Flower Power and Flowerkissed!

It's a well-known fact that Essence is at the top of my all-time favourite cosmetic brand list, so it's no surprise that I've fallen in love with their latest collection!

An appropriately themed spring collection, Blossoms shines with a range of fresh goodies, including two-toned eyeshadows, pastel polishes, a fragrance, powder and two glosses. I chose to take a few pieces home when I spotted them at my local Target store, and thought I'd show them to you today.
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The Blossoms  range is full of pretty products, and the one that stood out to me most was the Multi Colour Powder in 01 Flower Power. Flower Power is an intricately designed daisy patterned powder made up of shades of bronze, pale pink, coral pink with and creamy beige. Slight shimmer runs throughout all of the flowers, with the beige and coral pink containing the most visible shimmer.
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Though I probably didn't 'need' a multi colour powder, it was was too pretty to pass up. It adds a bit of light to your face when you use it, I sometimes dust it all over my face but generally use it as a sheer highlight on cheekbones and along the bridge of my nose. It isn't very pigmented, so looks nice on top of other blushes to give a bit of dimension, too. This powder retails for $5.95AUD and contains 10g.

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The other item I picked up from the collection was the lipgloss in 01 Flowerkissed, which is a candy scented pink gloss in a fun dark musky pink shade.
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It is quite opaque and more pigmented than a lot of the glosses I own,slightly less pigmented when compared to something like the Revlon Colourburst glosses. Long-lasting and not sticky in the slightest, I think you'd be crazy to miss this one.
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It is a long slim tube with a doe foot applicator inside and some beautiful fresh white flowers printed on the outside of the tube. The attention to detail is a testament to the company and their effort amazes me when I see their tiny (and I mean tiny!) price tags.
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This is one of two lipgloss shades available in the collection and retails for a mere $3.50AUD for 4ml. I also grabbed one of the duo eyeshadows but will not review it here as I haven't used it yet.
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The Essence range is now available at Target stores Australia wide, and selected Priceline stores. I am unsure of where this is available internationally, please let me know if you know. Hop onto the Essence AU facebook page to find product images and new release notifications!

just a quick sob + a break

Having a bit of a low moment this week, and won't be posting for a few more days.

On Sunday morning I woke to the news that my gorgeous kitty Marie had been hit by a car. Chris and I spent the day by her side and she didn't end up making it. I was so thankful to be able to say goodbye to her, and though the selfish side of me wishes she was cuddling me right now I'm glad she isn't in pain any more. I'm not a typical 'animal lover' and wasn't actually a fan of cats until she came into my life, and I never dreamed I would be this affected by the death of a pet. I now understand how much it can hurt, after getting so close and seeing my little Marie as a family member rather than just an animal. I need some time out to mope around (as you do) and I'm heading away with family this weekend which should be a nice distraction from everything.

I wanted to thank all of the people on Twitter who showed their support and well wishes with me- my online family is amazing, and really helped to ease the pain of losing my kitty. Sorry that this is a break away from the usual beauty talk here on the blog, but when I started I promised that the focus would be 'all the things in life that make it beautiful', and Mariezy-Pop was most definitely that.

Her little face smooshed and sleepy as we watched Four Weddings in bed

 

Paws curled around her face

She slept on the table outside the bedroom window, miaowing to come in to sleep! This is how we found her one morning, caught out!
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I'm already missing my little girl like crazy, but am trying to pep up and get on with life. I'll be back next week with a gorgeous giveaway from one of my newfound favourite stores to celebrate my one year blogoversary, and might have a travel beauty bag peek for you,too.
This weekend, feel free to have a drink for Marie- I know I will.
Emma xx

November Lust Have It!

The sample box phenomena is definitely growing, with a new one seeming to crop up at each turn. The first to be distributed within Australia was Lust Have It! and I have been a subscriber from day dot. Many others have caught my eye but I've been a good girl and have stuck to just this one- though I may ask for a yearly subscription to another for Christmas;) (FYI, great Christmas idea for fellow makeup and skincare lovers in your family-the gift that reappears each month!) So far I've been very happy with the products, some haven't made me swoon but I have still enjoyed trying things I wouldn't have otherwise. Here is what the grumpy mailman dropped into my hot litte hands yesterday morning!

