am loving Lover with warm eyes for Spring.

Lover and Hussy

 The brand new Illamasqua blush duo retails for $39 AUD and contains 2x2g blushes (for reference, full size Illamasqua blushes contain 4.5g)

 

What Illamasqua blush shades have you tried?

What do you think of blush duo's?

 

*I purchased this beauty all by myself :) Honesty, always.

 



this past week

This week I've been rocking OPI From A to Z-urich on my nails, playing matchy-matchy (without realising it!) with my new wine coloured scarf. I'm about to paint my nails with some new Rimmel goodies, Lively Lilac with an accent of Disco Ball! My lips have been rocking Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy at work as I'm trying to say sayonara to the shade, but I've also been loving the new Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss in Troublant.

 I've been spraying Urban Rituelle's Cotton Candy fragrance all week long, my boss and my mother have tried to nick it so far, it's such an addictive scent! I'm excited to be almost at the end of my Rimmel Match Perfection gel-cream foundation and my NYX blush in Peach, I've already arranged the blush replacement but am not letting myself touch it until Peach is all gone! My beauty issue this week has definitely been my flaky forehead, it makes it hard to wear foundation and hydrating masks aren't helping. Does anyone have a solution? And finally, the beauty product that has been giving me butterflies all week is my Kiehls Midnight Recovery eye cream, which is just so lovely I could cry.

Now please, make my day and tell me YOUR 'this past week' in the comments below!
Nails this week:
Next nail shade:
Most worn lip:
Most worn fragrance:
Products you are trying to use up:
Beauty issue:
Butterfly product:

hitting pan

For a beauty enthusiast, there is nothing more bittersweet than glimpsing that shiny pan as you sweep your brush across a product. I've fallen in love with many products over the years, and hitting pan is the proof of my affection.

I am a huge advocate for Sportsgirl cosmetics, and most of the pieces I buy from there fall into my 'favourite' pile quite frequently. It is no surprise that two items I have hit pan on are from this Australian chain store! Prom Night eyeshadow is a sheer and shimmery champagne colour that I use as a base or highlight on my eye, or sometimes on its own over the lid for a simple eye look.

My NYX blush in Peach has been well loved, and it is because it works well with so many looks that the pan is showing. It is quite a warm-toned pink and very pigmented, and though its name may lead you astray it is not a peach shade at all. I plan to purchase another shade from the NYX powder blush line when this is gone, but I know that one day I will buy another Peach pan.

Sportsgirl 'Get Cheeky' is a sheer blush that I use as a highlight more than anything. I find it looks great when dusted over NYX Peach, among many other blushes in my collection. It adds a glow to my face without being overly glittery or shimmery, and that is why it works so well for me.

Urban Decay's Virgin eyeshadow is the best highlight shade I have used, and I often use it to blend out shadows when the lines are too harsh. It is a cool pale beige shade that works perfectly with my skin tone. I was very excited to hit pan on my first shadow from the original Naked palette, and I know that soon I will hit pan on Sin as well.

MAC's Retrospeck shadow is a bleached blonde neutral shade that I often reach for on lazy days when I can't be bothered really doing my makeup. It is a little chunky but I still find it really easy to work with, and will be buying a pan of it for my MAC palette when the pan in this holiday set is finito.

The pan on these have grown since these photos were taken, and I must say I am looking forward to using them up and bidding them adieu.

How do you feel when you hit pan?