Pastel Skittle Manicure

Pastel nails are an all year round kind of trend, but come March and April they just remind me of Easter! Pretty delicate pastels and chocolate eggs, Easter for me is all about spending time with family eating good food and making good memories. This year my family are celebrating on Saturday, with an egg hunt for the kids (am totally joining in!) and a big feast with all of our loved ones. With work and my post grad studies I’ve been up to my eyeballs with stress, so I’m looking forward to seeing all of the kids before I head back to work on Easter Sunday.

I am a big fan of skittle manicures, I like getting to enjoy a few colours at a time and think that looks like this are quite fun! I am hoping to use some of these for full manicures soon as well, make sure you follow me on Instagram (@emmabovary) as I post most of my nail looks on there.

Colours Used:

Australis Sweet Pea

Face of Australis Lemon Sorbet

OPI Pink-ing of You                  

Kit Cosmetics Pinata Purple*

Face of Australia Minty Mojito

How often do you indulge in a skittle mani? What are your plans for this Easter long weekend?

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

A Failed Makeup Experiment

Sometimes playing around with makeup can be the highlight of my day, which really yells out that I am a beauty fanatic. A while ago I was browsing around on Facebook and saw that Illamasqua had posted some gorgeous crazy looks for inspiration, so I studied one of them and set to work recreating the look on myself. I cannot for the life of me find that image, so I do apologise! Just picture this look with more finesse, and nicer flicked eyeliner!

I grabbed my Inglot palette, MAC Sweet & Punchy (Veluxe Pearl) and my Smokin’ matte BYS palette and set to work. I used this more as a makeup technique practise than anything else, but do think that without the too-thick liner (and with tamed brows!) I could make this wearable another time.

 

 

I like the idea of throwing a smokey haze of that dusty blue into my crease, but I think it needs a good slap of black liquid liner (Australis Curve Ink* is my pick right now, has anyone tried it yet?) and more mascara to make it work.

 

I think it is important to document a wide range of looks on this blog, not just the ones that I like best. Seeing mistakes shows you that playing with makeup is fun, and that it doesn’t have to be taken seriously all the time.

How often do you delve into your makeup drawers just to play around? Do you get crazy and recreate looks, or create new looks by yourself?

 

 

*Products were all bought by me, except the Australis liner which I mentioned because it is my current favourite. Honesty, always.

 

 

Brisbane Lions Nail Art : One To Impress My Man!

The things we do for love, right?

 

Despite not even following the Brisbane Lions AFL team, Chris was excited that they got into the NAB cup final and requested I do a nail art project for the event. I have to say that him requesting anything like that is a first, so I was happy to indulge him despite my lack of nail art skills. I have been playing around with a terrific little set of dotting tools I picked up from eBay, and came up with two different nail looks. Chris loved the one with the dots down the centre, which reminds me (and everyone I’ve shown this to!) of Indigenous Aboriginal art. I will admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the colour scheme -when his rugby team are on I prefer getting festive, as Melbourne Storm are purple! A much easier colour to pretty up! He was chuffed and kept showing them off at the game, and the Lions ended up winning, so now they are my good luck nails.

Colours Used:                                                                    

TBN Very Berry

essence 01 Fortune Cookie (from the Cherry Blossom Girl collection

Ulta3 Blue Marlin

 

What other ideas do you have for a nail design with blue, maroon and yellow?!

Does this remind you of Aboriginal art as well?

Top 4 Hand Creams That Soothe and Smell Great!

Seriously, I have a truck load of half used hand creams floating around my place and I just can’t seem to stick it out with just one. These are my top 4 right now, and I love slathering them all over my hands (and elbows, don’t forget!) as I sit at my desk writing or reading blogs.

 

The Jojoba Company make some rad facial products, and this is the first body product I’ve tried from them. The Lemon & Coconut hand cream* ($22.95/50ml) comes in the cutest pink squeezy tube, and even though I have the travel sized 20ml tube, I still think the regular size would be perfect to keep in your handbag. It smells just like lemon meringue pie to my nose, and I’ll be honest and say that is isn’t my favourite scent, though everyone I’ve shared it with has absolutely loved the smell so perhaps it is just me. Not too thick and sinks in fast, good job Jojoba Co!