As a sidenote, I would love to see Lust Have It in a nicer box- the underside of this has the address label and other stickers ruining it's prettiness. Other beauty boxes seem to be cuter on the outer.

Squee, I had my fingers crossed for a perfume sample and look what is sitting at the top!



Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose
(Full Size 30ml retails for $79.00AUD)



Two 1.5ml samples of the new Lancome release, Tresor Midnight Rose. I actually tried this on while in Myer the other day and liked it, so was delighted to see some samples so I could give it a better trial. I have been wearing Tresor In Love quite a bit lately, so Lancome have been doing well with me!



Miracle Shine 2 Step Miracle Nail Shiner-Hawley International
(Retails for $6.95AUD)



This arrived a litte scuffed up and dirty which annoyed me, and as I'm not good at maintaining my nails it didn't really excite me. I will give it a go, and maybe the shine of my nails will change my mind. If not, it will become my Mum's.



Lip Liner in Chique Natural Mineral Lipliner by Nude by Nature
(Retails for $14.95AUD)



I am definitely lacking in the lip liner department so was happy to see this little guy. My Mum, however, was ultra excited and fell in love with the colour. If I manage to hold on to it, I'll let you know how I go. If not, I'll make her guest review;)

Complete Lift NEW Technology Daily Moisturiser-RoC
(Full Size 50ml retails for $59.00AUD)

I seem to have misplaced the moisturiser I was about to start trialling, so yippee for these 3 samples which have saved my bacon. Have used it thrice so far, it's quite thick and creamy and I'm enjoying it. Will review when the samples are done.

Nectar Thermique- Kerastase
 (Full Size 150ml retails for $39.50AUD)

I am totally intrigued by the idea that this is an 'ally for dry hair' which works best when heat is applied! I've been curling and straightening my hair quite a bit lately so this is perfect for me. My ends have been fluffy and dry, lets see if this stuff helps in any way.

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Lust Have It! subscriptions are $14.95AUD per month, or $160 for a yearly subscription. Gift vouchers are also available, head to the Lust Have It! site for more details.
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Have you subscribed to any beauty boxes? What new loves have you found in them? Do you like the sound of the November Lust Have It! box?

Sinful FOTD and Wellbeing Wednesday

I'll be honest- in the morning, the thing that gets me out of bed is the thought of a flat white from my favourite cafe near work. As the sun rises it's the place to be, or so says those who are also there early (one grandfather, and a business man who never seems to be working) On these mornings, I generally can't be bothered with intricate eye looks, and today I willl show you my recent fall-back look. Inspired, as always, by the amazing Jess at The Belle Lumiere, I cracked out my Urban Decay Naked Palette and went to town with one of the best shades it contains:

Sin!

Hello mascara smudges, 'sup

A super classy sheen of a shimmer, no chunky glitter fest here! (Though I am fond of those at times, too) Sin is a beautiful champagne shade that I can't imagine looking bad on anyone.

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A super wearable shade

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Ooh look,sunrise! I jest, this is here to show you how Sin is one of those kick ass shadows that make you look as though you have more than one shade on. It appears darker in the crease which fancies it up a notch, a big win for me.
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Products used:

Bourjois HealthyMix Serum Foundation #52

Sleek Rose Gold Blush

Urban Decay Buck eyeshadow for brows

Ardell Clear Brow Gel

Clinique High Impact Mascara

Nothing on the lips, though I did pop some Korres Jasmine on during the day

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I really love Sin as a wash of colour over the lid as I'm running out the door, and am glad that Jess mentioning it rekindled my love for the shade.

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HOW WICKED IS YOUR WELLBEING?

Mine is going along pretty well, I was uber successful in last weeks challenge so am a happy camper! The group challenge last week was to keep a food diary, and it became a habit for me so I breezed through the challenge. I can now see patterns of eating and the sneaky calories that have been my downfall, and am now working on altering decisions with my food intake. I also found out just how much hommus I really eat! Yowza!
How did everyone else go with the food diary?
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My personal challenge last week was to spend more time with the people I love, and it makes my heart swell to say I excelled at this challenge. More afternoons with my Mum, coffee and shopping with elderly family friends, dinner at a work friends place, city trips with my bestie, my niece's dancing concert as well as nightly walks with Chris meant my vibe meter was skyrocketing! It felt nice to just sit and enjoy their company, without thinking about assignments or work issues.
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I kept up with the previous weeks challenges which involved downing more water and chomping on lots of fruit and veg, as well as getting active at least 4 times each week. This Wellbeing Wednesday initiative has been so good to me!
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Image Source Unknown, let me know if it's yours!

