Super sales & Bonker bargains!!!

Since Christmas is gone, the season is now about sparkly NYE party frocks and bargains galore. I've rounded up the bargains that have impressed me, and in coming posts will share NYE makeup looks I may be rocking!

Napoleon Perdis concept stores have a stack of summer collection products at 50% off! They are selling out fast, but if you can nab something you've got yourself a stellar bargain. My man bought me the 'Great Escapes Brush Set' in Teal to put away for my birthday next week. It's $375 worth of prodz, was retailing for $99, and we grabbed it for $49.50! It comes with 8 brushes in a leather case that has spots for all of them, and a zippered section if you want to pop some powder or something in there. There are also lip gloss sets and other items half price, but I knew what I wanted so went straight for this bad boy.I had a quick squiz in the cosmetics section of my local Myer, and saw selected Revlon items at 30% off (including the Just Bitten lip stains for $12.55!!) I also spotted something I hope to buy...
The Benefit 'All you need is Gloss' set of 6 glosses...for $24!! Am glad I didn't purchase them before, I think I'd be silly not to grab them now.
Online beauty site Cherry Culture has an extra 20% off with the code:s20, till December 30th. I haven't purchased anything from these guys yet but have heard good things, so in between typing I'm throwing some NYX items into my shopping basket, among many others.

Another sale (of sorts..) is the promotion Illamasqua will have running from Jan 9th through 30th. The concept is great- bin your boring crappy makeup for 25% off Illamasqua goodies! Just take them in, hand them over, and get shopping! Considering Illamasqua is pretty much my number 1 brand, I am all on board this train! I got wind of this deal through Primped =)

Another heads up I'm grateful for came from blogger Bini Loves Beauty. She tweeted recently about grabbing a bunch of MAC prodz for under $100, and I was intrigued. Found out that she purchases her stuff from ebayer "bergan71809", and on her positive recommendation I shall be purchasing some goodies from here soon. On a quick look over her items for sale, and spotted a heap of MAC shadows for less than $12! Jump in!


Hope you lovely ladies are shopping up a storm, let me know what you grab!

love emmabovary xx

(ps Christmas present post will be up soon, I was spoiled!)

2010, almost done and dusted!

Was perusing my favourite blogs and came across this gem of a yearly wrap up at 'I Came to Make a Bang' Thought I would steal it and share the year that passed and the year ahead.

What was your 2010 resolution?
I think it was the usual- to lose weight, study hard, work heaps, and head overseas with Mister Christopher. I put on weight, studied moderately, worked heaps and enjoyed a holiday in Thailand and Malaysia =)

What will be your 2011 resolution?
To make 'emmabovarybeauty' something that you guys want to click on all the time. Your support gives me confidence that this can be made possible in 2011!
Another resolution is to rock a bright eye, and find the perfect red lippy for me!

Most memorable moment?
Snorkelling in Phuket...I'm not the bravest little chicken, and was proud that I wasn't afraid. (Even when the fish bit me on the bottom!)

What are you most grateful for?
Most grateful for having a sweet life. I am lucky to have a great family life, incredible man, and opportunities in life that send me to uni and allow me to work.
I'm happy and I'm healthy and I'm grateful for that!

Most exciting thing to happen?
Every little comment or tweet that I receive from the beauty blogging world! I adore this world, and am enjoying having a glimpse into it.

Did you try anything new this year?
emmabovarybeauty, snorkelling, and all of the certificates and courses I completed.

Any regrets?
Could have studied harder and made A's, could have worked more and saved too. All in all, I'm happy with the beauty prodz I spent pay checks on, and the B's I made at uni. All worth it!

What do you wish you could do again?
I wish I could have chosen a brighter colour scheme for my eyes- it was a neutral eye year, for sure!

How are you going to wrap up 2010?
I'm not a party girl, so I imagine I will bring in the new year and push out the old with sparkly nails & eyes, sequins and champers- at home with the fam ;)

That's my 2010/2011- what about yours?

Samoan Sand

For most of this year I've had falsies on my fingers, and so I thought I would share some of the varnish colours I chose over the months. This one here is OPI's Samoan Sand, a lovely pale cream beige. Being such a sheer colour you are required to use quite a few coats with this one, but it ends up really nice. I'm a pale Scottish girl, however, and the colour did nothing for my skin tone. I think a tanned lass or someone with a darker tone would look amaaazing in this, unfortunetly I do not fit that criteria.