For seriously dry hands or an overnight treatment, I reach for my Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Crème* ($19.95/57g). The crazy thick texture and sweet almond smell are highlights of this one, and though some might dislike the pot hygiene issue, I think the glass and cream labels look expensive and nice on my desk with my other night time goodies. Cute cow on the lid, too, how can you say no!?

The Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticle Hand Cream* ($9.95/96g) is fresh and citrusy, and feels quite velvety on the hands after it sinks in. I first used this during the racing season when I was in Federation Square getting a SH manicure (post here if you want to check that out) and I was enthralled by the smell of it. I think scents like this work all year round, either to perk you up on a chilly day at the office or to let you feel tropical on a warm summer day.

 

I've definitely saved the best for last, because although I enjoy the other hand creams for various reasons, my heart truly belongs to my Endota Spa Lavender and Alpine Pepper hand cream* ($34/90ml and $10/20ml). Amazing scent mix, best formula I've come across, classic and compact packaging...the list goes on. My original review is here if you want to check it out (a very old post indeed! but suffice to say that this cream is my very favourite.

 

Which of these scents tickle your fancy? Do you have a hand cream recommendation for me? I'd love to hear what hand creams you love most in the comments below, and also the ones that disappointed you!

 

 

*These products were provided for consideration and all opinions are mine. Honesty,always.

Navy Chic // Megan Gale & LMFF Inspired Makeup Look

As many of you might know, the annual L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival has rolled around once more and the city is buzzing! Megan Gale and Rae Morris are the stars that are holding up the beauty side of the runway, and with their 2013 Exclusive Lookbook in front of me, I chose to recreate Look #3.

Navy Chic : Match navy eyes with navy nails and a strong pink lip

 L’Oreal kindly sent through a parcel with some of the key products of the season, and I’ve also drawn things from my collection (including past L'Oreal send outs) to complete the look.

The strong blue liner look was something I had actually feebly attempted days before the L’Oreal bundle arrived at Chez Bovary, but the efforts weren’t worthy of a blog post and were more for fun than anything else. Sadly I’ve had a massive skin catastrophe occur since, and so the flawless skin like Ms. Gale’s isn’t a feature in my recreation ;) Just goes to show that I am a realistic and honest beauty blogger, painful flaws and all!

again, sorry for the state of my skin but I really wanted to share my LMFF look with you!

Products Used:

(As recommended by Rae Morris’ guide, all L’Oreal)

 Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer*

Lumi Magique Foundation in N1*

Glam Bronze La Terra in 04 Intenso* (which was way too dark for me!)

Infallible Eyeshadow 002 Hourglass Beige

Elvive Extraordinary Oil* (for my hair)

Colour Riche Le Smokey Eyeliner in Stormy Sea* (the STAR!)

Colour Riche Le Vernis nail polish in 608 Luxembourg Garden* (such an amazing shade)

Colour Riche lipstick in 378 Velvet Rose* (perhaps a new favourite...)

Other Products Used:

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Clear

Illamasqua Concealer

Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara

Have you tried any of the looks from LMFF yet?  You should hop over to Beautyholics Anonymous to see the LMFF inside scoop, Tine is the official LMFF beauty blogger and I’ve been drooling over her posts this week. In other news I am heading to my very first fashion event* this coming Saturday, the L'Oreal and Marie Claire beauty workshop. Tickets are $39 (with a goodie bag!) and you can find out more details here. Hope to see you there!

*Marked items were provided for consideration, but as I stated above I had planned on doing this makeup look earlier anyway =) I am attending the LMFF beauty workshop as a guest of L’Oreal.

Wasted Beauty

We all do it, so just admit it.


There are certain things you ‘save’ for a special occasion, one such occasion that takes a damn long time to come. Whether it be a beautifully embossed eyeshadow palette or an expensive perfume that was a gift from that someone special, these beauties sit alongside the staples waiting for their turn to shine and be wholly loved. If they do manage to get a look in, they are quickly popped back on the shelf for fear of running out (the dilemma of the limited edition item, you see) Whilst I have a long list of things I’m sort of hoarding (Thierry Mugler Angel EDT, travel bottle of Bioderma, Rimmel Match Perfection Crème Gel foundation…the list goes on!) this beautiful perfume set is the one that has made me rethink my ways.