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This weeks Group Challenge is to spend more time with loved ones, and avoid lifts and escalators in favour of taking the stairs. Your tush will thank you for it!

My Personal Challenge is to cut out alcohol for at least 6 out of the 7 days this week (I may have decided to do 6 days because of the upcoming annual MBBE ;) ) and to eat chia seeds each day. I got this great challenge idea from Sabine at Echolife !
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City Cosmetics Haul!

Along with my MAC Posh Paradise goodies, I also picked up some other treats while in the city a few weeks ago. I thought I would share them here, I am yet to try them all out so I am very excited to do so!

I stopped by Zuza in Melbourne Central to find that they were having a closing down sale. These blushes were only $10 a pop! I'd never tried anything from DuWop and only the Beach Tints from Becca so was happy to have scored these!

Becca Creme Blush in Frangipani($10-Zuza)

Becca Creme Blush in Frangipani is a deep rusty red shimmer that is sheer on, but buildable. It stood out to me as I've been sighing over red toned blushes lately, and thought this would be a safe step into 'red blush' territory.

DuWop Pomegranate Illuminating Blush($10-Zuza)

A stunning peachy toned 'blushbooster' from DuWop, quite pigmented and flattering.

OPI Muppetes Mini Nail Lacquers ($24.95-David Jones)
Though I am not a nail obsessed girl, I was drawn to this collection like a moth to a flame. I was contemplating picking up some glitters from the collection but didn't think I would get much wear from them. The multi-coloured 'Rainbow Connection' shade was amazing, but I have a polish that is too similar to warrant me buying it, so I opted for this mini pack of 4 shades from the OPI Muppets collection.

Wocka Wocka! is a gorgeous creamy red shade, and Excuse Moi! is a glitterful pink stunner.

Designer...de Better! is unlike anything else in my collection, while Warm & Fozzie satisfies my love for bronzed up nail shades.

The Face Shop Nail Polishes ($3.00 at The Face Shop)

I chose the lilac shade (PP404) because it had a slight silver shimmer to it, and I have misplaced my creamy lilac shade so needed a replacement.

The sweet pink shade (PK1100) was my kind of 'Barbie' colour, and is a simple creme that takes my breath away. I hope these last well on me, for such a nice price I'd love to add more to my collection.

Lovely ME:EX Blusher in PK103(The Face Shop-$12.95 from memory)

I was so tempted by the orange shade in the collection of blushers they had on display, but I have so many and am lacking in the pretty pink blush department. It's a nice pink that is quite bright and shimmery, I can't wait to pop this on my cheeks! The packaging for this was an attraction,too. I really like the slimline style in fresh white with the classy picture alongside the window display.

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I was so happy with my city hauls!

Have you picked up anything nice lately?

Have you tried any of these products or brands?

 After heading into The Face Shop every single time I'm in the city, I finally made a purchase! I chose two nail polishes in sweet pastel shades, an exfoliating sheet mask and a funky pink blushe (and was given a free cleanser sample!)

October Empties!

Here are the products I managed to use up in October!

Priceline Re-Balance Wipes x2

My all-time favourites, I am yet to find wipes I like better than these. I look forward to using them, and find them super refreshing and never drying. Will always repurchase.

Derma-Intensive Wipes

These wipes are quite a bit thinner than others I've used, but for $1 from my local supermarket I think they're a great buy:) Good to wipe off swatches or to use if a facial product you use leaves residue behind. Will repurchase.

Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoo for Brunette

I tried these just for kicks, and didn't find them to be much different to the regular Batiste dry shampoo cans! I couldn't detect any difference in colour of the powder, just a lack of scent, so I would suggest just going for the cheaper and nicer smelling regular Batiste varieties. Would not repurchase.

Pantene Night Miracle Leave-In Creme Serum

This product was an absolute joy to use, and I was recently gifted the updated version which I am excited to try! I used this at night in as a treatment between hair cuts, and also found it great to calm any flyaways in the lower lengths of my hair before heading out of a morning. Will repurchase once I finish the new version of this.