Thumbs up for the polish, but it's just not for me.

emmabovary x

Eutopia Cherry Blossom Diffuser

I received this as a gift, and it sat on my shelf for quite a while before I took it down and let the scent loose! It's a nice scent that permeates the whole room, and is particularly effective in the bedroom in my opinion. I'm of the mind that citrus scents belong in the bathroom, and most others throughout the rest of the house. It's simple to use, all you have to do is place the reeds into the glass jar and you're done. Flipping the reeds upside down reinvigorates the scent, so I do that a few times each week to get a stronger burst of scent. I have had this going for almost a month now, and as you can see from the images it still has quite a life ahead of it.
I have seen this brand in Target, and am unsure of other stockists. The prices are reasonable, I believe they are around the $20 mark, and come in a range of fragrances:
*Pomegranate & Frangipani
*Pearberry & Vanilla
*Vanilla Plum (!)
*Coconut & Lime
*Creme Caramel (!)
*Wild Rose & Geranium
The exclamations indicate the scents I want to get a sniff at-delish! And if I find the creme caramel, I will grab it for my boyfriend's Mum!

I find candles lovely, but a pain to care for. These diffusers are perfect as you can leave them be, and be done!

Australis Mulberry Glow

I'm not sure whether or not it's my Christmas spirit shining thru or just the need for some change, but I'm creeping into 'I love plum + wine lip shade' territory. It's a place I've never been before, so my steps are tentative, but I think come Christmas day and NYE I will be rocking these like I've been doing it for years! These dark shades seem festive to me, and remind me of winter coats, snow, and Christmas trees. Great, considering we are heading into summer...

I picked up this Australis lip gloss in Mulberry Glow in Priceline today, and you wouldn't believe the price... $0.01c AUD! That's correct, ONE CENT! I looked at the checkout chick bewildered when she scanned it...but then quickly hurried thru the transaction lest she change her mind about such a bargain! I also grabbed an eyeliner at this price, and another shade of gloss for $1.47. Not the worst $1.50 I've spent!

The girl at the checkout said it was an old colour, and a bit of the silver writing had rubbed off this particular gloss, but it was sealed and in otherwise perfect condition.

It feels a lot darker on than it appears in these images, though it is quite a sheer wash of dark colour, if that makes sense! The gloss is a little stickier than I'd like it to be, but I'm really not in a position to complain with this one. Bargain of the year!

Tis the time to give...

and receive, beautiful gifts;) Here I compile the beauty gifts that are floating around this season that I think would be great under your Christmas tree.

Lush Secret Santa
This pack comes in at $9.95, for which you get a Satsumo Santa bath ballistic, and a chunk of the Snowcake soap bar. The beautiful citrus in the Santa and almond in the Snowcake are really nice, and the pack looks much more substantial than the price might suggest=)
Image taken from Lush

Nars mini Multiple set Almost every beauty blogger I know loves the Nars multiple sticks, and I am a convert having felt how smooth these babies really are! The mini version of each shade is a nice idea for someone who is into beauty but not all the way obsessed, a nice way to bring them to the dark side ;)
$89.00
Image taken from Mecca Cosmetica

Benefit All You Need is Gloss

$49
Image taken from AdoreBeauty

This Benefit pack is such great value, as you get 6 shades for just under $50! The pack contains 3 double ended glosses, with a wide variety of colours. (I am digging the gold shade most) This is a perfect gift for a neice or younger sister who is gloss mad, to give her a foot in the Benefit door.

Travalo Refillable Atomiser
$24.95
Image taken from Travalo
These are genius, and if they aren't in my stocking this Christmas I am buying some for myself! I have a few atomisers, and when I first saw Zoe Foster rave about these on Primped I was meh.. But oh how my opinion has changed. Zoe's post got me thinking, the only reason I don't use the atomisers I own now is the hassle of getting fragrances in there! The Travalo utilises a simple, non-messy pump action, and is lightweight (!) cute, and has a panel so you know how much is left before you run out. I spotted these at my local Perfume Connection for $24.95, so you can afford to pop this in with a bottle of perfume and there you go, perfect Christmas gift!


I will most likely post another of these gift guides before Christmas, as they're my favourite posts to write, and my lust list for beauty is lonnnng this year! Hope you are all having a stress-free December, and are getting excited because...

Santa's coming!!

DIM SIM PLUM! OPI Tiny Takeouts

I grabbed the gorgeous OPI tiny takeouts collection a while back, before the spring/summer packs launched. I have a few OPI shades, but find that within 24 hours (if I am lucky...) the colours peel right off=( I'll admit that my nails are quite soft, but other brands last a lot longer on me so I'm not sold on OPI. I do love their colour range, however, and urge anyone who loves a bit of Hong Kong fushcia and has stronger nails than I to get 'Dim Sim Plum' in their lives!
The other colours in the pack are:
Suzi says Feng shui : the lovely blue pictured up top
Red my Fortune Cookie: bright bright red
It also comes with a top-coat, and are all mini sized. I found it more difficult than usual to polish with the mini brushes, felt like a giant in ant world. I find the mini Orly brushes to be better for me,personally. That being said, I think a big bottle of Dim Sim Plum would be lovely, if only it had staying power!