I can’t seem to put my finger on the occasion that this marked (it was a few years ago now, this was released early 2010) but I remember Chris handing it over, impeccably wrapped with a big ol’ grin on his face. I was elated as I always spritzed myself with Tresor in Love whenever I passed a Lancome counter, and now I was free to wallow in the stuff. Fast forward to last Christmas, I mentioned a perfume I had my eye on to the boy… his response was a firm no, followed by a stern word about the wasted gift set that still sat upon my shelf, unopened and pristine.

“Saving things for a special occasion is stupid. Put it on and let’s order Dominos.”

With that, I took it down and since then have been enjoying the fruity sweet rose scent and the love that it was given with. I want to enjoy the things in life that make me smile, the taupe shadows and the discontinued highlighters, the limited edition blushes and the hard to find lipsticks. Life is short, and I am going to enjoy the beautiful things (material or otherwise) while I can.

What are you saving for a special occasion?

Mumma Bovary's Camo Mani

It seems like each time I return home from work or a blog event Mumma Bovary has up and changed her nail colour again! For someone who isn’t into her nails, she sure plays with them a lot (she also says that about Facebook but always knows who is doing what on there!) I recently posted a picture on Instagram (username is @emmabovary) of Mum’s glitter polish haul, and the Savvy Ginger Ale was the first bottle to get a whirl as a manicure rather than a hasty swatch. Mum used essence 65 Camouflage (a shade she nicked from my stash) underneath the sheer glitter, and I am in love with the effect! 

 

I love the way the subtle glitters adds a feminine touch to an otherwise quite masculine colour, and makes it also appear as though it has an interesting texture. I’m very glad I’ve gotten Mumma Bovary hooked on glitter, as it means I will have plenty of shades to snaffle during mani time with her!

 

Does your Mum wear glitter polish? What do you think of adding feminine touches to camo style shades like this one?

The Blush Files : 7 Days of Blush (evidence from a blush fiend)

My obsession with blush has been well documented (just take a look inside my overspilling blush drawer to see!) and those who have gone shopping with me in the past have adamantly labelled me a blush fiend. Some people have a penchant for beautiful lip products (see Norlin and her wonderful #lippyaday challenge!) while others have a skincare stash to rival their local Kit Cosmetics. My soft spot is definitely for those pretty pans of colour that warm up my face, and I find them the most fun aspect of makeup application. I challenged myself a while back to wear a different blush pan each day for a week, to get used to rotating what I wear and to get Tarte Exposed out of my clawing hands for once! Here are the spoils of my challenge, which was a success!

 

As well as my rosy neutrals, I threw a few brighter pinks into the mix for the week to give my cheeks a good pop of colour. Chanel’s Pink Explosion was naturally involved, and I love the shade stippled on with my Samantha Chapman for Real Techniques Stippling Brush. Truth be told, I absolutely love using that brush for the majority of my blushes, whether cream, powder, pigmented or not. BYS Pink Velvet was another pink that got a turn, I adore the BYS blush formula and even the packaging is sturdy (especially when compared to their lipstick casings) Illamasqua’s Naked Rose is one of my favourite blushes, and the matte dusty pink looks great against pale skin like mine.

 

Milani Berry Amore is a shade that took me a while to get used to, but the gold veining really works when used with a light hand. I did cheat slightly during the challenge, as I used my staple blush on one of the days where I was running out of the door to work. Tarte Exposed is a neutral rosy blush that is too beautiful for words, Chris bought it via eBay for me as a Christmas gift and I fall more in love with it every day. See, blush fiend!

 I also tried out my Korres Pink Zeas May blush for the first time, and really like the wearable pink shade. The final choice for my 7 day challenge was a mix of two Bourjois shades, I first applied Rose D’Or before topping my cheekbones and the apples with Lune D’Or, just to play around with it and see if I could change the shades up a bit.

 

So, has my status of a blush fiend been upheld, or do I need to do more to convince you, dear readers? Which blush shade would you nab from this loot given the chance?

 

*All of these blush pans were bought by me, or given as gifts from my fiancé. He knows the way to my heart is through my chipmunk cheeks ;P Honesty,always. 

Instant Repurchase

Though I rotate cosmetics like there is no tomorrow, often I stick with some star products from the lineup. A product has to absolutely knock it out of the park for me to repurchase, so for these to jump back into the stash instantly speaks volumes!