L'Oreal Triple Day Active Moisturiser
This is formulated for normal to combination skin, and it worked well for my dry patches and generally dehydrated face. Won't go into detail as this product warrants a full review, which is coming up soon. I'll just say, I adored it. Will repurchase when I find it (already have two back ups, have only ever seen in the Reject $2 shop!)
Avon Vanilla Soft Musk Body Spray
I used this as both a body spray and as a room spray, and found it was great for both purposes. A subtle scent that doesn't smack you in the face, this sits well on clothing as well as in the air.Will repurchase, especially considering I prefer it to the actual vanilla room spray I just purchased from Avon.

Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash sample*
This was a nice, non-irritating body wash, but didn't provide the amount of lather I like. I also prefer scented shower products,so this would be better suited to someone who isn't fond of strong scents in body washes. I think my sister would love this, she is a big fan of non-irritating body products that are creamy.
Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Conditioner sample*
I generally dislike Pantene shampoo and conditioners as I feel they build up on my roots and lengths and I'm not fond of that. This was no different, and this was put to use as shaving gel rather than conditioner. Would not repurchase, as it does not suit my hair type.
Pure Fiji Coconut Milk Shower Gel- Pineapple Infusion*
I received this in the special ABBW Lust Have It box and my oh my! It is love, I adore the pineapply goodness of this shower gel, and don't mind the coconut version I got in another Lust Have It box either. Its a totally new type of sweet smell to me, and I found it was the most moisturising shower gel I've used to date. Will repurchase, already hanging out for it!
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So there you have it, my October empties were a mix of likes, dislikes and loves!
Have you used any of these products? What did you think of them?
If you've done an October empties post, feel free to link it in the comments so I can check it out.

NOTD with OPI DS Opulence/Wellbeing Wednesday

Today I am showcasing one of my nail polish loves. For a non-polish obsessed girl, I love this shade a lot! I actually don't own the shade, as with most of my OPI finds it belongs to Chris' Mum, who this year began a descent into polish obsession. The benefit for me? She is wonderful with sharing her purchases! She chose OPI's DS Opulence randomly one day while perusing the OPI iPhone app, and as Chris and I left for Doncaster Westfield she handed me cash and instructed me to hunt it down. Let me tell you, the app image does not do this shade justice!

Apart from the horrible nails I possess and the chip on the thumb, isn't this so pretty!? The shimmer is deep in the base shade and I lose myself staring into it, we're definitely having a love affair. It's a very wearable pink shade that is in the designer line by OPI, and so retails for $24.95AUD compared to the usual $19.95AUD. We purchased this for her from David Jones at Doncaster.

A subtle sort of shimmerbomb, love it.

See how much depth the shimmer? For this close up I just cropped my nails, no editing at all.

Sigh, pretty nail polishes are good for my wellbeing...smooth, huh?

WELLBEING WEDNESDAY!

Marie the kitty is great for my wellbeing!Especially when she hides from the kidlets inside a nanna basket,haha.

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Last week saw me create a group challenge, as well as my own personal challenge. The group challenge involved getting active at least four times over the course of the week, whether it be walking, jogging, taking classes or anything else you like. I am happy to report that I was successful in this challenge, I alternated between using the treadmill and going for after-dinner walks with my man. My personal challenge was to drink more water and eat more vegetables, which I am happy to say I was successful with, too! I faltered slightly with water over the weekend but overall I exceeded the water target which made up for it. I spent a helluva lotta time in the bathroom, though! I didn't consume any alcohol this week either, and felt so much better on Melbourne Cup Day being able to focus on enjoying the little 'time out' from uni I spent with my family.

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 I ate much more fruit and veg than I have been lately. Takeout for the weekend was from the local noodle house and I loaded it up with so many vegies the box would barely close- yum! My Mum has created this amazing mix of vegies with a touch of sauce and we've been obsessed with it-it's got cabbage, carrot and brussel sprouts among other veg, my favourites!And I've been slicing up an apple at night to munch on while I study or watch TV, which has helped the late night eating habits,too.

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Here are the challenges for the coming week!