Marc by Marc Jacobs!

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to win a competition on a wonderful blog that I follow, Coco and Vera.
The lovely Cee who runs this site has such great style, I've nabbed some pictures of her to show you just how gorgeous this girl is!
The prize was a gorgeous Marc by Marc Jacobs tote!
And here are some close-ups of the bag, and the lovely note Cee sent over with the parcel. It was written on thick cream card, in a beautiful thick envelope that had a burgundy print inside. Little touches like that make me smile, and proves that I am indeed a sucker for stationary.Felt very exciting to have a bag being sent over from Vancouver, just for me!
The tote was designed exclusively for Holt Renfrew in support of VisionSpring, "a non-profit organization that provides low-cost eyeglasses in the developing world." (As stated on the tag that was attached to said tote) Just wanted to say thank you to Cee for having such an inspiring sense of style, and for holding this great competition that I was lucky enough to win =)
Coco and Vera is great, I urge you all to check it out!

Thing's I'm Loving!

Random collection of things that are keeping me sane this Christmas season!

These sandals are amazeballs! They were 2 for $50 at Novo, and I think generally retail for $49.95/$59.95. Either way, very good value, and very extremely comfy. On the shelf they didn't grab me, but my friend Candice loved them. As soon as I saw them on her, I fell in LOVE! So we got the same pair ;) Makes it awkward as we both always want to wear them, but worth it. They have quite a few different summer styles to choose from, so take a look and grab a bargain.


This is the new kitty,Marie. Pawsha (her sister) is Chris' brother's cat, and isn't pictured because they look exactly the same ;) We named her Marie because she looks like the gorgeous lady kitty from Disney's 'Aristocats'. Adorable! I am not a cat person, but she is too cute.
This St. Ives body scrub is so good. I recently blogged about The Body Shop lemon scrub I got, but this much cheaper version kills it. I got it for $2.99/$3.99 from Priceline...I pay more for coffee! And it's so thick and gritty that it has lasted me ages, and the smell is so lush. A warning though, the oatmeal sticks...rinse well! And it doesn't leave that disgusting film that some scrubs do,either. I'm going out tomorrow to repurchase=)
The January Shop Til You Drop is the best they've done in a long time, have folded over so many pages that it's almost doubled in thickness. Standouts are the column 'On the Plus Side' by Megan Moir Pardy on page 50 and the lust-have plain maxi skirts they have on page 42.

So that is the round-up of the things I think are awesome right now =)

Stella McCartney for Target

I know it's been a while since this collection hit Target, but the morning it was released Mum and I nicked down to our local Westfield to see what all the fuss was about. We had peeked at the images online beforehand, but as with any collection it's important to really see the pieces before deciding what you'd like to buy. I tried on a stack of the dresses in the change rooms, and snapped a few pics to mull over them.
This striped dress is actually really nice, but the size was way too big for me and the hand behind my back is actually holding a great swath of leftover fabric. Was too lazy to try it on in a smaller size, sorry guys, so it looks really strange at the front with the bulge...The gathering on the front of it would actually be quite flattering, the Greek food Chris' Mum makes is impacting my weight and any help in the tummy department from my clothing is appreciated!
Such a blurry iPhone picture here, whoops! This dress was nice, the fabric was quite thick and the lacing was tasteful. The only problem I had was that it had the sort of neckline where you need to throw your shoulders back constantly, to keep it from slumping over, or slipping down. The dark navy colour was a plus, though, nice to have a change from LBD's.
Here's a close-up of the lacing on the shoulder of one of the dresses- beautiful!This bad boy is probably my favourite from the collection that was close to affordable, and I am lemming it so hard... I needed to go a size down in this one, top half problem again. The shoes I'm wearing do not do this dress justice, I think with a plain black heel this would be stunning!