Face of Australia Liquid Liner – This was originally a PR sample which I adored. I misplaced it, and ran out to grab another one quick smart. I then found the first, so have two floating around my stash and both are still going strong with no sign of drying out. This comes with a fine brush style tip and is a deep inky black. I was terrible at liquid liner before I learnt with this brush, and now I have the confidence to use lots of different sorts of liquid liners! A game changer, and affordable to boot.

Bioderma Crealine H20 – Ah Bioderma, the cult favourite that came into my world and swept me off my feet. Again this originally came to me via PR, I have repurchased this quite a few times now and still love it for the initial cleanse each night. I have temporarily put it on the backburner in an effort to show love to (aka use up!) my other cleansing waters and oils, but when they bite the dust it is me and this guy (and Dermalogica Preclease, 3 peas in a pod)

Lush Lip Scrubs – I change up the flavour every time, but keep going back to this little jar of soft lip-making goodness. Basically a sugar and deliciousness blend, this is an easier option for me as I can’t be bothered making my own lip scrub. Tastes deliciously sweet (duh!) and comes in a bunch of flavours, this is well worth the cash.

Guerlain Champs Elysees – I think everyone has that ‘one scent’ that just suits them perfectly and makes them feel a million dollars, and this is the one for me! Quite a mature fragrance, this is strong and makes me feel powerful and in charge. I’ve gone through bottle after bottle of this, and am looking forward to picking up yet another one from Paris on our honeymoon a few years down the track.

Rimmel Match Perfection Crème-Gel Foundation – Yet another love that first came to me via PR! I fear this is discontinued now that the new bottled version has taken its place on the drugstore shelves, so I am planning on stocking up when I find some in my shade in a discount bin. A foundation that covers it all but looks just like skin (seriously, it is undetectable!) this is my HG formula.

What products are instant repurchases for you? Do you tend to chop and change as much as I do, or are you loyal to a few key players in your beauty team?

 

The Prettiest Purple Glitter Nails

I’ve never really been a purple loving girl, I was always much more tempted by the happy yellow and oranges in the world and left lilacs and violets to be my sisters favourite. Since I started beauty blogging, purple has slowly crept into my vision and now I can admit that I think it can be truly stunning. I’m a big advocate for pretty glitter nails, and these are some of the prettiest purple polishes and glitters I own!

  

For the pointer finger I chose to layer Jordana 02 Celebration atop a coat of the Missha Lucid Nail Polish in VL04. I love the opaque glitter effect it created, and think wearing a nice shade under a glitter can make the world of difference to the success of a manicure. For the cheeky middle finger I didn’t technically use a purple shade at all, though the lilac Face of Australia shade in Boys ‘N’ Berries was used underneath to let it qualify (and become opaque) Australis’ Milky Way is a sheer white polish filled with multi-coloured glitters and small blue glitters, and is seriously an amazing shade. Australis are definitely known for their hot limited edition shades, and this edition is one of my very favourites so far.

The ring finger (the favourite of them all, of course!) is yet another Australis beauty. Gold, orange, fuschia, and purple glitter are packed into this bottle, aptly named Glitter Strikes Back. With the aforementioned Missha underneath, this chunky glitter went to town jazzing up my mani and I urge you to run out and grab a bottle as it too is a limited release from the Australian brand. My pinky finger wore a coat of Boys ‘N’ Berries topped with K.K. #30, which to be honest was a bit of a disappointment. It was far too sheer and I needed quite a few coats to get this to look half-decent, so I’m glad this random was a bargain bin find of mine.  

 

I threw the Missha shade as a base coat for the thumb, before loading ‘er up with the chunky essence glitter from the Snow White collection. 01 Evil Queen is filled to the brim with nothing but purple hexes in a clear base, just how I like my glitters! Perhaps too over the top, but definitely a fun look on occasion.

 

 

a cheeky bottle that I didn't use in this mani crept into this picture...can you guess which brand it is?

 

 

Now tell me, are you a purple girl or does another colour rock your socks off? Would you wear any of these glittery shade?

*I personally purchased all of these shades. Honesty, always.