Group Challenge: Keep a food diary. It's amazing how seeing all the things we consume each day on paper (or on iPhone in my case) can make a difference to our choices! If you have any ideas for the next challenge, please leave them in the comments below.

Personal Challenge: Spend more time each day with people I love. I've been so wrapped up in uni work and training the new staff at work that I've been spending less time with my family and friends. Seeing my gorgeous niece over the weekend and having dinner with my girlfriends reminded me how much I miss those little moments. I will be repeating the last few personal challenges this week, too (more veg,water,4 workouts etc)
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Building myself up to be the happiest and healthiest I can be! Wanna come along for the ride?

October Favourites!

I was a cheeky beauty blogger and skipped September, but to be honest most of these have been my favourite for a few months so let's merge the two!

I have been gearing up for the university holidays (two days to go!) and have been generally lazy with everyday looks, and spicing it up a little every now and again with a super bright eye or vampy lips. Here is what I used most in October:

Gorgeous Cosmetics Cheek Creme in Strawberries and Cream

This has flipped me right into 'cream-blush-lover' territory, it's a gorgeous colour that looks exactly as the name suggests in my opinion, and it lasts really well on my skin. I use my Royal and Langnickel stippling brush with this and find it works perfectly. This retails for $35AUD and I purchased it at IMATS for $15AUD.

MAC Mink & Sable eyeshadow

This little shadow is the love of my life-yup, a HG for sure. A wash of this over the eyes and my face looks 'done', and if I take it higher into the crease? Compliments galore, my tutor asked me if I was going out after class when I wore this, mascara and a baggy jumper. Miracle worker!

Gorgeous Cosmetics Lipstick in Sophia

This lipstick clings to dry patches on my lips a little bit, but with balm underneath it's fine, and it goes perfectly with my Essence glosses. It's a gorgeous peachy shade that retails for $35AUD, I purchased it from IMATS for $15AUD.

Ardell Clear Brow Gel

I've been putting more effort into my eyebrows since getting them tinted in Sydney by the beautiful Paddington Benefit gals. I fill in my brows with a mix of 'Naked' and  'Buck' from the Urban Decay Naked palette with a thin angle brush, then combing this thru to keep them looking good all day. The cheapest brow gel I've seen, I chose this after reading great reviews. It retails for around $7AUD from memory.

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

I have raved about this recently in this review, and love using this first thing in the morning, before bed, and all thru the day. Love!

Essence Stay With Me Lipglosses in

Me & My Icecream  &

I Like Cotton Candy

My favourite lipgloss formulation, these colours have been the ones I've used most this month, but pretty much all of the colours are on high rotation for me. I have a review and swatches of them coming up, they're so beautiful. They also feature in perfect pairing post. They retail for a teeny tiny $3.95AUD!

Bloom & Boost Balm in Mango Tango*

I didn't like these at first, but have come to depend on them when my lips are a little thirsty. They don't have as much hydration as my Korres lip butter, for eg, but are much better than the majority of balms in my collection. The scent is slight, but nice.

Royal & Langnickel Stippling Brush

My very first stippling brush, I feel a fool for not having one for so long. I use this for cream blush application and find it nice and soft, and deposits a buildable amount of product. Can't remember the exact price of this as I bought it with a bunch of other brushes at the IMATS stall.

Travalo Perfume Atomiser

I work with a group of girls who carry multiple 100ml bottles of perfume along to work with them. While they smell amazing all the time, the extra weight in their bags is ludicrous! This is my intelligent alternative.This little baby is one of the best things I've ever purchased, you fill it up with any fragrance you like and throw it in your bag. At the moment mine is filled with Tresor in Love because Chris cracked it over the fact that I hardly wear it (he bought it for me a few Christmas' ago!)

YSL Cream de Blush in Powdery Rose

A beautiful gift from Chris that I lusted after for the longest time after seeing Pink Sith review her pot here, it sat unloved for quite a while because it was quite full on when applied with fingers. With the purchase of the aforementioned stippling blush, love and obsession was reignited! Amazing colour, amazing formula, wish I had've reviewed this while they were still available but I think I still will anyway. Sorry guys!

I think this month shows a stellar line up of products I really adore, and that fact makes up for the skipping of September;)

Are any of these products your favourites, too?

Have any of them caught your eye?