Coming up to Christmas, and with the cosmetics obsession I have, I couldn't justify dropping cash on any of these pieces. The trench dress and some of the silk shirts from the collection are really nice, but I haven't bought clothes lately as I'm working towards a capsule wardrobe (An eventual dream, and possibly a ridiculous thought to entertain...;) ) I did, however, grab one of the bags that came out in Stella's accessory line. The bag I originally wanted online was soooo much bigger in person, it was almost as big as me! I'll admit that I carry quite a bit in my handbag, but nothing that could justify a huuuuge bag! So I settled for this baby, in all her matte-black glory: I'd like you to excuse my crazy hair, and the mess of Christmas presents behind me=) Also note the Stella keychain attached to the bag and how adorable it is! It's 5 purple and gold circles that drop down and spell out 'STELLA'. Love! My Mum got the same bag but in a black patent finish, and the joy of that is I can wear either, all the time. Score! The bags aren't the greatest material, and I wouldn't overload them like I do with other bags for fear they would bust, but they are cute and they are Stella, so I love them nevertheless.

If any of you have tried on any peices or fallen in love with the gorgeous accessories she has brought out, shoot me a comment!

Big Haul

Working in retail means I work every Thursday and Friday nights, but this week I was lucky enough to get them both off. Went out to my local Westfield for coffee on the Thursday after tea, and grabbed a few bits and pieces.
This Burt's Bees 'Mini Mani-Pedi Pack' retails for $14.95, but I found it in my local Perfume Connection for $9.95. Change from a tenner and 5 prodz in the box? SOLD! It contains a pumice stone, peppermint foot lotion, beeswax & banana hand creme, almond milk beeswax hand creme, and the most adorable nail file with a bumblebee print. I had been wanting to try the banana hand cream for a while, was in need of a nail file, and adore almond hand cremes, so there was no way I was walking away without this major bargain.

I also picked up a tube of Olay Touch of Sun daily facial moisturiser. This prod has SPF15, and a touch of sunless tanner in it that will hopefully bring a bit of life into my pale face. At the persistence of Yas from Primped and other sun-conscious beauty bloggers, I now wear facial sunscreen daily, and am interested to see how this version compares to others I have been using.

On Friday I headed into Melbourne CBD for the Great Shop Xmas Drop that the mag have been rocking, and though I wasn't fast enough to nab Shop goodies, I managed to haul some other lovely things=)

I took advantage of Target's 'Buy one get one free' with Revlon, and grabbed an under-eye concealer and Colourburst lipstick in 'Peach'. Mister Christopher told me to grab some goodies to fill my stocking with, so I headed to Illamasqua, intending to look at some pigments. Long story short, I had my makeup done and fell in love with an eyeshadow and a lippy, but I'm going to leave them for another post as they've been put away for Christmas. I will show you the results of my Illamasqua visit in the next few days though, Chris took some photos and I am digging the bronze smoky eye!

All of the other things I picked up were Christmas presents for family and friends (to be honest, mainly for Mister Christopher) and since I hope he and the rest of my family is reading emmabovarybeauty, I won't disclose what those parts of my haul were;)

Hope you enjoyed what I hauled this week, if you have any questions about anything mentioned fire away in the comment section. Also wanted to thank everyone who is reading this, there are a million blogs out there and I'm honoured that mine is one of the ones you click on. I'm posting daily now, so hopefully you're finding things of interest around my world=)

MAC Viva Glam 'Cyndi'

When Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper teamed up with MAC to make lippy shades, I was interested. I'm not the biggest fan of either of these ladies, but I appreciate what they do and the style they have is certainly unique. To be honest, Gaga's shade was the one that hooked me in. The candy pink shade looks so cute in MAC's bullet shaped tubes, and being pale I thought it might look alright on me.It didn't=( I tried it on the other day with the intention of buying it, but it was the sad case of my memory hyping it up. I put it on ages ago and liked it, but now...not so much. I am far too pale for it, and it really washes me out. Even though I'd love to see others ladies rock this shade, I'm going to be realistic and step away from the tube! I stepped away, and found myself staring at Cyndi.
She's described by MAC as a "light coral-red colour", and I'd say that that is pretty accurate. In the tube it appears quite pigmented, but on the lip it's much sheerer than expected. I like this, as it means I can apply it on the run without needing a mirror, and it gives me 'red-lip confidence' without being high mainty! Genius. It does build up well, though, so if you do want more impact you can pump it up with a few extra coats. As you can see from the image below, I've worn this quite a bit, and find myself reaching for it as a 'no-brainer'.
As with the rest of the VIVA GLAM prodz, all proceeds goes towards the MAC/AIDS fund. Think of your lipstick purchase as being a charitable $35 donation, with a thank you gift in the MAC bullet tube ;) emmabovary x
with all VIVA GLAM products, every cent raised through the purchase of VIVA GLAM Cyndi goes to the M·A·C AIDS Fund to
As with all VIVA GLAM products, every cent raised through the purchase of VIVA GLAM Cyndi goes to the M·A·C AIDS Fund to support the fight against HIV/AIDS

Soft on the Eyes Palette 'Sub-Lime'