Fresh Faced with BB Powder & Chanel Frivole

Lately, Melbourne has been struggling through a heat wave of recrod preportions. Sweltering nights spend tossing and turning are backed onto days at university with insufficient air conditioning and long walks with rays beating down on my back. Honestly, some of the nicest days of late have been spent at work in the cool air of the shop floor. We were lucky enough to have a cooler day (around 25C) a while back and I relished in pulling on my jeans and throwing on a light jumper to spend the day with Mumma Bovary doing errands and having rice paper rolls for lunch. As I often do, a mix of new release products were mixed with old favourites to get my face presentable!

I’ve been trialling the new Rimmel Match Perfection foundation* and so far I am enjoying the light-medium coverage and natural finish. I still prefer the cream-gel version in the pot (which I fear may be discontinued!) but the packaging is definitely nicer, a heavy glass bottle with handy pump opening. I’ve been setting it with my L’Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder* which is one of the exciting new BB/CC type products that the brand have recently launched. Cheeks were of course dusted with my new Chanel acquisition, the limited edition powder blush in 76 Frivole.

As always I used MAC Coquette to add some definition to my brows, it is seriously one of the most versatile eye shadows I’ve come across from MAC. I love it swept through the crease with a soft angled crease brush, but for this look I left it on the brows and used the essence duo to cover my lids and line my lower lashline as well. I finished the simple eye look off with generous coats of my new favourite mascara, the Covergirl Clump Crusher. Absolutely loving the volume and length it gives my lashes, not to mention the compliments I’ve been receiving from coworkers, family and friends.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation SPF 18 in 010 Light Porcelain*

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder for light skin*

Essence 50s Girls Reloaded palette in 03 Come on Board Captain

Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara in Black

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in black brown

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Dynasty at Dusk

Mac Coquette for brows

Sportsgirl Shady Lady in Prom Night for highlight

What do you think of my fresh faced look? What are your best tips on escpaing this horrendous heat?

*Marked items were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

February Collective Haul

Celebrating a ‘last hurrah’ of sorts, sharing some of the products I indulged in during February. March saw me begin my post graduate diploma at university, and subsequently the bulk of my spending money has been put to textbooks and a stack of new stationary to keep me on track.

Though I’ve heard negative reviews of Strawberrynet and their policies, the lure of finally getting my hands on a Jouer item was too tempting. A ‘saved search’ within my ebay account, it was Ingrid from Miss Glamorazzi that had me hooked on getting their powder blush in ‘Blossom’.  I have previously bought a YSL Crème de blush from SNet before and so when I saw #6 Rouge Passion was available, in the cart it went. The formula of theses is literally the best I’ve ever used. The CK shadow was a GWP and I chose a light neutral, as you can never have too many of those.

I am big fan of the Girlz Only dry shampoo which is available at Target for $2 per can, and when I spotted one for deep brown hair I knew that I needed to try it out. I am still using the original formula, but when I get around to trying this I will let you know how it goes. When Big W had their cosmetics sale, I popped a couple of the Maybelline City Rescue Total Clean Eye & Lip Makeup Removers to try out, and one to give to my bestie to try. Quite happy with how it is performing thus far!

There isn’t much better than receiving samples from high end beauty counters, so when my local YSL lady showed me the new Rouge Volupte Shine sample blister packs, I was over the moon. I have my eye on the shade Nude in Private but have held of purchasing until the weather cools down and I can bring out my lipsticks again. The beautiful Ulta3 set was a wonderful pharmacy find, and I’m excited to bust out the bright shades soon.

My love for Chanel Joues Contraste blushes seems to be growing, and I added the limited edition 76 Frivole to my collection at the beginning of February. A beautiful light apricot shade, this contrasts heavily with the bright Pink Explosion which was my first Chanel blush shade. I have only used this a handful of times, but am very glad to have it in my blush drawer.

Despite earlier mentioning holding off on lipstick purchases until the weather becomes bearable again, here I present my Maybelline Vivid collection (along with a cheeky Sportsgirl sale lipstick) I chose Neon Red, Vivid Mandarin and Hot Plum as they were shades I think I will get the most use from during the cold and grey winter months (which is when I like to wear bright lips most!)

Clockwise from bottom left: MAC Gentle, Chanel Frivole, YSL Rouge Passion, Jouer Blossom, MAC Poised

Just to further highlight my blush madness, I threw the new cheek shades of mine into a single shot, purely for swooning purposes. The bottom MAC shades were from this MAC haul, which I shared with you last week.

So there you have it, the stack of beauties I added to my cosmetic collection during February. Have you bought anything nice lately?