It's common to see me wandering my local Priceline in a world of my own, filling up a basket and gazing at the prodz on offer. My first stop is generally the make-up isle, before I shuffle on to skincare, haircare, and end up in fragrances. A few months back something in the el cheapo basket caught my eye- a light khaki green container I didn't recognize.Normally the basket is filled with broken shadows and grubby lipsticks, but this seemed in perfect nick...Flipped it over to see four adorable eyeshadow pigments sitting beneath a $3.73 price sticker. Sold! It wasn't until I got it home that I realised it was Revlon!
The palette is from the Soft on the Eyes range, and this particular set is 'Sub-Lime', which I can assume is derived from the mermaid/turquoise shadow inside.The pigments themselves can be worn sheer or can be built up for a stronger wash of colour, which I like as I am a fan of layering my shades to custom fit. The brush supplied is pretty good, I was happy with the way it picked up the pigment. There is quite a bit of fallout if you overload the brush, that doesn't really bother me though, as I'm into pigments at the moment.

I generally use the lighter shade for my brow bone, and put a sheer wash of the golden toned shade over my whole eyelid. I hardly use the 'lime' shade (more of a neutral/warm toned shadow gal) and the colour I am in love with is the rose tone! I get a sort of rose gold vibe from this one, each shade has tiny flecks of gold shimmer in it and I think it works best with this warm pink colour.

To apply the pigments you dip the thin brush into a hole in the top of the container and pick some up. I carry this in my makeup bag when I stay at Mister Christopher's, and no spillage has occurred, I'm attributing that to the fold over design of the palette which keeps the pigment safe and secure, as well as the push-button close that shuts the whole thing. Sorry about my dodgy swatch images, I'm using my Iphone as my camera is woeful, so for now it's the best I can put up. We have the rose gold shade first, then the golden tone, 'lime' and the pearlescent white highlighter.
I have heard that these palettes are discontinued, so if you happen to spy one in the dodgy basket at your Priceline I vote grab one, if not for yourself then for little ol' me!

emmabovary x

Neutrogena Wave

Mother in law gifted this one, and I am smooth-cheeks over heels in love! The idea of skincare+gadgetry in a single product always hooks me in, and this is no exception! You attach a new pad to the wave every time you cleanse, and discard after use, making it a super-hygienic option. You attach the pad to the wave, run it under water, push the button and you're ready to rock and roll! Here are my opinions on the Neutrogena Wave.

=) great colour, and is comfortable to hold
=) can be used in the shower
=) comes with pads in the starter pack, and a battery too
=) two varieties of cleansing pads, one regular (smells lovely) and blackhead (still nice, just not as nice)
=) leaves skin feeling ULTRA smooth

=( not the cheapest cleanser you can choose
=( a pack lasts me a fortnight, cleansing morning and night, so regular repurchase is necessary
=( you need to remove makeup before using this, as I find it much more effective on makeup-free skin

I recently grabbed a few of the blackhead cleansing pads boxes for $5.50 from Priceline, when the normal retail price is round the $13-$14 mark. Bargain! (Yes, I bought MIL some, too!)
I also spotted the actual unit itself for $6 (normally retails for approx. $15) I think it was in Coles but am not 100%...keep your eyes out ladies!

Belle Bijoux Launch

Last night I was lucky enough to go along to the Melbourne Belle Bijoux summer launch. Their new collection of accessories was inspired by actress Carmen Miranda, and is full of fun, bright pieces that really do pop!These shoes were so intricate, I appreciate their beauty but would be far too scared to wear them! The leather on the bags, however...to quote Rachel Zoe- "I...die" The softest leather handles and the smell, ohh the smell in that room was incredible.

The sponsors for the VIP party were Invisible Zinc and Borne Naked. Invisible Zinc kindly donated some sample sunscreens, very timely and appreciated by moi as I'm running low on my usual sunscreen (Review of this will be up shortly) Borne Naked donated a medium sized liner for the door prize, which was placed inside a gorgeous Belle Bijoux bag from the collection. A pair of sunglasses were also tucked in there, but short little me couldn't sneak a peek at the brand.

Canapes of the evening were salmon based (yum!) and were eagerly scoffed by myself and my friend Candice, who I took along with me. Champers flowed, and bucks fizz rounded out the evening. Belle herself was stunning, a vision in bright green that looked great against her hair. I went for a LBD as I was running around all day before the launch, but felt at home with my burnt orange bag amongst Belle's summer designs. I usually wear bright bags, and the Ocean shade will hopefully be the next bright in my collection. I didn't end up purchasing any on the night, as I only just received my Foley&Corinna baby, but I am most certainly a Belle Bijoux convert.